Youth Program Requirements

• Eligibility to participate
• Elements projects must contain
• Format of projects
• Time span of projects
• Scale of projects
• Submission process
• Project submission deadline

Eligibility to Participate

Youth in the age group corresponding to middle school, secondary school, college or university are eligible to participate.

Your Project Should Contain the Following Two Elements:

1. At least one hand–drawn, printed, or electronic map as a centerpiece.
• Maps may be digital (e.g., GIS maps) or hand drawn but should be legible.
• Remember, this map may be displayed on the MyCOE Web site and/or presented at international meetings.
• You may submit more than one map, but you must include at least one map.
2. A two– to three–paragraph written description of your project.

In addition, you may want to include other elements appropriate to your project. These elements are optional, and may include

• Extended written report
• Supplemental essay or text
• Photographs
• Field observations
• Bibliography

Format of Projects

Projects should be submitted online. Please register your email address here. You may submit your project in several digital formats. Digital files can include project files, text, and maps. Documents should preferably be submitted as Adobe Acrobat (.PDF) files. Text may also be submitted as Microsoft Word documents (.DOC or .TXT files) and images may be submitted as .JPG, .GIF, or .TIF files.

If you are unable to submit your project online, you may send one (1) complete hard copy with each of the above required elements, including your project title, name, and contact information, to MyCOE Projects, 1710 Sixteenth Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20009-3198, USA.

Time Span of Projects

Projects can examine change over time and look to the future.

• What was my community like 10, 20, 25 years ago?
• How has it changed since then?
• What is it like today?
• How can it be made more sustainable over the next 10 years?

Scale of Projects

Students can choose an area around their homes and classrooms to study.

• Neighborhood
• Village, town, or city
• County, township, or district
• State or province
• Nation
• Watershed
• Ecoregion

Submission Process

Submissions should be made online. Alternatively, projects may be submitted by fax to 202-234-2744 or by mail or private shipping company to MyCOE Projects, 1710 Sixteenth Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20009–3198, USA.

Project Submission Deadline

Projects submitted by March 1, 2005, will be eligible to receive prizes.