The 2015 Virginia Association of Fairs Youth Scholarship Contest is approaching quickly! This year, the competition will be held on Saturday, January 10, 2015 (a week later than normal.) Entries are due no later than December 5, 2014 at 5 p.m. to the Orange County Extension Office. No e-mails or faxes are accepted.
This contest is open to youth ages 14-19 as of January 1, 2015 who have been an active participant in a VAF-member fair or festival. Scholarship prizes range from $500 to $2,500. The contest consists of prepared public speaking; extemporaneous public speaking; application, resume, and essay; digital symposium; and an interview.
The goal of this scholarship contest is to recognize superior leadership characteristics among junior members of the Association and the industry; and encourage and develop leadership and speaking skills among junior members so that they will be able to serve their local boards, the industry, and their local communities.
General Rules:
1. Contestants must be from the ages of 14 to 19 as of January 1 of the contest year.
2. In order to compete, contestants must have actively participated in their local VAF-member fair, and
their application must be signed by a local, sponsoring fair official. Participation is not limited to only junior fair board members. A young person who has served as a volunteer and an exhibitor is a good example of a logical candidate for this contest.
3. A letter of reference from a fair member must be submitted with the application, résumé, and essay. The letter should stress the applicant’s leadership abilities and contributions to the local VAF-member fair.
4. Contestants must be present in the designated room at the conference hotel during the Virginia Association of Fairs Convention, by 10:00 a.m. on the contest date, to receive instructions.
5. Contestants should be dressed in professional attire and conduct themselves accordingly during the entire contest period.
6. In case of a tie for any placement based on numerical scores, the judging panel will be informed and consulted to break the tie after the completion of the contest.
7. Contest results will be announced Saturday evening. The top six contestants will be notified and expected to stay, although all competitors are encouraged to attend.
8. Top scorers in selected division(s) may be asked to present to the VAF membership.
For more information and the application, please visit the document library and look under the "Blog Post Follow Up Information" section.
