Illinois 4-H Award Application
Updated & Revised!!
New Award Areas
• Community Service – 4-H work in service
to/for others. Focus what has been done
as an individual vs. club work
• Communication – 4-H work in the art of
communicating with others
• Leadership – Development of the
member’s leadership skills
New Award Areas (continued)
• Personal Growth – Member’s personal
growth through participating in the 4-H
program.
• Project Mastery – 4-H work in the
member’s primary project area (i.e.
Woodworking, Photography, Beef, Foods & Nutrition).
o Only one project area included in the
application
o Only one “Project Mastery” application
The Selection Process
• Hard copy submitted to local office; staff
signatures added. Due Dates:
• Livingston – December 15
• McLean - January 6
• Woodford – January 4
• Applications scanned and emailed to
State 4-H Office (Dedicated email address
to be provided)
Recognition Options
State 4-H Award Winners will have options:
•
College Scholarship (sent directly to college,
trade school, community college)
•
Trip to National 4-H Congress in Atlanta, GA
•
Scholarship to help cover expenses to other
National 4-H Event or Conference to which the
awardee is eligible to attend
*Each award is worth approximately $1000 or the actual
cost of the event, whichever is less.
General Information
• Includes information from only the past
three years
• Essays should emphasize last 3 years,
but may speak to earlier experiences
• No additional pages except for essays
• Will be posted in both type-in .pdf and
MSWord format
Section 1: 4-H Project/Program Summary
Top projects (i.e. Woodworking, Cooking 401, etc.) or
programs (i.e. Teens as Teachers, Teens as Mentors, 4-H
Federation) Show size or scope.(30 points)
• Cells will be “fixed”; can carry-over info to next line
Year
Name of Project/Program
2013
2013
2014
Cooking 201
Clothing & Textiles II
Teens as Teachers - Biotechnology
2014
2014
2014
2015
2015
Cooking 301
Clothing & Textiles II
4-H Federation
Teens as Teachers – Foods & Nutrition
Cooking 401; Food Preservation
2015
4-H Ambassadors
Project/Program Size or Scope
(what I made, did, raised or cared for, #
taught/mentored)
104 recipes; 52 meals for family of 4
Made 12 garments, recycled 2 items
Taught 32 youth 8 lessons in afterschool program;
Organized field trip for 10 youth
240 recipes; 78 meals for family of 4
Made 10 garments, repaired 10, sold 6 items
Club rep; 8 meetings; 4 committees; 3 events
Taught 40 youth 6 lessons during day camp
300 recipes; Preserved 25 qts of jams; 30 qts of
beans
6 Tours for 50 people @ county fair; Radio
interview – 4-H week; Promotion in 6 classrooms
Section 2: Participation in Other
Community/School Activities/Events
Major non-4-H participation. (30 points)
Year
2013
Kind of Activity
Basketball Team
What I Did & Skills Learned
Played 15 games, Teamwork, leadership
L
X
C
M
2013
Scholastic Bowl Team 6 meets, Regional & Sectional Contests,
X
X
X
X
X
S
N
I
Variety of educational information
2014
Church Camp
6 days, led devotionals, learned camping
skills, leadership
2014
Spanish Club
Secretary, took minutes, raised funds for
X
X
class trip to Mexico; cultural learning
2015
Amer. Cancer Assoc.
Organized fund-raiser to support neighbor
X
X
w/ cancer; Raised $5,000
2015
Spanish Club
President, Organized 6 meetings,
Represented club at state meeting
X
X
Section 3: Participation in 4-H
Events & Activities
Major 4-H participation. (40 points)
Year
Kind of Activity
2013-15 Livestock Judging
2013
4-H Camp
2014-15 Illini Summer
Academies
What I Learned
Correct conformations of beef, sheep &
Swine; Decision-making, Organizational &
L
C
M
S
X
X
X
X
Presentation skills
Outdoor living skills, sportsfishing
techniques, mixers and recreational games
X
Careers and college options in Molecular &
Cellular Biology and Veterinary Medicine;
X
new games, University of Illinois campus
2014-15 Club officers &
committees
Secretary, Vice-President, Club Tour
committee (Ch); Achievement program
committee
X
N
I
Essays
• Two narrative essays required; 50
points each
• 250-550 words each
• Emphasize activities in last 3 years, but
may use earlier motivations &
experiences that laid foundation
• Include Award Area in Title
• Font Size Restriction
Essay #1 – Excellence in Mastery
• How member has mastered or excelled in award area
• Multiple #1 Essays needed if multiple award areas are
checked
• Demonstrated Mastery, Goals Achieved
• Sharing with/Teaching Others, Giving Back
• Leadership Demonstrated
• Extended application of learning
• Skills/Knowledge
• Organization, Flow, Spelling, etc.
Essay #2 – Impact
• Multiple #2 Essays needed if multiple award
areas are checked
• Impact Experiences have made on member,
others
• Challenges faced and overcome
• Impact on future goals
• Change/results – how you are applying skills
and knowledge
• Organization, Flow, Spelling, etc.