West Virginia students are invited to enter poster and essay contests being sponsored by the West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA). The theme of the contest is “Agriculture: Food For Life.” A winner for the poster contest will be selected in grade 1-5 while grade 9-12 and grade 6-8 comprise two separate categories for essay entries. The deadline for entries is midnight Nov. 30. The first place entries will be notified via phone in late December/early January. The winners will be honored in Charleston at Agriculture and Conservation Day at the Legislature. The chosen high school essay entry will also be entered into the National Ag Day Essay Contest. Full contest details and entry forms are available for download at www.agriculture.wv.gov. Contestants must compose an original poster or written essay with limited guidance from adults, teachers, or agricultural industry professionals. Interviews with industry professionals are acceptable research; input beyond research is unacceptable. Any quotation or copyrighted materials used in essays must be properly identified using a bibliography and footnotes or proper citation. Failure to do so will result in disqualification. Judging will be done by a panel made up of representatives from the WVDA and experts from the agriculture industry. Entries will be assigned a number to maintain the anonymity of the author during judging. Poster and essay entries must be accompanied by a completed entry form and may be mailed to: West Virginia Department of Agriculture, 60B Moorefield Industrial Park Road, Moorefield, WV 26836, Attn: Cindy Shreve.
