Consumer Decision Making Contest (4th-12th grade) – September
The 4-H Consumer Decision Making Contest is a great contest for anyone who likes to shop! Youth learn decision making skills related to purchases. In the contest, they observe, compare, and make decisions based on facts collected and on a given scenario. Contestants rank articles or products over others based on standards and quality. This contest is part of the Eastern Region Fall Judging Day held in September in Knoxville. To be part of the Hamilton County junior, junior high or senior high team, contact Extension Agent Maria Sabin (msabin@tennessee.edu) or call the Extension Office (423-209-8560).
Public Speaking Contest (4th-12th grade) – November/December
Public speaking is a great skill to pick up in 4-H and one that will help youth as they continue to college and career. 4th-12th grade students can participate in the annual 4-H Public Speaking contest in the fall. Students compete against other students in the same grade level. Guidelines for the speeches include:
1) Must have an introduction, body, and conclusion 2) Props or posters are not allowed 3) Participants can use index cards and should have good eye contact, speak loudly, have good posture, and not go over the time limit 4) The speech can be on any topic; junior high and high school students should mention 4-H in their speech.
Time limits by grade level: * 4th grade speech should last 2-3 minutes * 5th grade speech should last up to 5 minutes * 6th to 8th grade speech should last up to 7 minutes & mention something about 4-H * 9th to 12th grade speech should last up to 7 minutes & mention something about 4-H. Senior high participants will also be asked to give an extemporaneous speech in addition to their prepared speech.
Club contests are held in November or December. First-place winners in club contests compete in the Hamilton County public speaking contest in January or February. First place winners at the county contest in the 4th-8th grades will be invited to the Multi-County 4-H Public Speaking Contest, to be held in March. First place winners at the county contest in 9th-12th grades will be invited to the Regional 4-H Senior High Public Speaking Contest to be held in February at UTK. Please call the Extension office or email HamiltonCounty4H with any questions about the competition or to sign up for the 4-H email newsletter.
4-H Art Poster Contest (4th-12th grade) – December/January
Display Your artistic talents! Create a poster about 4-H on posterboard or on the computer and turn it in to the Extension Office in January to compete in this fun annual contest. Hamilton County will submit the best entries to the Eastern Region competition for judging, and winning posters move on to the state competition. The state will select 10 winners which will be displayed at State 4-H Congress. Posters created on the computer must be emailed in PDF or PNG format to 4-H staff in January.
RULES: (Full rules at https://4h.tennessee.edu/state-4-h-congress-award-programs/4-h-poster-art-contest/) a. Posters may be made by any 4-H club member in grades 4th-12th. b. Posters may be horizontal only. c. Posters on posterboard must be 14 x 22 inches. d. Name, address, county, email address, grade and age should be clearly written on the back of each poster or emailed in with digital entries. e. 4-H (or some 4-H program or project) should be the topic for the poster. f. Well known cartoon figures cannot be used because they are copyrighted (Peanuts, spiderman, Darth Vader, Charlie Brown, etc.) g. 3D objects or materials which extend 1/8 inch or more above the surface of the poster may not be used. h. The 4-H emblem (a 4-leafed clover containing the letter “H” on each leaf) should be used on the poster; do not place text or other image on top of it, and be sure it’s not crooked. No photo, drawing, symbol, word or other figure or object may be placed on or obscure the 4-H emblem.
Demonstrations/Interactive Exhibits (4th-8th grade) – February
Demonstrations (4th-5th grade) and Interactive Exhibits (6th-8th grade) are a fun, hands-on approach to learning and teaching for students. Fourth and Fifth grade participants are asked to conduct an educational, hands-on, show and tell, “how to” demonstration that lasts up to 3 minutes. Participants use pictures, posters, or displays to conduct a “how to” presentation for the class, group, or judge illustrating a skill, hobby, or other interest related to a 4-H project (see information on 4-H project areas at the Tennessee 4-H website). The demonstration may be on anything that is educational; for example, how to do a favorite activity, past time, or hobby. No live animals may be used in demonstrations. Download a sheet on how to prepare your demonstration.
Interactive Exhibit Board How-To and Exhibit Boards by Darah Moreland and Lillian Shank
Guidelines for the 4-H Demonstration include: 1) The speech along with the demonstration should last up to 3 minutes at the club meeting (up to 5 minutes at a county or multi-county contest) 2) Participants can use index cards, but should also use visual aids such as posters, pictures, and hands-on supplies to actually demonstrate how to do something 3) Have good eye contact, speak loudly, have good posture, and don’t go over the time limit 4) Write an introduction, body, and conclusion for your presentation. Club contests are held in February. The Hamilton County Contest is held in March.
