It is that time of year again to start thinking about a topic for our fair educational posters. Have you ever asked yourself, “Why do we do educational posters”? There are two very good answers for this question.

Why educational posters

The first answer is doing something with content grows your depth of knowledge. Countless studies have proven that when we learn something and then teach someone else that we own that knowledge. By teaching others, we then transfer that information to long term memory.  Teaching others is what 4-H members do.  Your passion for your project transfers to others when you share it with them. My suggestion is that you choose the hardest topic in your age category to become the topic of the poster. Why, you ask? This is the perfect opportunity for you to study for the skill-a-thon!

The second answer is that the Florida State Fair has provided youth a platform to share their learning.  The Champion of Champions competition provides a category for educational posters.  There is a rubric at the end of each entry rules that can be found on the Florida State Fair Agribusiness website.  Youth receive points that go toward their overall points in each species.  Remember to keep your audience in mind when laying out your poster. The appearance of your poster should invite them to stop and learn.  It is so exciting to watch the public as they read your posters and say, “wow I did not know that”.

The rubric covers required elements, labels. accuracy, attractiveness, grammar/spelling, and effort.  The disqualifications of poster size, skill-a-thon topic, previously judged, and plagiarism are addressed on the rubric. Remember to put the source of your information on the back of the poster.

One way to cite your source is to use MLA formatting.

Author Last Name, First Name. “Title of Web Page in Title Case.” Name of website, Day Month Year of publication, URL. Accessed Day Month Year.

If I were to cite my source for this blog, this is how I would do it. There is not an author noted in manual or a date of publication.

“Rabbit Skillathon Manual.” 2024, https://floridastatefairag.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Rabbit-Skilathon-Manual-Products-and-Marketing-2025.pdf  Accessed 4 October 2024.

For more information about Hillsborough County 4-H, visit Clubs – Hillsborough County – University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences – UF/IFAS

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