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Germany in Class: Headlines
March 11, 2008 German Information Center USA Annual Essay Contest About the ContestThe German Information Center USA fulfills the public diplomacy mission of the German Embassy in Washington, D.C. To encourage American students to get to know modern Germany, the GIC provides classroom materials to educators in the United States. The purpose of the essay contest is to familiarize students with today's Germany. In addition, the contest offers students and their teachers an opportunity to discuss traditional and modern German culture, language and society. Detailed contest information such as rules, deadlines and the essay questions can be found below. All entries must be submitted electronically by April 15, 2008. There will be three grade groupings for the contest: Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, and Grades 9-12. Winners will receive prizes and certificates; their essays will appear on this website (www.germany.info), as well as the German Information Center USA's newsletters. Guidelines, Rules, Dates GUIDELINES Students must choose from one of the following topics: a. 2008 marks the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first German immigrants in America. Now more Americans list German ancestry as their cultural heritage than any other heritage group (2000 Census). Over the course of 400 years German-Americans have made many contributions to American society and the world. What do you think is the most influential contribution made by German-Americans within the past 400 years? Maybe it is several contributions by a group of people that rank high on your list or maybe one single event stands out more than the rest. The website www.germanoriginality.com and the "Culture & Life" section of www.germany.info may be especially useful in your research! b. Germany- Land of Ideas! Germany is known for science and culture. Technological innovations and artistic expressions abound. What do you think is the best, most innovative, creative or otherwise great idea to come from Germany? It can be something that was influential or big for just Germany, Europe or for the entire world. It can deal with science, technology, culture or any other area of life. Maybe it?s a contribution to a way of life, such as recycling or it the Bauhaus-style of architecture. Maybe you prefer to think of German ideas in terms of the discoveries of German scientists studying outer space. Let your imagination run with this idea! A website to help you get started thinking about ideas is www.land-of-ideas.org. Essay must be in English and in paragraph format. 300 words or fewer for Grades 3-5; 500 words for Grades 6-12. (Note: More does not mean better! Focus on the quality, not quantity.) Students may submit only one essay per person. Submit entries as .doc (Microsoft Word), .pdf (Adobe Acrobat), scanned-in graphic files (jpg, etc.) or .txt (Simple Text) files only. Email your essay to Jennifer Clardy (jennifer.clardy(at)germany.info). Entry must include the author's name, grade level, school name and school address at the beginning. RULES All students enrolled in 3rd through 12th grade in the U.S. are eligible. (Seniors graduating in 2008 are eligible.) Each essay must be the sole work of the author. Entries may be submitted by individual writers or by their teachers. Entries must include the name of the student & teacher/advisor, the grade level of student, the email address of student & teacher, and a postal address for the student & teacher. This information enables the GIC USA to quickly award prizes and prize packages. No personal or contact information will be handed over to a third party. Only electronically submitted essays will be accepted. Entries must be 300 words or fewer for elementary students; 500 words or less for middle and high school students. Submitted entries will become the property of the German Information Center USA; they may appear in GIC USA or associated publications. The decision of the panel of judges from the German Information Center USA and German Embassy Washington is final. Students are encouraged to review spelling, grammar and punctuation. Receipt of essays will be confirmed by email. Please contact us if you do not receive a confirmation within a week. DEADLINE is April 15, 2008. Winners will be notified by May 15, 2008. Criteria CRITERIA FOR JUDGING Winners will be determined by a panel of judges from the German Information Center USA and the German Embassy Washington. Entries will be judged based on their content, style and grammar. Successful entries will: Prizes PRIZES Amazon.com gift certificates will be awarded to first place winners in each age group. 1st place - grades 3 - 5: $50 bookstore gift certificate For Teachers or Advisors of 1st place winners: In addition, 10 runners-up will receive a package from the German Information Center USA. Good luck!
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