Due: October 15

The objective of this award program is to encourage 4-H'ers to complete their project books/portfolios and to select and recognize those who best complete the requirements. This award system has been approved by the Wstmoreland County 4-H Board of Directors. The awards will be presented at 4-H Achievement Night.

The rules and regulations for these awards are as follows:

A. Age Divisions (as of January 1 of the current year)

• 8-11 years old
• 12-15 years old
• 16-19 years old

B. Categories in which awards will be presented are:

1. Livestock Projects - Market and Breeding (steers, lambs, swine, etc.)
2. Dairy Projects (goats and cows)
3. Clothing and Textiles ( including knitting, crocheting, weaving, cross-stitch)
4. Foods and Nutrition
5. Indoor and Outdoor Plant
6. Vegetable Gardening
7. Horse
8. Leadership
9. Small Animals (dog, pet care, etc.)
10. Rabbit
11. Engineering (handyman, electricity, rocketry, bicycle, etc.)
12. Natural Resources (geology, forestry, entomology, soil & water conservation, wildlife)
13. Photography
14. General (miscellaneous)

C. Requirements:

1. Each club may nominate ONE PORTFOLIO per AGE GROUP per CATEGORY. (click here to download the Project Book Nomination Form)
2. Each 4-H'er may only enter ONE portfolio per year in the awards program.
3. Each portfolio MUST include a PROJECT STORY.
4. Each Portfolio must show documentation of skills learned (through the use of workbooks, life-skills, books, evaluation forms, record books, etc.)
5. Leader verification of skills learned (what they did, how and when)
6. Each book MUST have at least ONE PICTURE representing the 4-H'ers project, captions for the pictures are encouraged.
7. ALL required parts of the projects portfolio must be completed; i.e. record books, life-skills books, project workbook, activities pages, story, photo, etc.
8. Additional pages - photos - sketches - short stories - may be added to demonstrate learned and additional learned skills.
9. ALL PORTFOLIOS must be in secured form, i.e. notebook, folder, ring-binder, etc.
10. A 4-H'er may not win in the same category (by age and project) two years in a row. They are free to enter a different project category, or enter in the same category but at a different age level.

D. Judging Criteria - Judging will be done by a sub-committee appointed by the 4-H Board.

1. Neatness
2. Completeness
3. Project Sotry : originality, evidence of learning, some consideration of length and age of 4-H'er
4. Judges prefer to see the 4-H'ers handwriting - if legible. Stories may be typed but it is not expected that younger member's stories by typed.
5. Members are expected to do their own project work!

E. All project materials for judging will be due in the Extension office by the date designated by the Board. Project portfolios for judging will be selected by the club leaders or whatever means the club leaders deem.

Project Book Nomination Forms are now available on the web. Leader's may download the form and enter information directly from their PC's. Print the completed form and send along with the nominated project books to the Extension office by the suggested deadline date.

Download Project Book Nomination Form Now

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