Essay Contest

To submit your essay, please click here. 

Entries may also be mailed to:

ATTN: Slogan and Essay Contest
Office of the Secretary of State
700 Capital Avenue
Suite 152
Frankfort, KY  40601

To submit your essay by mail complete this form (pdf 34.5kb) and attach it to your essay.

1. The essay contest is open to all Kentucky high school students in grades 9-12.
2. Essay entry is limited to one per student. 
3. Essay entry is limited to 600 words.  All entries must be typed and double-spaced.
4. Essays will be judged on purpose, idea development, organization, language, correctness, and subject comprehension.
5. All entries must be submitted electronically by 5 p.m. (EST) Friday, November 20, 2009 or postmarked by that day to be eligible for consideration.
6. Entries will not be returned and must be submitted in the required format to be considered.

Essay Prompt and Rules (pdf 31.1kb)

The recession, the loss of advertising and the loss of readers to the Internet have financially undermined many newspapers in the past three years, including some in Kentucky. Some newspapers have closed, and most newspapers and many television stations have reduced their reporting staffs. As a result, citizens preparing to vote in Kentucky elections in 2010 will find it harder to learn about the candidates from traditional media sources. Studies indicate that when the media report less on a campaign, voter turnout declines.

 

Should Congress and the Kentucky General Assembly be allowed to pass legislation that would require newspapers and television stations to devote a minimum amount of time or space to the candidates and their platforms?  Why or why not?

 

Essays will be judged on the following criteria:

Idea Development and Support
Minimal idea devlelopment; limited and/or related details.	1
Unelaborated idea development; unelaborated and/or repetitious ideas.	2
Depth of idea development supported by elaborated, relevant details.	3
Depth and complexity of ideas supported by rich, engaging, and pertinent details; evidence of analysis, reflection, insight.	4
Organization
Random and/weak organization.	1
Some lapses in organization and/or coherence.	2
Logical, coherent organization.	3
Subtle, sophisticated organization.	4
Purpose/Audience
Limited awareness of audience and/or purpose.	1
Some evidence of communicating with an audience for a specific purpose; some lapses in focus.	2
Focused on a purpose; communicates with an audience; evidence of voice and/or suitable tone.	3
Establishes a purpose and maintains a clear focus; strong awareness of audience; evidence of distinctive voice and/or appropriate tone.	4
Language
Incorrect and/or ineffective language.	1
Simplistic and/or imprecise language.	2
Acceptable, effective language.	3
Precise, rich language.	4
Correctness
Excessive and/or distracting errors in spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and grammar.	1
Some errors in spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and grammar that do not interfere with communication.	2
Minimal errors in spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and grammar relative to length and complexity.	3
Control of spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.	4
Research, Knowledge, and Understanding
Limited or no understanding of the prompt.	1
Basic understanding of the prompt and its concepts with minimal confusion.	2
Thorough understanding of the concepts presented in the prompt.	3
Sophisticated mastery of the concepts with demonstrated analysis.	4

We are proud to partner with the Kentucky Education Association, the Scripps Howard First Amendment Center, a division of the University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Telecommunications, and KEA Retired.  Without their financial support and involvement, this contest would not be possible.