“DIABETIC AWARENESS ESSAY”
Contest Rules
“Education, Prevention, Detection and Treatment - Type 2 Diabetes”

1. Essay Subject
     a. Education, Prevention, Detection and Treatment - Type 2 Diabetes. With diabetes becoming ever more prevalent in our society, describe the way
         we educate, attempt to prevent diabetes, how we detect diabetes and treatments that can minimize the severity of the disease. Explore how
         improvements to education, prevention, detection and treatment can be made and tell how you and your peers can make an impact on the
         process.
2. Contest Rules ( NOTE: the rules listed below are not complete; see MD-2 website for additional information and contact the district coordinated listed
    at bottom of this web page )
     a. The Title of the Contestant’s essay is not required to be the same as the Subject for the essay. Contestants should be creative in the selection of
          essay title and set the tone for their presentation with the title they choose.
     b. The essays should analyze the problem given in the subject and present a solution or solutions to the problem.
     c. The topic is broad and allows the contestant considerable leeway in the selection of their solution or solutions.
     d. Creative, innovative, practical, and reason reasonable ideas are welcomed.
     e. Each Contestant shall personally research, write and read his/her contest essay.
     f. Research for this topic can be conducted by interviewing physicians, nurses, medical professionals, community and organization workers, etc., and
         by using the internet and library.
     g. The essay shall be a written article, to be read by the Contestant, to by judged by a panel of judges in competition with other Contestants.
     h. The essay shall not exceed 1500 words.
           i. All words in the essay are counted including articles, conjunctives and pronouns. Example: “I,” “a,” “the,” “and,” and “an.”
          ii. The essay must include a bibliography of sources used in its composition. Note: the bibliography is not included in the 1500 word count.
     i. The following criteria shall be used for judging the essays:
            i.  Sixty percent (60%) of the score shall be based on the authenticity, current information and an application of the assigned essay topic.
           ii.  Fifteen percent (15%) of the score shall be based on grammar, spelling, sentence structure, pronunciation, enunciation, correct word usage,
               and relationship to the assigned essay topic.
          iii. Twenty-five percent (25%) of the score shall be based on the understandability of the essay through personal presentation techniques, in the
               use of posture, eye contact and voice by its modulation, volume, speed and clarity.
     j. Notes, cue cards and video equipment may not be used at District or MD-2 State contests.
     k. Two or more of the judges should be knowledgeable about the medical aspects of diabetes.
     l. One of more judges should be an educator knowledgeable about the English language, its grammar, sentence structure, pronunciation and
        correct usage.
     m. All contests shall be conducted in the English language and Contestants, during contest presentations, shall speak English.
     n. The contest area must have good acoustics, be free from outside noises and disturbances, and have controlled access.
     o. Immediately prior to the commencement of the contest, Contestants will draw for the order of appearance before the judging panel.
     p. Contestants shall remain outside the contest area until invited to enter by the Contest Official.
     q. The audience will be informed before the first contestant to not applaud at the end of the speech and reminded before each contestant delivers
         his/her speech of the same requirement.
     r. The audience will be asked to turn off any cell phones and/or electronic devices during the contest time.
          i. Failure to comply with this rule could result in disqualification of a Contestant at the discretion of the Contest Official.
     s. Contestants will not give any self-introduction but shall state the title of their essay and then deliver the essay.
     t. Following the Contestant’s essay he/she will take a seat in the area assigned for the Contestants and remain in the contest area until the final
        speech is presented, judges have completed scoring the contest and introductions have been completed.
           i. The Contest Official may allow an exemption of this requirement for medical reasons/emergencies, restroom breaks or for other reasons
              deemed acceptable by the Contest Official.
         ii. Request may be made between Contestant presentations only.
     u. No one will be allowed to either enter the contest during an essay, or leave once they have entered until all of the Contestants have presented
         their essays and the Judges have finished scoring the Contestant.
     v. When all essays have been presented, Contestants, in the order of their presentations, will stand and state their names, hometowns, ages,
         schools, grade levels, and their District and Lions Club sponsors.
     w. At the end of this process, the audience may then collectively applaud all Contestants.
     x. Persons involved in conducting of the contest; parents, chaperones, and guests of the Contestants, may then be introduced at the discretion of
        the Contest Official, as time allows.
     y. The winners will be announced during the District 2-A2 convention in Converse, Texas.
     z. The 1st place winner may be asked to read his/her essay for all convention attendees.
3.  The scholarship awards must be collected no later than two years following the recipient’s graduation from High School.
4. Rules of Eligibility for Contestants
     a. Each contestant must be or have been a regularly enrolled student in a public high school or comparable educational program, located in Texas,
     b. Each contestant must be a junior, senior or immediate graduate at the time of the MD-2 contest in May 2012.
     c. Contestants shall not have been married, had a marriage annulled, cohabited with a person of the opposite sex who is unrelated to the
         Contestant or who has participated in the conception of a child before participation in the MD-2 contest.
5. Responsibilities of Contestants
     a.  Attend the District 2-A2 Convention in Converse, Texas on April 12-13, 2012.
     b. All contestants must agree to be available, upon request to participate in district 2-A2 Lions events and activities during the period from
         immediately after the contest until the end of the following years contest.
6. Chaperone/Sponsoring Club Responsibilities
     a. All contestants shall be accompanied by a chaperone from their sponsoring District to the convention.
     b. Comply with requirements as set forth in the Texas Lions MD-2 Opportunities for Youth contest Chaperone Guidelines.
7. Contest Coordinator Contact Information

Lion Katherine Willems-Darter
Email:  kathygrandma.willems@gmail.com

First Place Awardee is to present his/her essay at the Texas Lions MD-2 State Competition to be held in Houston, Texas May 18-19, 2012 at Sheraton North Houston in Houston, Texas. District 2-A2 will pay reasonable travel, meals and lodging expenses.

Link to MD2 state competition information, rules, code of conduct, and more important information:
MD-2 Youth Contests