The Virginia School Boards Association is holding a personal essay/speaking contest where the winner will have an opportunity to present before an audience of more than 200 school board members and administrators at the 2024 VSBA Conference on Education held at the Hilton Richmond Hotel & Spa at Short Pump on July 23, 2024.

This is the fourth year the Virginia School Boards Association will hold this contest. We hope that this contest will bring out the very best in students’ writing and speaking efforts and allow our attendees to witness examples of the bright, thoughtful, and accomplished students from around the Commonwealth. This year's topic is Kind Hearts, Strong Schools.

This year, the winner will receive a $1,000 scholarship, sponsored by WellNet Healthcare. Submissions are open to all 2023-2024 Virginia public high school students (grades 9-12), and this contest is a great opportunity for students to share their unique voices as well as compete for funds to further their education.

The contest offers the following incentives:

The first place winner will receive a $1,000 scholarship and certificate to be presented at the 2024 VSBA Conference on Education.
* The first place winner is required to attend the 2024 VSBA Conference on Education to be recognized and to present their essay as a speech. Their essay will also be recognized on the VSBA website and in an issue of the VSBA Newsletter.
* The first place winner also has the option to attend the 2024 Student School Board Representative Workshop before the start of the 2024 VSBA Annual Convention held November 20-22.

Begin by completing the application form that follows. Instructions for submitting the essay and the video of your speech are found in the email your school board received. Be sure to read and follow all of the guidelines for the essay and speech that came with the email about the contest. Noncompliance to these guidelines or incomplete applications will disqualify your entry from consideration.

THE DEADLINE TO ENTER IS MONDAY, MAY 6, 2024 before 4:00pm.

OTHER QUESTIONS/INFORMATION
If you have questions or need additional information, please contact VSBA by emailing communications@vsba.org or by calling 434-295-8722.

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* 1. Title of Essay/Speech

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* 2. Applicant's School Division

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* 3. Applicant's Name:

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* 4. Student's Grade Placement for 2023-2024 School Year:

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* 5. Student's Personal Information:

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* 6. Student's Email Address:

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* 7. Student's Phone Number:

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* 8. If your submission is chosen as the first place winner in this contest, will you commit to attending and presenting your entry, without alterations, as a speech at the 2024 Conference on Education attendees, held on July 23, 2024?

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* 9. You grant permission to publish the content of your entry on the VSBA website, and publications with the assurance that you, the author, will be fully credited:

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* 10. The winner for this contest will be presented a $1,000 scholarship. Please provide a response to the following question: How would this scholarship aid in furthering your education?

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* 11. Please share any additional information you feel we should know about you or your presentation:

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* 12. Please attach a copy of your signed Parental Release Form

PDF, PNG, JPG, JPEG file types only.
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* 13. Please attach your personal essay as a PDF

PDF, DOC, DOCX file types only.
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* 14. Please provide your YouTube, Google Drive, or Dropbox link to your speech video *Please ensure your video settings allow for anyone with this link to view your video.

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