Policy Pulse News Coverage Contest

One of the cornerstones of a democratic society is that its citizens are informed about policies being considered by their elected officials, and the positions their representatives have taken on those issues. Equipped with this sort of information, citizens may form their own opinions as to the wisest courses of action, and may either communicate those opinions directly to their representatives, or, alternatively, simply express themselves through their next vote. The Show-Me Institute is committed to helping Missourians keep track of the issues that matter most to them, which is why we created ShowMePolicyPulse.org, a website offering up-to-the-minute news and information about Missouri government, including the ability to track the progress of legislation as it is considered by the General Assembly. The Policy Pulse website is a free tool that enables citizens to actively and effectively participate in our state’s democracy.

The Show-Me Institute, in conjunction with the Missouri Broadcasters Association and the Missouri Broadcast Educators Association, is proud to launch a contest encouraging a more informed citizenry, while helping aspiring students learn how to research and communicate stories about today’s most interesting Missouri policy issues.

High school and college students throughout Missouri may submit original stories covering a Missouri policy issue of their choosing. Acceptable forms of media for the narratives include audio or video clips lasting no more than five minutes, or written stories of up to 1,000 words. Our panel of judges will select the best submissions from the high school and college age groups, respectively. Winners of cash prizes in the amount of $500 each will be announced each month, one prize awarded to a high school student and one to a college student. In June, an additional $750 grand prize will be awarded to the best overall submission from the three previous months, for each of the two school categories, along with a $500 prize awarded to the teacher, professor, or instructor designated by these grand prize winners. Awards will be presented at the Missouri Broadcasters Association award ceremony on June 6. Any submission that is of exceptional quality will also be posted on the Show-Me Institute’s comprehensive policy tracking site, Policy Pulse. Here is one example of the type of work that might be selected for publication (although this piece was not a contest entry).

Eligibility and Requirements

All students currently attending a high school (or home school, of high school age), college, or university with its primary campus located within the state of Missouri are eligible to enter. Entrants must be legal residents of the state of Missouri at the time their stories are submitted to the Show-Me Institute.

Employees, contractors, directors, and officers of the Show-Me Institute, and any agents or affiliates of the Show-Me Institute that are involved with the contest (including individuals or entities providing financial or other support for the contest), or their immediate family members (spouse, parent, child, sibling, or “step” of each) are not eligible to enter this contest.

Any eligible person who submits a contest entry according to the instructions posted on the Policy Pulse website will be deemed the entrant, unless that person is prohibited by law from entering the contest, in which case a parent or legal guardian of that person may be designated as the entrant. In the event of a dispute regarding the identity of an entrant, the Show-Me Institute shall have the sole and final authority to resolve the dispute by making a good faith effort to identify the authorized email account holder of the email address provided with the entry. “Authorized email account holder” is defined as the natural person assigned that email address by an Internet access provider, online service provider, or other organization (e.g., business or educational institution) responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted email address.

Story Submission

Entries must be postmarked or emailed by 11:59 p.m., Central Time, on the final day of each contest period (March 26, April 26, May 20), according to submission directions posted on the Policy Pulse website. Written stories should contain no more than 1,000 words within the body text. Citations of source material will not be included in the word count. While participants are encouraged to seek advice from parents, teachers, or professors, the text of the stories must be the work of the entrant. Plagiarism or other dishonesty will result in disqualification.

All submissions must include a cover sheet with the following information about the entrant:

  1. Name
  2. Date of birth
  3. Mailing address
  4. Email address (if applicable)
  5. Name and address of current school
  6. Expected graduation year
  7. Chosen essay topic
  8. For entrants younger than 18, the name of a parent or legal guardian
  9. Name and contact information of teacher, professor or instructor designee

Judging (Standards)

All essays will be judged on the following criteria:

  • Content (70%)
    • Identification of a policy area being considered by the General Assembly
    • Identification of at least one proposal that would change Missouri’s current approach to that policy area
    • Reference to a conversation that the entrant has had with an elected official who has taken a position on the proposal
    • Explanation of the benefits or challenges likely to result from adoption of the entrant’s proposed changes
    • Explanation of how adoption of the proposed changes would either limit or expand Missourians’ freedom to make decisions for themselves (or “dependence on the government”)
    • Consideration of ways in which private individuals and companies might address policy challenges without requiring government involvement
    • Bonus points will be awarded to entries that make reference to research accomplished with the Policy Pulse website
  • Presentation (30%)
    • Clear communication of ideas
    • Well organized
    • Correct syntax, grammar, spelling, and punctuation
    • Thoughtfully selected topic
    • Compelling and original writing style

Prizes

Between March and May 2009, the Show-Me Institute will award one prize each month for the best high school story and the best college story. After the final monthly prize winners are announced, the judges will reconsider the three winning stories in each age group, and will name a grand prize winner from each classification. The grand prize winners will be announced at the awards ceremony in June.

The prizes will be valued as follows:

  • Monthly prize, high school — $500
  • Monthly prize, college — $500
  • Grand prize, high school — $750
  • Grand prize, college — $750
  • Prize for teacher, professor, or instructor designated by Grand prize winners — $500

Prizes will be awarded as checks to the winners. If any winner is not legally eligible to receive the prize under Missouri law, the prize may be awarded in the name of his/her parent or legal guardian. Taxes on prizes are solely the responsibility of the winner or his/her parent or legal guardian, and any teacher, professor, or instructor who accepts an award after being designated by a grand prize winner.

On late June 6, 2009, the Show-Me Institute will present the cash prizes at a ceremony hosted by the Missouri Broadcasters Association. Prize winners need not attend the awards ceremony in order to receive their prizes. In the event that a winner is not able to attend this award ceremony, the Show-Me Institute will mail the award check to the address indicated on the winning essay’s cover sheet.

Contest Policies

All entries must be postmarked by the appropriate deadline. The Show-Me Institute is not responsible for lost, late, misdirected, damaged, illegible, or incomplete submissions. Decisions of the contest judges are final. By submitting an entry, entrant warrants and represents that it is their own work, and that any quotations therein have been clearly identified as quotations and properly attributed to the original source.

By entering, participants agree to grant the Show-Me Institute the non-exclusive right to print and display their stories for the purposes of this contest, in perpetuity. The Show-Me Institute may thus reproduce, encode, store, copy, transmit, publish, post, broadcast, display, adapt, exhibit, and/or otherwise use or reuse the story without limitation and without further permission. All other rights are reserved by the contest entrants, including the right to reuse or republish their own work in other venues, at their sole discretion.

The entrant also agrees to the use of the entrant’s name and/or statements regarding his/her participation in this contest (with or without using the entrant’s name) in any and all media without limitation, and without additional compensation or approval from the entrant or any other party. The entrant agrees not to sue or assert any claim against the Show-Me Institute for the use of the story or the entrant’s likeness or statements.

Submission Information

Written submissions may be mailed to:

The Show-Me Institute
Policy Pulse Essay Contest
7777 Bonhomme Ave., Suite 2150
Saint Louis, Missouri 63105

They may also be emailed to:
info@showmeinstitute.org

Video or audio clips that are larger than 3 MB should NOT be emailed. Entrants can either burn these files to a CD or DVD and send them by postal mail, or email a cover sheet to info@showmeinstitute.org containing the requisite entry information, along with a link to the submission file. Entrants may store this file for retrieval from their own website or FTP server, or they may use an intermediary service, such as DropSend.