Student Soil Health Essay and Video Contests Open

The South Dakota Soil Health Coalition is excited to announce student essay and video contests for the 2025 Soil Health Conference, Jan. 15-16 in Watertown, SD.

The essay contest is open to South Dakota middle school, high school and post-secondary students. Cash prizes and hoodies will be awarded to winners in each of the age categories. The top prizes will be $400 in the post-secondary division, $300 in the high school division, and $200 in the middle school division. Participants in the essay contest can choose between two topics: “Why does healthy soil start with soil biology?” or “Why is biodiversity important for rural landscapes?”

The video contest is open to all K-12 students in South Dakota. Prizes for the video contest will be $750 for first place, $500 for second place, $250 for third place, and $100 for fourth place. Participants in the video contest can choose between two topics: “Clean Water for Future Generations” or “Healthy Soil Leads to Healthy People”

The deadline for contest submissions is Dec. 22, 2024. Contest rules and information are available at www.sdsoilhealthcoalition.org/soil-health-conference/students.

Contest winners will be announced during the Soil Health Conference. Student registration for the conference is free. More information about the conference is available at www.sdsoilhealthcoalition.org/soil-health-conference.