Following are the rules spelled out by The Foundation for the Preservation of Honey Bees, Inc. (American Beekeeping Federation, Inc.) who sponsors the contest nationally. The North Carolina State Beekeepers Association sponsors the contest at the state level.
National Awards: Cash Prizes to top 3 National Winners:
1st place . . . . . .$250
2nd place . . . . . .$100
3rd place . . . . . $50
Each State Winner receives an appropriate book about honey bees, beekeeping or honey.
State Award: The first place essay in North Carolina will receive $50 from the NC State Beekeepers Assn.
TOPIC:
The topic for the year 2009 is:
"The Dance Language of Bees"
Some scientists believe that honey bees possess the ability to communicate the distance and direction of resources to their nest-mates. They employ a symbolic dance language in which the direction toward the sun is substituted by gravity, and a trained observer can watch their dances and predict where they are foraging. The use of symbolic language by an insect has made them one of the most studied animals. This year's essay contest invites participants to learn about the honey bee's dance language, how it was discovered, how it works and how it provides colonies the ability to find and exploit floral resources.
SOURCES:
Karl von Frisch was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1973 for his work with insect communication. His classic text is The Dance Language and Orientation of Bees (1967) Harvard Univesity Press. Not all scientists agree with von Frisch's findings. Some believe that odor is the important information used by recruited bees to find food, pollen, water, or homesight. See Anatomy of a Controversy: The Question of a "Language" Among Bees (1990) by Adrian Wenner and Patrick Wells, Columbia University Press. The results of scout bees leading nest-mates back to a new food source can be demonstrated easily by a beekeeper. You can Google items such as "odor-search", "honey bee", and "dance language controversy".
The scope of the research is an essential judging criterion, accounting for 40% of your score. The number of sources consulted, the authority of the sources, and the variety of the sources are all evaluated.
Personal interviews with beekeepers and others familiar with bees and beekeeping activities are valued sources of information and should be documented. Sources which are not cited in the endnotes should be listed as "Resources" or "Bibliography" list.
Note that "honey bee" is properly spelled as two words, even though
many otherwise authoritative references spell it as one word.
(see over for Rules)
ESSAY CONTEST RULES:
1. Contest is open to active 4-H members only. 4-H'ers who have previously placed first, second, or third at the National level are not eligible.
2. Requirements (failure to meet any one disqualifies the essay) -
3. Essays will be judged on a) scope of research - 40%; b) accuracy
- 30%; c) creativity - 10%; d) conciseness - 10%; and e) logical
development for the topic - 10%.
4. Judging and selection of the National Winner will be made by the Foundation's Essay Committee, whose decision is final.
5. Each state may submit only one (1) entry.
6. National Winner will be announced May 1, 2009.
7. All National entries become the property of the Foundation for the Preservation of Honey Bees, Inc, and may be published or used as it sees fit. No essay will be returned.
8. Essays must be received by February 14, 2008. Essayists should mail their entry (or have County Agent mail entry) to:
Stephen B. Bambara
Dept. of Entomology, NCSU
Box 7613
Raleigh, NC 27695-7613
If you have read all these rules, read them again. After you have written your essay, read them once more just before mailing the essay. Did you write on the topic? (Agents or Leaders, please check the essay for adherence to the rules.)
And lastly, follow the rules.