CONTEST GUIDELINES:    1. Select A Project     2. Read The Rules     3. Submit Your Entry

Rules and Regulations

Please read the following rules and regulations before beginning your project. Review them with your parent, teacher, or mentor. Follow the rules and complete the forms as required. Failure to do so may disqualify your entry.

Ethics Statement

Participants are expected to conduct their investigations with honesty and integrity. The presentation of another's work as your own, plagiarism, or the fabrication or use of false data will disqualify a student from this and future Young Naturalist Awards competitions.

Eligibility

1. If you are a student in grades seven through twelve and are currently enrolled in a public, private, parochial, or home school in the United States, Canada, the U.S. territories, or if you are a citizen in a U.S.-sponsored school abroad, you are eligible to enter.
2. Sons and daughters of American Museum of Natural History employees or consultants are not eligible to enter the Young Naturalist Awards.

Entry Rules

1. Each student may submit only one entry.
2. The essay must be the work of a single student. Group essays are ineligible.
3. Essays based on studies conducted by a class, a summer institute, summer camp, pre-college student research program, or environmental program are eligible as long as the student demonstrates his or her independence and creativity.
4. Essay length must fall within the following limits:
   Grades 7-8: 500-2,000 words
   Grades 9-10: 750-2,500 words
   Grades 11-12: 1,000-3,000 words
   In addition, each essay, including all appendices, tables, charts, drawings, etc., may not exceed 20 pages. All parts of the essay must be submitted on 8.5" x 11" single-sided white paper. All pages must be numbered. Essays should have at least a one-inch margin and must be typed double-spaced in an easily legible font of 12 point or larger. Essays submitted in plastic binders, on disc, or on video will not be accepted. Important note: Keep all original artwork and photos. If you are chosen as a winner, we will need these originals.
5. All essays must include photographs. All photographs must be taken by the student (except in the case where the student is in the photo). All artwork must be done by the student.
6. Each essay must include the YNA entry form. Students should complete Part I. Part II must be filled out and signed by the supervising parent, guardian, teacher, or mentor. A student who attended a summer institute, pre-college student research program, or worked in an environmental program or on a class investigation, and who based his or her essay on that experience, must have the teacher or supervisor of that program fill out Part III, giving descriptive evidence of the student's independence and creativity.
7. All investigations must be conducted according to state and national laws and regulations. For example, the collecting of specimens, even fallen leaves, in many state and national parks is prohibited. Students are allowed to observe plants and animals in their natural habitats so long as they do not cause them harm, stress, discomfort, or pain.
8. Projects involving live vertebrate and invertebrate experimentation must be conducted in an ethical manner. Deliberately exposing an animal to poison or a toxic material, harming an animal or causing it stress (for example, trampling an ants' nest, putting an animal in a tank with a predator, or putting butterfly pupae in a refrigerator) is not permitted. If you want clarification of this rule, please contact the Young Naturalist Awards administrator.
9. Projects involving human subjects are ineligible.
10. Entries for the 2012 Young Naturalist Awards may be submitted as early as December 1, 2011. Entries must be received at the American Museum of Natural History no later than March 9, 2012. We recommend that students submit their entries as early as possible to avoid missing the deadline. Late and/or incomplete entries will not be accepted.

Awards

1. Twelve cash awards, two for each grade level, will be awarded to the authors of the winning essays. Cash awards are as follows:
   7th grade: $500
   8th grade: $750
   9th grade: $1,000
   10th grade: $1,500
   11th grade: $2,000
   12th grade: $2,500
2. The winning entries will be published on the Museum's website.
3. Up to 36 finalists will receive a cash award of $50 and a certificate of recognition. Up to 300 semifinalists will receive a non-cash award and a certificate of recognition.
4. The teachers of the top twelve winners will receive resources for their classrooms.
5. The first name and project title of the finalists and semifinalists will be posted on our website the week of March 19, 2012. The winners will be notified shortly after that. Their names will also be posted on our website.

How Will My Entry Be Judged?

Your essay will be judged alongside the essays submitted by other students in your grade. Judges will use a rubric to evaluate 13 categories. Each category will be scored from 4 (excellent) to 1 (poor) and the scores totaled. See 2012 YNA Judging Rubric. The 13 categories are:

1. Question: a thoughtful and researchable question is posed. The topic is specific.
2. Hypothesis/Predition: The hypothesis is clearly stated and is testable.
3. Background Research: Research is thorough and relevant to the investigation.
4. Procedure, Design, Materials: Procedure is detailed, thorough and appropriate. All materials are listed.
5. Variables, Controls, Sample Size: Variables are identified, controls appropriate, sample size/trials sufficient.
6. Data Collection: Data is systematically gathered and recorded.
7. Data Presentation: Appropriate graphics chosen to display data.
8. Discussion of Data Analysis/Conclusion: Data is thoroughly discussed. Conclusions are supported by the data.
9. Further Research: Improvements and questions for further research are suggested.
10. Visuals: Photos documenting the investigation are included. Illustrations and/or maps are included if appropriate.
11. Essay Presentation: The investigation is clearly and concisely presented. There is a strong personal voice.
12. Grammar and Spelling: There are no grammatical or spelling errors.
13. Proper Citing of Sources: Sources are properly credited. Bibliography properly formatted. (see How to Write a Reference List)

How to Write a Reference List

Each essay submitted to the Young Naturalist Awards contest must include a list of references. Use the following format when writing a list of references.

