2012-2013
S.D. BEEF AMBASSADOR PROGRAM
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Crossroads Hotel and Huron Event Center
Huron, SD
RULES & REGULATIONS
Open to ages 8 - 20
MISSION STATEMENT: The S.D. Beef Ambassador Program provides an opportunity for youth to educate consumers about beef nutrition, food safety and stewardship practices of the beef industry.
OVERALL GOAL: Utilize Beef Ambassadors to share the beef production story with consumers and youth through promotion, education, media and the online environment.
PROGRAM MANAGERS: SD Beef Industry Council
AWARDS: All participating contestants will receive a cash prize.
The winning beginner will be awarded $50.
The winning junior will be awarded $200 and Is Not required to compete at the national level. Please note - There is a separate contest, offered at the national level, for contestants ages 12-16 by September 1, 2013. A separate registration and rules apply for the contest. Please see www.nationalbeefambassador.org for details.
The senior finalist will win $500 plus an all-expense paid trip to the National Beef Ambassador Contest in the fall of 2013 (exact national contest date and location TBD).
STATEMENT OF REQUIREMENTS
The South Dakota Beef Ambassador winners in the Beginner, Junior and Senior divisions will be the official youth representatives of the beef industry. The term of the South Dakota Beef Ambassador Team will begin July 2012 – July 2013. The Beef Ambassadors will be provided with a schedule of identified educational and promotional events at the beginning of their term.
ELIGIBILITY AND REQUIREMENTS FOR ENTRY
- This year we will have three divisions: seniors, juniors and beginners.
- The senior contestant must be 17 years of age by September 1st of 2013, but not over 20 by September 1, 2013.
- The junior division is open to students ages 12-16, and the beginner division is open to ages 8-11.
- Senior and junior contestants will be judged in four areas including Media Interview, Consumer Promotion, Youth Presentation Proposal/Personal Interview and Issues Response.
- Beginners will give a 3-5 minute presentation pertaining to beef. The beginners are welcome to watch the junior and senior contestants compete.
3. Contestants may enter as many times as they would like; however, a senior is only eligible to win once.
4. Contestant entry forms must be received by July 13, 2012.
5. Contestant’s requirements (to be completed by date stipulated in registration package): Seniors will be required to complete the Masters of Beef Advocacy Program, an online course about the beef industry. Contact mba@beef.org to enter. This course will help you prepare for the competition. Juniors are also encouraged, but not required, to complete the course. Beginners are not required to complete the Masters of Beef Advocacy program.
FOUR AREAS OF EVALUATION IN THE COMPETITION
(For senior and junior contestants only)
1. Media Interview - The contestant will participate in a mock media interview. The interviewer will have pre-determined questions to ask each contestant with the option to ask follow-up questions in order to extrapolate additional knowledge or clarify a point. A panel of judges will observe the interaction for: knowledge, articulation, poise and the contestant’s ability to “Tell the Beef Production Story” and present the industry in a positive light. Scoring will be done by the judges only. Each contestant should be well versed in all areas of beef production and the beef industry relating to consumers. Special attention should be paid to all current industry issues.
2. Consumer Promotion - A mock consumer promotion event will be set up for the contestants. Each contestant will be provided with a “sample” to serve as well as beef industry production and nutrition literature and recipes. Scripted “consumers” will approach the table to take the sample. They will ask questions to test the contestant’s knowledge and capacity to perform in the field. A panel of judges will observe and score each contestant on their ability to educate the consumer and provide the appropriate information to answer questions.
3. Youth Presentation Proposal/Personal Interview – On competition day, contestants will have a personal interview where they will express their desire to become a S.D. Beef Ambassador, as well as explain their proposal for a classroom presentation project. For example, this proposal might include: a beef topic lesson plan and where the student plans to present the classroom lesson. The interview will be evaluated at the competition by a panel of judges. Contestants will not be required to make a youth presentation during the competition.
4. Issues Response - Contestants will be provided with a recently published news article regarding the beef industry. Each contestant will compose a brief (150 words or less) response to the article. The responses will be judged by professionals currently working in the online environment. The judges will score the contestants on their ability to respond to an industry article by thoughtfully answering questions, identifying misinformation and listing positive consumer information.
Beginners Presentation Evaluation
Beginners will give a 3-5 minute presentation.
The judges will evaluate the contestant’s presentation based on a 50 point scale with the following points given in the respective areas:
Subject – 25 points: Content relates to the promotion of the beef industry
Organization – 15 points: Speech has an introduction body and conclusion.
Delivery – 10 points: Contestant’s pronunciation, articulation and overall delivery of speech. The contestant’s pitch, body language, gestures used as well as general appearance and length of speech.
THE DECISION OF THE JUDGES IS FINAL
All information presented by the contestant in each judging area must be factual and based on information provided through the Masters of Beef Advocacy Program, materials provided by the SDBIC and/or resources found on www.explorebeef.com.
Contestants will be sequestered in the Ready Room on competition day for the entirety of the competition. They will not be allowed contact with family members, chaperones, or companions prior to completion of the competition.
For more information please contact Courtney Nolz at (605) 999-7036 courtney_nolz22@hotmail.com or Holly Swee at 605-957-5283 hswee@sdbeef.org.
Download Rules
Enter online