Enter the Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center’s Essay Contest by February 8, 2020.

Calling all 6^th to 12^th grade conservation minded authors! Tell us about one of your favorite African American leaders in conservation and what made them a strong leader.

The purpose of this contest is to highlight the contributions and impacts that African American leaders in conservation have made both in the field and in their communities.

How to Enter

Entries are due February 8, 2020 and should be submitted to littlered.schoolhouse@cookcountyil.gov with the subject line: “Little Red Schoolhouse 2020 African American Leaders in Conservation: Essay Contest.”

Essays can also be dropped off in person at Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center (9800 Willow Springs Rd, Willow Springs, IL 60480) in an envelope titled: “Little Red Schoolhouse 2020 African American Leaders in Conservation: Essay Contest”.

Please read the rules carefully before entering.

Judging

Essays will be judged in the following grade level categories:

• 6^th & 7^th grade
• 8^th & 9^th grade
• 10^th, 11^th & 12^th grade

The essay entries will be judged by Little Red Schoolhouse staff and administrators from February 9 to February 15.  

Winners

Winners from each grade level category will be notified on Sunday, February 16.

Winners will be invited to read their essays at Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center on the following Sunday, February 23rd at 1pm. The chosen conservation leaders’ pictures will be added to the Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center’s Leaders of Conservation wall and prizes will be awarded during that time. 

Eligibility

Essay contestants must be in 6^th to 12^th grade.

Rules

• All entries must be original essays with an emphasis on African Americans in conservation in the United States.
• Each entry must include an entry title page with the essay title, author’s first and last name, date, name of school and the name and signature of a legal guardian.
• Essays must be submitted with a picture of the conservation leader.
• Essays must be 300 to 500 words. Every word of the essay is counted. The word count does does not include the title page, bibliography or footnotes.
• Essays may be typewritten or legibly handwritten but must be double-spaced and have the author’s name on each page.
• Any quotations or copyrighted material used in the essay must be identified properly. Failure to identify non-original material will result in disqualification.
• Essays must be written in English.
• Entrance into the contest constitutes permission to use your name and image for purposes of publicity.