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3rd Annual High School Essay Competition
Objective
The objective of this competition is to encourage active participation and awareness, at the high school level, on accountability and transparency in the government.
General Rules
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Entrants must have a sponsoring teacher that will certify that the entrant is submitting original work.
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Entrants must compose an original essay with limited guidance from others.
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There is no cost to enter the competition.
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Entrants may submit only one essay entry during the 2016 competition year.
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Each entrant must read and agree to the information sheet and must complete the entry form. The information sheet contains information about the contest, judging, and awards.
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The Association of Government Accountants (AGA) Guam Chapter will have the right to edit, publish or otherwise duplicate any essay entered into the competition without payment to the author.
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Any protest made by an entrant must be made immediately. The AGA Guam Chapter Executive Committee (CEC) will decide all protests in conformity with the competition rules and information sheet. The decision of the CEC is final.
Essay Criteria
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Competition is open to all registered students attending high school on Guam at the time of submission and selection (Grades 9-12).
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Essays may not be previously published articles.
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Essays must be written on the topic:
“Government Accountability for Gen-Zers: How my generation can promote and uphold government transparency and accountability on Guam.”
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Essays must be original and must contain at least 300 words but no more than 500 words. Every word on the essay is counted except for the title, bibliography, or footnotes, if any.
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Essays must be typed and double-spaced using Times New Roman, 12-Point font in a Microsoft Word format.
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Any quotations or copyrighted material used in the essay must be identified properly and failure to do so will result in a disqualification.
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Essays must be written in English.
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Essays must include the entrant’s name, grade, and school.
Award Selection Procedures
A judging panel chaired by the AGA Guam Chapter President will make recommendations to the AGA Guam Chapter Executive Committee.
The judges for the competition include:
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Vice Speaker Benjamin J. F. Cruz – Chairman of the Guam Legislature Committee on Appropriations and Adjudication.
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Doris Flores Brooks – AGA Guam Chapter Past President and Public Auditor of Guam
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Taling M. Taitano – AGA Guam Chapter Past President, AGA National Regional Vice President-elect, and Deputy Superintendent of Administration and Finance at the Guam Department of Education
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Zeny Asuncion-Nace – AGA Guam Chapter Past President and Early Careers Committee Co-Chair, and Comptroller at the University of Guam
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Artemio “Ricky” Hernandez – AGA Guam Chapter President and Director of the Guam Legislature Office of Finance and Budget
Essays will be judged for material organization (logical interpretation of the subject, adherence to topic), vocabulary and style (phrasing and continuity), grammar, punctuation, spelling, neatness, and adherence to essay competition rules. Winners will receive email notifications no later than April 15, 2016.
Award and Recognition
Winners of the High School Essay Competition will have their essays published in the AGA Guam Chapter monthly newsletter as well as the AGA Guam Chapter website. Three winners will be selected. The first place winner will receive $300, the second place winner will receive $150, and the third place winner will receive $75. All winners will be presented a certificate of award to be presented at an upcoming AGA Guam Chapter General Membership meeting or other venue to be determined.
Deadline and How to Submit
All essays must be submitted ELECTRONICALLY in a Microsoft Word file to the AGA Guam Chapter Early Careers Committee email address (agaguamecc@gmail.com) to the attention of Ricky Hernandez, AGA Guam Chapter President no later than Friday, April 1, 2016.
In the subject line, please type “AGA Essay – ‘Name of Student, School, Grade.’” A reply email will be sent back confirming the receipt of the attached essay.
There is NO exception to the Friday, April 29, 2016 deadline.
Email Address: agaguamecc@gmail.com
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