Call for Entries! Opportunity4All Essay Competition
All active Florida 4-H members ages 8-18 years old are invited to submit an essay for this competition.
Charter Communications and Florida 4-H are excited to bring you the third essay competition in the Opportunity4All series. This time, we are asking 4-H’ers to tackle the topic of “Community Impact of Broadband Public-Private Partnerships”.
Top three (3) winners will receive cash prizes ($750, $500, $250), a Chromebook, and an invite to attend the Rural Tech Talk and 4-H Essay Competition Awards on March 2 from 5:30-7:00PM ET at the Florida Agricultural Museum in Flagler County, FL.
All information for this competition can be found by clicking the following link or by reading below, Essay #3 Overview – Opportunity4All Essay Competition.
You can submit your essay and supporting information by clicking on the following link, O4A Essay Competition #3 Online Submission. Please read below to ensure all guidelines and eligibility requirements are met.
Topic #3 – Community Impact of Broadband Public-Private Partnerships
- Submission Deadline: EXTENDED – February 20, 2023
- Top Three (3) Prize Winners Invited to Awards Event on March 2, 2023
- Sponsored by: Charter Communications
- Coordinated by: UF/IFAS Extension, 4-H Youth Development
In the first two Opportunity4All essays, 4-H members across the state discussed the connectivity issues facing Florida’s rural and agricultural communities and how reliable broadband access could positively impact these communities. In the winning essay from the 1st contest, Alex P from Duval County mentioned the potential benefits of public-private partnerships.
According to Regional VP of Field Operations in FL, Paul Hanson, “Spectrum continues to invest millions across the country to extend its gigabit broadband network to communities that have no broadband access” (Villages-News, 2022). These millions are invested into partnerships between public and private sectors that fulfill broadband expansion needs across the country.
Specifically in Florida, Charter Communications has entered these public-private partnerships with counties such as Flagler and Sumter. Charter, as a private sector entity, has agreed to fund broadband expansion projects in these counties with a pledge that these counties will also contribute using funding sources made available through sources that include the American Rescue Plan.
Other funding sources include existing programs like the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity’s $400M Broadband Opportunity Program, and future programs like National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program.
Essay #3 Question: Considering these investments, how do public-private partnerships support a connected economy in Florida, what attributes should a community look for and what outcomes should they expect when partnering with a private provider?
Put on Your Thinking Cap!
An essential judging criterion is the scope of research you put forth in developing the ideas behind your essay—accounting for 40% of your score. Quantity, authority and variety of sources are all evaluated. Personal interviews with elected leaders, farmers, ranchers, business professionals, small business owners, seniors, and others familiar with the subject are valued sources of information and should be documented.
Eligibility
The Opportunity4All Essay Competition series is open to active Florida 4-H members only. Entered essays must encompass the designated topic only. There will be no exceptions. This competition is open to all 4-H youth (4-H age 8-18) regardless of participation in previous Opportunity4All essay competitions.
Competition Rules & Essay Requirements
Failure to meet any one of the following essay requirements will result in disqualification.
- Essay requirements for 4-H judging:
- Must be computer-generated and formatted using double-spaced type and 12pt font in legible font
- Must encompass the designated topic in 750 to 1,000 words. Word count does not include sources, works cited or the writer’s biographical
- All factual statements and interview references must be cited in a “sources” or “bibliography”
- Judging Criterion: (a) scope of research, 40%; (b) accuracy, 30%; (c) creativity, 10%; (d) conciseness, 10%; and (e) logical development of the topic, 10%.
- You will be asked to upload the following that will not be considered in judging. These items will only be used for the top three (3) essays as part of the awards ceremony
- (1) Concise summary of your essay (abstract) that highlights your main argument or proposition, supporting points and conclusion
- (2) Brief biographical statement of the writer including mailing address, email address and phone
- (3) Business-like (clear, clean, and put together) headshot that will be used to highlight your success on social media and print resources
- Entries must be submitted through the following link – O4A Essay Competition #3 Online Submission
- Submission Deadline: EXTENDED – February 20, 2023
- Top placing entries invited to Rural Tech Talk and 4-H Essay Competition Awards on March 2, 2023 at the Florida Agricultural Museum in Flagler County
Awards
The three top scoring essays will receive cash prizes and award items sponsored by Charter Communications:
- 1st Place: $750 | 2nd Place: $500 | 3rd Place: $250
- Chromebook for each top placing author
- Opportunity to present/record winning essay to be featured at Rural Tech Talk and 4-H Essay Competition Awards on March 2, 2023 at the Florida Agricultural Museum in Flagler County
Decisions made by Charter Communications and UF/IFAS Extension 4-H Youth Development during judging are final. All competition entries become the property of Charter Communications and UF/IFAS Extension 4-H Youth Development and may be used as they see fit.
By submitting an essay, participants agree to allow Charter Communications or their assignees to record and photograph their image and/or voice for use in research, educational and promotional programs. These audio, video, and image recordings become shared property of Charter Communications and UF/IFAS Extension 4-H Youth Development.
Previous Essay Competitions
If you would like to see what 4-H’ers had to say in our first two essay competitions in this Opportunity4All series, you can click on the following links: O4A Essay #1 – All Entries | O4A Essay #2 – All Entries.
Questions?
Contact UF/IFAS Extension, 4-H Youth Development Contest Coordinator, Derby Sale, at sderby.sale@ufl.edu.
4-H is the youth development program of the land-grant university and Cooperative Extension system. The program provides hands-on educational programs and experiences for youth ages 5-18 with the objective of developing young people as individuals and responsible citizens. 4-H empowers youth to be leaders in their communities today, and for the future. In Florida, 4-H is administered by UF/IFAS Extension and Florida A&M University.
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