• Each work is identified by three elements: author's name, title or source, and publication information.
• The title of the work should be italicized.
• The first line starts at the left margin. The second line is indented five spaces.
• Each source is listed alphabetically by the author's last name.

Books

By a single author:
Marks, Paula. The Human Genome Project. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1995.

By two authors:
Polsky, Phillip E., and Lauren Shaeffer. A Guide to Rocks and Minerals. Oxford, MS: University of Mississippi, 1999.

By three authors:
Martin, Linda, Shelia Daar, and Mary Williams. Montana's Glacier National Park. West Glacier, MT: Falcon Publishing Company, 2001.

By more than three authors:
Ferrara, John E., et al. Hyraxes and Kopjes. Los Angeles: Rainbow Press, 2000.

By an unknown author:
Exploring the Everglades. Boston: Harcourt Brace, 2003.

By an editor:
Ronan, Colin A., ed. Science Explained. New York: Henry Holt, 1998.

Encyclopedias

Trainen, Martha. "New York State." Encyclopedia Americana. 1999.

Magazines

Moffet, Mark. "Poison-Dart Frogs: Lurid and Lethal." National Geographic May 1995: 98-101.

Newspapers

McMahon, Hugh. "New Find in Long Island's Jurassic Park." Newsday 27 October 1998: B2.

Journal Articles

Chu, John. "Habitat Use and Separation Between the Giant Panda and the Red Panda." Journal of Mammology 81.2 (2000): 438-455.

Website Articles

Wenner, Elizabeth. Dynamics of the Salt Marsh. Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved from the World Wide Web on 21 December 2003. http://water.dnr.state.sc.us/marine/pub/seascience/dynamic.html

Personal Interview

Williams, Julie. Interviewed by Kolea Zimmerman. Volcano, Hawaii, 2 December 2002.

How to Avoid Plagiarism

Plagiarism is using the work of another person without giving that person credit. It leads the reader to believe that the essay is original.

What are some examples of plagiarism?

1. Directly copying, word for word, the information found in a book, encyclopedia, newspaper, magazine or a website without using quotes or citing the source (saying where the information came from).
2. Using information found in a book, encyclopedia, newspaper, magazine or a website and rewording it just a little bit without citing the source. This is known as paraphrasing.

Here is an example of paraphrasing:

Original: A wolf pack is a very tightly-knit family group. There are usually between six and eight wolves in a pack, but some have as many as 30.

Paraphrase: Wolf packs usually have between six and eight wolves. Some packs have as many as 30. The pack is a very tightly-knit family group.

How do I cite the sources I use?

1. Use quotation marks when you use another author's work word for word. In parentheses put the author's name and the date of the author's work. You must list the work in your bibliography.

   For example:
   According to Evans, "Elevated concentrations of zinc are absorbed by the gill tissues of fish, eventually preventing their intake of oxygen from the water." (Evans, 2001)

2. If the quote is more than four lines long, then you must indent it one inch from each margin. Do not use quotation marks. In parentheses put the author's name and the date of the author's work. You must list the work in your bibliography.

   For example:
   Scientists at the University of California at Berkeley have conducted arsenic toxicity studies in Argentina, Chile, and India and have found that prolonged exposure to elevated levels of arsenic in drinking water caused cancer and resulted in death for 1 out of every 10 people. (Smith, 2001)

3. If you paraphrase, you must also cite the source of your information. In parentheses put the name of the author and the page or page numbers from which you paraphrased. List the source in your bibliography. For example:

   Arsenic is an element widely distributed throughout the Earth's crust. It poses a great threat to humans and other animals when it shows up in drinking water. (Lester, p. 22)

Isn't the information found on the Internet in the public domain?

Much of the information published on websites is not copyrighted. It is free to be used by anyone who wants to use it. However, just because it's free doesn't mean you can copy it word for word or paraphrase without giving credit. You must still use quotation marks and cite the source if you use information from the web.

I have a hard time writing things in my own words. What can I do?

First, do not rely on one source. If you are researching a topic, consult several sources, including encyclopedias, websites, books, and magazine articles. When you read a source, take notes. On a large index card, write down the title of the source and the author. Write down the main ideas and key points the author makes. Write down any sentences you may want to use as quotes. If you have copies of articles, use a highlighter to highlight important points.

When you are finished with your research, look at the information you have gathered. Use the information to identify the main idea or ideas. Write them down. Then look at the information you have about each idea.

Begin to organize your essay. Write a topic sentence that tells the main idea. Use the information from your research to write sentences that further describe or support the main idea.

Your first draft might be a little rough, but that is normal. You can go back over your essay and refine your writing. Becoming a good writer takes time and hard work. It may seem difficult at first, but with practice your writing will improve.