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 6, 2022 - October 4, 2022

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 Community Outreach Coordinator at 937-610-4429 or send an email to: communityrelations@wcpl.lib.oh.us.

• 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.
• Print this Good Life Award contest flyer for your classroom!

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 most recently completed her Ph.D. in Astrophysics at the University of Oxford in England as a Rhodes Scholar. For fun, Rebecca rowed for the Blue Boat at Oxford (2017) and was CoSIDA Women's Div I Track & Field Academic All-American of the Year, 2015. 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.
• Entries of less than 300 words or more than 500 words will be disqualified.
• Contest opens on Tuesday, September 6, at 8 A.M. EST.
• Contest closes on Tuesday, October 4, promptly at 8 P.M. EST. (Note the evening deadline!)
• 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 on Thursday, December 1, 2022 at 7 PM, if you win either the GLA Award or 2nd, 3rd or 4th place. You may be asked to pre-record your essay, if conditions merit.

• Submit entry online using the official online entry form (link visible when contest opens) between September 6 and October 4.
• 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.

"There are three things extremely hard: steel, a diamond, and to know one's self."  ˜ Benjamin Franklin, author, printer, political theorist, politician, freemason, postmaster, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat (1705-1790)

"Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm."  ˜ Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States (1809-1865)

"Trust yourself. Create the kind of self that you will be happy to live with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement."  ˜ Gola Meir, Israeli teacher, kibbutznik, politician and the 4th Prime Minister of Israel (1898-1978)

Step 1: Develop a Plan

Review the criteria by which you will be judged.

Step 2: Write to the Prompt

Invitation:

In life, every day is a fresh opportunity to re-think, re-act, re-do, and re-create yourself, your attitude, and your impact on others. Doing what's right to bring about change in your own life or the lives of others takes personal strength and determination.

Prompt:

Describe a time when you used your own personal strengths and attitude to positively influence a situation. Explain what motivated you and how you felt - before, during and after. Reflect upon the impact of your actions and what you learned about yourself.

• 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 on Thursday, December 1, 2022. See details below.

• The 2022 Dottie Yeck Good Life Award Celebration hosted by Washington-Centerville Public Library will now be held in person at the Woodbourne Library on Thursday, December 1, 7:00-8:15 PM. Visit our Calendar of Events to register.
• Join us for an inspiring evening as we celebrate the winners and Honorable Mentions of the 16th 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.
• Any questions, contact Debe Dockins at ddockins@wclibrary.info or 937-610-4429.

Dottie Yeck Good Life Award Endowment