The Reel School's Ky PSA 2006 (formerly Kentucky Kids)

http://www.reelschool.net

This year's K-12 student video contest is co-sponsored by Internet Safety initiative i-Safe and EMCK.Net, in coordination with the Frankfort office of the Student Technology Leadership Program (STLP). Although a formal contest announcement won't be made for another week or so, the site is up, the general topic has been chosen, and your students can get started on their videos! Prizes are to be announced...last year, camcorders and other prizes were awarded to nine Kentucky schools.

U.S.A. Mathematical Talent Search

http://www.nationmaster.com/lps/intro.php

It is difficult to find math contests for elementary school students...if anyone knows of one, let us know! Middle schoolers have the excellent MathCounts (reviewed in our November 8, 2002 edition). For high school, the Mathematical Association of America's American Mathematics Competitions are, perhaps, the best known (they include middle school as well), but they require a registration fee. In this edition, we feature the U.S.A. Mathematical Talent Search, sponsored by the U.S. National Security Agency. Instead of the usual one-day test competition, teams have a month to work out problem solutions, and the write-up is important! The first round is just getting started, with a deadline for problem submission of October 3rd.

Intel Science Talent Search

http://www.sciserv.org/isef/
http://www.intel.com/education/sts/

Administered by non-profit Science Service and sponsored by Intel, this competition is aimed at encouraging and recognizing original science research by high school students. The competition encourages gradual development of a topic through regional science fairs beginning in ninth grade, culminating in the national competition for seniors. Schools receive cash prizes for semi-finalists. Training and materials are offered through regional offices. This partnership is also responsible for the International Science and Engineering Fair.

The Stock Market Game/Take Stock in Kentucky

http://econ.org/smg/

Offered for free by the Kentucky Council on Economic Education, The Stock Market Game pits teams of students across Kentucky against each other in defining and tracking "virtual" stock portfolios. The site comes with a wealth of support materials, many of which are useful even if you don't choose to participate online. Take Stock in Kentucky is a similar contest offered to individual students. Registration is now open, and the contest and materials are truly cross-curricular and core-content relevant.

InvestWrite Competition

http://www.investwrite.info/

There are lots of writing competitions out there...we've included InvestRight because of its integration into The Stock Market Game (see above). In contract to SMG, this grade 4-12 competition operates solely on the national level. All participants receive a certificate of participation from their classroom teacher (it's a downloadable PDF), and teachers submit the best three entries to the national contest. Prizes include trips, vouchers toward laptops, and gift certificates. This contest provides an excellent collaboration platform between Social Studies and Language Arts teachers!

Reading Rainbow's Young Writers and Illustrators Contest

http://pbskids.org/readingrainbow/contest/

We reviewed Reading Rainbow's web presence in our August 22, 2003 edition. In keeping with their focus, this contest pays particular attention to the youngest writers, and displays winners in completed form on their website. Illustrations are included, making this a good cross-curriculum project. The contest is not currently running (only 2005's winners are on the site) - look for an announcement later this fall.