Young Naturalist Awards

For the past 12 years, the American Museum of Natural History has held a "Young Naturalist Awards" contest for middle and high school kids in the United States and Canada. They explain, "The Young Naturalist Awards is an inquiry-based science competition for students in grades 7-12 to promote participation and communication in science."

Contest participants complete a carefully-researched project in the fields of Earth science, astronomy, biology or ecology and document the results. To enter a contest, they must write an essay and submit it along with supporting documents. This year, essay length must fall within the following limits:

Grades 7-8: 500-2,000 words

Grades 9-10: 750-2,500 words

Grades 11-12: 1,000-3,000 words

Each essay, including all appendices, tables, charts, drawings, etc., may not exceed 20 pages.

Entries for the 2010 Young Naturalist Awards are due no later than March 1. For a complete description of contest rules and to see complete essays from winners of the 2009 contest, click here. Good luck!