In the Interactive Exhibit Contest, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth graders construct a tri-fold display board related to a 4-H project. The contest is conducted similar to a science fair, in which judges walk around the room, view the boards, and ask the student about their project. Students present information using the board. The board may include photos. Materials and other items can be displayed on the table in front of the board. Time limit is up to 5 minutes.
Extension Month Youth Photo Contest (4th-12th grade) – March
March is Extension Month in Tennessee! To celebrate, 4-H youth are invited to participate in the Youth Division of the Extension Month Photo Contest. Photos must be turned in by email by the March deadline and must meet the contest rules – subscribe to the 4-H monthly newsletter for information on contest rules and this year’s deadline. Photos can be in one of six categories: 1) People, 2) Places, 3) Animals/Insects/Reptiles, 4) Flowers/Plants/Trees, 5) Human Interest, or 6) Hamilton County (add a comment about what the photo features).
Piggy Bank Pageant (K-12th grade) – March
2024 winning piggy piggy banks
The Tennessee Save, Share and Spend program encourages youth in K-12th grade to set savings goals and strive to achieve those goals. Youth learn about saving money and set a savings goal for the month. They then use their creativity to construct a piggy bank for the annual Hamilton County 4-H Piggy Bank Pageant Contest. Piggy Banks should be no more than 12″ x 12″. Turn in photos of banks by the deadline published in the 4-H email newsletter to HamiltonCounty4H@tennessee.edu or bring your piggy bank to your March 4-H club meeting. Contest rules are available in the 4-H monthly email newsletter. Winning banks will be entered in the UT Piggy Bank Pageant contests. There are two ways to win at the state level: Online voting for the “People’s Choice” Award is in April at https://voteforthepig.tennessee.edu/. “Best of the Best” Award is given to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners in each grade category and is determined by the UT Extension FCS Department in Knoxville.
Dairy Poster Contest (4th-12th grade) – April
Due in April. The Dairy Poster contest is sponsored by The Dairy Alliance. Students learn about dairy farming and the benefits of dairy products and create a poster (on posterboard or on the computer) to turn in to the Extension Office by April. Posters created online must be saved as a jpg and emailed to HamiltonCounty4H@tennessee.edu. Use 14 x 22 posterboard for a regular poster entry. Posters must use the theme for the year, which is selected by The Dairy Alliance. The 2024 theme is “May The Dairy Be With You.” All dairy posters (both on posterboard and digital) are due to the Extension Office by the April deadline published in the 4-H email newsletter.
The County winner will receive a t-shirt with the year’s theme. State winners will receive $550 (1st place), $300 (2nd place) and $200 (3rd place). Winning posters will be in the possession of the Dairy Alliance for one year to use for display and promotional purposes and then will be returned to the students.
4-H Clover Bowl (4th-8th grade) – April/May
What is the Tennessee State Flower? What is the study of living things? What do snakes smell with? What are the 4-H colors? What is minimum age to obtain a Tennessee driver’s license? The town of Ross’s Landing changed its name in 1839 to what? How many feet are in a mile? How do honeybees communicate? If you can answer those types of questions then you may be ready to take on the educational challenge of the 4-H CLOVER BOWL!
Fourth to eighth grade 4-H members in teams of three or four students by grade level from all over Hamilton County can have the opportunity to represent their school/community group in 4-H’s very own jeopardy style quiz game. Clover Bowl helps participants develop leadership, teamwork, and communication skills along with learning more about Tennessee History, government, agriculture, 4-H and more.
Participants are given the questions and answers to study for the school, county, and regional competitions. Questions used in Clover Bowl contain content from curriculum and state standards from educational subject areas that are taught in Tennessee schools for the grade level of the team.
Information for questions comes from the topic areas of Tennessee (Geography, History, and Government), 4-H, Family & Consumer Sciences, and Agriculture. School and community group competitions are generally held throughout March with the county competition being held in April. Winners of the county competition by grade level advance to represent Hamilton County at the Regional Competition in Knoxville on the campus of The University of Tennessee at Knoxville in May. To compete on a Clover Bowl team, youth in grades 4th-8th who do not have an in-school 4-H club can contact Extension Agent Maria Sabin (msabin@tennessee.edu) or call the Extension Office (423-209-8560)