Entries currently open for Civics Bee for middle schoolers

Middle school students in Carroll and Trimble counties — as well as across Kentucky and the nation — can compete in the 2023-2024 National Civics Bee competition that kicks off with an essay competition that is due Monday, Jan. 22.

Students must write a 500-word essay in English based on a problem that they see in their local community and a proposal for how they would solve it, said Harper Micheal, director of operations at the Kentucky Chamber Foundation. The essays will be reviewed and scored by judges made up of business leaders, state leaders, legislators, and more.

Essays must be submitted on kychamber.com/nationalcivicsbee. There is also a link for each local chamber’s webpage that will allow students to submit their essays as well as competition information, dates, essay requirements, and details about prizes.

The top 10 students will move on to the regional Civics Bee, which is similar to a spelling bee, hosted by a local chamber in a city to be designated within each region.

“We have a map of how we’ve broken out the state by county for which of our local chambers that county fits into,” Micheal said.

Carroll and Trimble are in the 20-county North Central Kentucky Region that includes Henry, Gallatin, Owen, Grant, Boone, Kenton, Campbell, Pendleton, Bracken, Robertson, Nicholas, Bourbon, Clark, Fayette, Scott, Harrison, Woodford and Franklin counties.

“Students answer questions on tablets live in front of their families and an audience,” Michael said of the regionals, which will take place in the spring. Students will be given a study guide to prepare for the questions.

The top three students at regional will be awarded cash prizes and certificates — $500 for first place, $250 for second and $125 for third — and move on to the Kentucky state finals held at next summer’s Kentucky State Fair.

The state finals competition will be similar to the local competition. Students will be given a similar quiz with harder questions, discuss their essay topic, and be asked to speak about how they would help their community.

“It’s really fun to see the middle school students come in dressed up in suits and little things,” Micheal said. “They’re either nervous or very confident and it’s just kind of exciting to see what they have to say and what they kind of identify as problems in their community.”

The top three students at state will be recognized and receive cash prizes including $1,000 for first place, $500 for second and $250 for third.

The final portion of the contest — new this year — will see the top three winners at the state level invited to participate in the National Civics Bee in Washington, D.C. next fall where they will compete for cash prizes of up to $5,000.

“It’s an exciting little added twist,” Michael said.

All middle school students — public, private, or home schooled in grades six through eight — are eligible except for students who are related to or living with a Chamber staff member, leadership, Board of Director, or any partners or co-sponsors of the event. Previous contestants may enter this year’s event but must submit a new entry.

Michael noted that civics is the science of democracy and has become a lost education. But the Kentucky Chamber Foundation and U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation is working to bring it back.

For more information, visit kychamber.com/nationalcivicsbee.