2008 National Public Health Week Essay Contest Winners

 
The University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences (SPHIS) would like to invite students in the 6th, 7th and 8th grades to participate in the 2008 National Public Health Week Essay Contest.

National Public Health Week (NPHW) this year occurs April 7th – 13th, and the focus is on how climate change affects our personal health.  More information about NPHW can be found at www.nphw.org.

rpeber01@louisville.edu.

 
Students will write a short essay describing how public health has impacted their life by answering the following question: “What would my life be like without clean running water?” Essays should be no more than 400 words.

Selection of Winners

Winners will be announced on the school’s website on April 7, 2008. A first and second place winner will be selected from each school that participates in the contest. University of Louisville faculty, staff, and students will review and score all essay submissions.  School principals will also receive notification.

Awards

Students with the top essays will be honored in several ways.

• All 1st place winners will receive $50 and a framed certificate.
• All 2nd place winners will receive $35 and a framed certificate.
• Winning essays will be posted the SPHIS website and highlighted during other National Public Health Week activities. 

An awards ceremony will be held for students and their families during a University of Louisville baseball game on Tuesday, April 15. More details will be provided to contest winners.

Contest Eligibility

• The essay contest is open to all 6th, 7th and 8th grade students.
• Submissions must be the original work of the student.
• Submissions must answer the selected question: “What would my life be like without clean running water?”

Entry Information

• Deadline for Entries: April 1, 2008
• Submissions must be postmarked or emailed by April 1.
• Submissions should be sent to Becky Eberle via email or postal mail to either of the following addresses:
• rpeber01@louisville.edu
• Becky Eberle
  University of Louisville
  School of Public Health and Information Sciences
  555 S. Floyd Street, K-4026
  Louisville, KY 40202
  

Essay Requirements

• Essays may not exceed 400 words.
• Each essay must have a title.
• Essays should be typed and double-spaced to ensure legibility.
• All submissions must include the following information on a cover page (not counted in word limit): 
• Student Name
• Age
• Grade Level
• School Name
• School Address
• Teacher’s Name
• Home street address
• Home Telephone Number
• Student Email address

Judging Process

• Essays will be judged on originality and use of appropriate grammar and spelling. Top essays will be descriptive, provide evidence and make judgments related to the question posed.
• Submissions must be free of plagiarism.  All sources must be cited.  All word-for-word information written by someone else must have quotations showing the quoted material, and the source must be cited.
• If citations are made student must include a reference page at the end of the essay which is not included in the 400 word limit.  The following are standard formats for basic reference information:
• Books
• Author. Title: Subtitle. Place of publication. Publisher, Date.
  
• Magazine & Newspaper Articles
• Author. “Title of Article.” Title of Periodical Volume Number (Date): Pages
  
• Website
• Author (if available).  “Title of page.” Editor, Date, Institution (cited Access Date). Website address.
  
• Article from an Encyclopedia
• Author. “Title of Article.” Title of Encyclopedia. Date

Selection of Winners

Winners will be announced on the school’s website on April 7, 2008.  A first and second place winner will be selected from each school that participates in the contest. University of Louisville faculty, staff, and students will review and score all essay submissions.  School principals will also receive notification.

Awards

Students with the top essays will be honored in several ways.

All 1st place winners will receive $50 and a framed certificate.

All 2nd place winners will receive $35 and a framed certificate.

Winning essays will be posted the SPHIS website and highlighted during other National Public Health Week activities. 

An awards ceremony will be held for students and their families during a University of Louisville baseball game on Tuesday, April 15. More details will be provided to contest winners.

 
Students are encouraged to conduct research to help them explain the problems a community would face without clean running water.

• National Public Health Week 2008

• Clean Water Program

• Clean Water, Clear Choice

• Clean Water Action

• National Resources Defense Council on Water

• Clean Water Campaign