Home Dream Big Essay Contest
Essay Contest Guidelines:
The definition of a “dream” has many different meanings. Dream Big Community
Center (DBCC) ascribes to the definition of pursuing a strongly desired goal
or purpose. Write an essay explaining the importance of pursuing a goal and/or
purpose, and your plan to achieve it.
The essay should be 350 to a maximum of 500 words written in English only. The
essays can only be submitted by electronic submission on the DBCC website. All
essays must be submitted by 11:59 pm the day of the deadline. The contest is
for students 12 to 18 years old by the submission deadline and enrolled in school
in the Greater Vancouver-Portland Metropolitan area. Home schooled applicants
will also be accepted. DBCC assumes no responsibility for lost, late, misdirected,
mutilated, and illegible entries, all of which will be disqualified. All materials
submitted will become DBCC’s exclusive property and will not be returned. Immediate
family members of employees DBCC and affiliates and subsidiaries are ineligible.
General Information:
All winners age 17 and younger will need parent/guardian permission to claim
prize. All essay winners will need to provide their transportation. Entries
will be judged by a DBCC Panel. Winners will be notified by phone. Prizes are
nontransferable. Competition is void where prohibited or restricted by law.
Winners will be solely responsible for any federal, state or local taxes. Within
10 days of the date specified in the notification, winners and their parents/legal
guardians will be required to execute an affidavit of originality, eligibility,
and compliance with rules, a release of liability and grant of publication rights,
or the prize will be awarded to an alternate winner. Winners will need to provide
a mailing address or email where DBCC can send the winners a publicity release,
affidavit of eligibility, and if applicable, a tax form. All essays and all
rights to their publication become the property of DBCC, which may use, edit
and excerpt these entries for promotional or any other purpose, including placing
them online (e.g. – www.dreambigcc.org) without attribution or compensation,
additional or otherwise. DBCC and reserve the right to use prizewinners' names
and hometowns in any advertising or promotional materials relating to this competition
without further notification, permission, or compensation to the winners, except
where prohibited by law.
Judging:
Judges will look for writing that is clear, articulate and logically organized.
Winning essays must demonstrate the understanding of their dream and the plan
to achieve it. Essay submissions are evaluated in an objective two-round judging
process. Judges will be individually selected by the DBCC. Winners’ names will
be unknown to judges until after essays have been ranked and the contest results
finalized. Winners shall be notified by March 24, 2010.
Date:
Essays will be accepted from January 1, through March 1, 2011. “The essays can
only be submitted by electronic submission on the DBCC website, or by mail.
All essays must be submitted online by 11:59 pm or postmarked the day of the
deadline.”
Prizes:
One winner will be chosen from the following three age categories: 12-13, 14-16,
and 17-18. Each winner will receive a tour of the Portland Trail Blazer practice
facility,gift certificates of $100 to: Target or Best Buy.
Deadline:
ALL ESSAYS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY 11:59 PM, MARCH 1, 2011.
Click here to submit your essay.
Click here for address
of DBCC
Click here to view last years winners.
