2008 CDI Poster Contest     

Water is Life
Posters created for the 2008 Soil and Water Conservation Poster Contest will feature the theme "Water is Life ". Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company and the Conservation Districts of Iowa (CDI), are co-sponsoring the Soil and Water Conservation Poster Contest.

Competition will again be open to all children who are residents of Iowa from kindergarten through 12th grade. The divisions correspond with the rules of the national poster contest: Division I - Grades K and 1; Division 2 - Grades 2 and 3; Division 3 - Grades 4 through 6; Division 4 - Grades 7 through 9; Division 5 - Grades 10 through 12.

Each district may submit one poster in each of the five divisions to their CDI Regional Director. Posters must be packaged in a cardboard mailer so they remain flat when sent to the Regional Director. The CDI Regional Director will select one poster in each age category to represent their region in the state contest.

Posters should reflect the contest theme, "Water is Life ". For more information on the theme and guidelines, please visit NACD's website.

Posters should be made on regular poster paper with the size 8.5 x 11 up to 22 x 28 inches only. They may be any medium such as paint, magic marker, pencil, cut and paste, crayon or whatever inspires the student. No three-dimensional effects please. Judging of each poster will be based on conservation message (50 percent), visual effectiveness (30 percent), originality(10 percent) and universal appeal (10 percent).

Dates

March 28, 2008- All local entries must be sent to the soil and water conservation district office.

May 16, 2008 - Each district must send the first-place winner from each of the five categories to the CDI Regional Director.

July 11, 2008- The CDI Regional Directors must select a winner in each division and send only the first-place posters to CDI. It is not necessary to include the winning students social security number.

Monetary awards will be made as follows: 1) local district awards may be made upon the desire of the district and financed locally: 2) the five winners in each region will receive $35; 3) each of the five first-place state winners will receive $50.

The five state winning posters will be sent to the national poster competition and will be displayed at the 2009 NACD National Convention. The state winning posters will be displayed during the 2008 Annual Conference for Conservation Districts of Iowa.

For more information please contact: Latisha Cunningham, CDI Administrative Assistant, at (641)774-4461.

Class of 2008 CDI Scholarship      

The Conservation Districts of Iowa (CDI) is sponsoring the scholarship program again in 2008.

Please note that the application form has been changed. Schools should destroy copies of previous years' application forms. Application forms of previous years will not be honored.

Purpose - The scholarships will be presented to Iowa high school seniors to be used for their first year of education on the college level while pursuing programs of study in any field of agriculture or natural resources.

Amount - Three scholarships will be awarded on the state level in the amounts of $1800, $1200, and $1000. Regional winners from the other six regions who do not receive the state awards will each receive $300. The first, second and third place awards will be paid directly to the school of choice in two installments, beginning with the first term of attendance and at mid-term or semester. The $300 awards will be paid directly to the students.

Basis of Award - Criteria consideration will be points: 45 for leadership (leadership includes service, character, and self-motication- 15 points each); 30 for scholastic achievement; 25 for need.

Selection - All applications must be typed or completed with word processor. Applications are to be submitted to your local soil and water conservation district office in the county in which you live in. The county/district will select an application and forward it to the CDI Regional Director, who will in turn select an application and forward it to CDI, where a judging team will make the final selections.

Application Deadlines -

1. High school seniors must have their applications in their local Soil and Water Conservation District office no later than February 29, 2008. (call if you need the location)
2. Districts will submit their selection to their CDI Regional Director no later than March 28, 2008.
3. CDI Regional Directors must have their selection in to CDI by April 11, 2008.

These dates are mandatory. This gives the judging panel just a few days to make their decision. District offices will be notified if they have a recipient. They in turn will notify the student winner and her/his school, plus their local media for publicity. If you have questions please call Latisha Cunningham, CDI Administrative Assistant, at (641)774-4461.