Dottie Yeck Good Life Award Writing Contest

Honoring the life of Dottie Yeck, a champion of children, who believed that one is never too young to have an impact on the world.

Contest Dates: September 3, 2024 - October 8, 2024

Entrants must live or attend school in Montgomery County, Ohio, and be enrolled in a curriculum for grades 7-9.

You could win the top prize of $3,000! Three additional prizes of $500, $350, and $250. Honorable Mentions will receive a certificate and be individually recognized.

For more information call the Executive Coordinator at 937-610-4429 or send an email to: libadmin@wclibrary.info.

• Check out these great books and movies that will inspire you to live a good life!
• Read the winning entries from past years.
• See a list of represented schools.

Meet Rebecca Esselstein, Ph.D., Astrophysics, Rhodes Scholar, Runner, Rower, Aspiring Astronaut

Rebecca is a graduate of Alter High School (Valedictorian) and the U.S. Air Force Academy (Top Academic Graduate and Top Overall Graduate, 2015) where she studied Astronautical Engineering. She's a native of Washington Township and completed her PhD in Astrophysics in 2018 at the University of Oxford in England as a Rhodes Scholar. For fun, Rebecca rowed for the Blue Boat at Oxford (2017), was CoSIDA Women's Div I Track & Field Academic All-American of the Year (2015), and now she enjoys paddleboarding on the Gulf Coast. A C-130 pilot for the Air Force, her dream is to become an astronaut.

• Entrants must be enrolled in a curriculum for grades 7 - 9 at the time the entry is submitted.
• Entrants must live or attend school in Montgomery County, Ohio.
• Prior Good Life Award $3000 prize winners are not eligible for this contest.
• Family members of Washington-Centerville Public Library staff and contest judges are not eligible for this contest.

• Complete the writing challenge in 300-500 words.
• Essays must be the student's original work. Essays that are plagiarized or written with assistance from Chat GPT are not allowed.
• Entries of less than 300 words or more than 500 words will be disqualified.
• Late entries will not be accepted.
• Submit only one entry per person.
• Certify the work was written by you and expresses your original ideas which you have developed. By submitting your entry to the Good Life Award, you guarantee the work as your own.
• Agree to attend the Good Life Celebration award ceremony if you win either the GLA Award or 2nd, 3rd or 4th place.

• Submit entry online using the official online entry form (link visible when contest opens) between September 3 and October 8.
• Copy and paste your final entry into the textbox. (Please be sure that your name and school are NOT included in the main body of your entry.)
• The title is not included in the word count.

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." "  ˜ Anne Frank

"In every job that must be done there is an element of fun; you find the fun, and snap, the job's a game. "  ˜ Mary Poppins

Step 1: Develop a Plan

Review the criteria by which you will be judged.

Step 2: Write to the Prompt

Invitation:

Each year we focus on one of the four elements of Mrs. Dorothy Yeck’s equation for how to lead a life that is fun, purposeful, and happy: “Being Good + Doing Good = Having Fun + Being Happy.” This year’s emphasis is on “Having Fun”, but, when writing your entry, keep in mind how this year’s prompt relates to this bigger concept.

Donating your time to help others makes you feel good about yourself. It gives you a sense of responsibility, tolerance for others who may be different than you, job skills, and a feeling that one person can make a difference. When people depend on you, it can change the way you look at yourself.

Prompt:

Describe a time in your life when helping others was fun, felt good, and made you happy. Be specific with your example. Do you think you give more when you’re having fun? Are you fulfilled when others rely on you, and does having fun inspire you to become more involved? How do you think that affects those whom you help?

• Decisions of the judges and administrator are final.
• Adherence to all rules and challenge guidelines are basic requirements of this contest.
• The following criteria will be used to score the essays:

• First Place Winner: $3,000
• Second Place Winner: $500
• Third Place Winner: $350
• Fourth Place Winner: $250
• Honorable Mentions: Certificate of Achievement
• A check for $250 will be awarded to the class of the Good Life Award winner.
• Top four winners agree to attend the Good Life Celebration hosted by Washington-Centerville Public Library.

• The 2024 Dottie Yeck Good Life Award Celebration hosted by Washington-Centerville Public Library will be held at the Woodbourne Library on Thursday, December 5, 7:00 PM - 8:15 PM. Visit our Calendar of Events to register.
• Join us for an inspiring evening as we celebrate the winners and Honorable Mentions of the 18th Annual Dottie Yeck Good Life Award writing contest! Listen to nationally known speaker, author, consultant, and local resident Fran Kick as he puts his unique spin on life's perspectives and invites you to Kick It In! and Take the Lead.
• Top four winners agree to present their essays for the Good Life Celebration hosted by Washington-Centerville Public Library.
• This is a free program, however, registration is required.

Dottie Yeck Good Life Award Endowment