WEST DES MOINES – The Iowa State Association of Counties is looking forward to hearing from Iowa’s youth about what they think about county government in Iowa and why it is so important. ISAC is now accepting illustrated essay submissions of up to 500 words from Iowa children age 12 and under. Illustrations should be no larger than an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper.
Essays will be judged by an internal committee and the three winning submissions will be included in the April issue of Iowa County magazine. All submissions will receive a certificate of participation. ISAC will send winners a prize package and notify their local media. Winners will be chosen based on essay and illustration creativity, positivity, originality and overall impression.
Submit any questions, essays and illustrations to Rachel Bennett at rbennett@iowacounties.org. A photo or scanned copy of handwritten essays and illustrations is suggested. Word documents of electronic essays are preferred, but PDFs will be accepted. Deadline for submissions is Feb. 12.
The following must be included with the submission: name, birth date, address, county of residence, grade/school, favorite hobbies, illustration (must fit on 8.5 x 11″ sheet of paper) Essay (up to 500 words), optional – picture of child (please know that if a picture is included, we reserve the right to publish in publications and on our web and social media sites).
Qualifications
The submissions must meet the following criteria: age 12 and under (birth year 2008 or later), resident of Iowa.
Essay topic question ideas
How do Iowa county officials make the lives of those who live and work in their communities better? What services are most important that Iowa county officials provide? Why? Why is county government important in Iowa?
Educational video about why counties matter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6y4J6PLkPg. For more information visit www.iowacounties.org.