Contests & Awards
Every year, FSYF organizes several contests for Foreign Service youth of all ages. Internationally mobile kids and teens—otherwise known as Global Nomads or Third Culture Kids—have a unique perspective on the world around them. The contests offer Foreign Service youth an opportunity to share their talents and express themselves as artists, writers, videographers, and global citizens. A panel of judges representing FSYF selects the winners, and corporate sponsors provide the prize money.
FYSF is now accepting applications for the '2012 GEICO
Foreign Service Youth Foundation (FSYF) Academic Merit
Award' jointly sponsored by GEICO Insurance and FSYF. The
winner will receive a one-time only prize of $4,000. He/she
will also be honored at the youth awards ceremony in July
2012.
Eligibility: The award is open to Foreign Service dependents
who are currently in their senior year of high school and
who are members of the Foreign Service Youth Foundation. The
award will be based on academic merit where the student is
judged on their grade point average, higher level classes
taken, standardized test scores, a two-page essay,
activities participated in while in high school including
community service, and any special circumstances.
Submissions must arrive at the FSYF office no later February
1, 2012. FSYF would like to thank GEICO Insurance for their
joint sponsorship of this award and all their support of
FSYF.
Click
here to download instructions, essay question and an
application form.
Congratulations to Thaddeus Jones, winner of the 2011 FSYF-sponsored AFSA Merit Scholarship. Thaddeus Jones is the 17-year-old son of Stuart and Barbara Jones. Thad is a 12th grader at the Sidwell Friends School in Washington, DC. In his free time, he enjoys drawing, Ultimate Frisbee, and reading. He has lived in Adana and Ankara, Turkey, as well as three years in Cairo, Egypt. In the fall, Thad plans to attend Duke University and will be studying engineering. He will be heading down to West Virginia this summer to help repair homes for impoverished families.
The annual FSYF Art Contest
challenges U.S. Foreign Service youth to create art in any
flat medium based on a given theme. The 2012 theme is
“Color My World.” Three winning artists in each of three
age categories (5-8, 9-12 and 13-18) will receive generous
cash prizes made possible by the State
Department Federal Credit Union. All nine winners will
be invited to the Youth Awards Ceremony at the Department of
State in Washington, DC in July 2012. Entries are due by
April 30, 2012.
Click here to download instructions and the entry form.
To see the 2010 winning artwork on YouTube, click here. To read about the 2010 Art Contest winners, click here.
To read about the 2009 Art Contest winners, click here.
The annual FSYF Essay Contest
challenges U.S. Foreign Service youth to answer a topic
question in 1,000 words or fewer. The 2012 topic
questions are,
High School students:
“Globalization is a process that opens diverse
societies to economic, political and social influences from
beyond their borders. How would you, as a foreign service
youth, build on this process to improve communication
between people from different cultures with young people
from the United States?”
Middle School students: “Thanks
to the worldwide availability of e-mail, Face book, Skype,
YouTube and online games, Third Culture Kids can stay in
touch with friends, classmates and family easily. Access
to such varied forms of communication technology allows kids
the freedom to reach out and maintain a wide range of
relationships around the world. How can (or do) you as a
foreign service youth make use of these communication tools
to create deeper awareness across the globe.
In describing your efforts to
facilitate greater cultural appreciation and understanding
among young people, feel free to let your imagination roam
and consider a range of alternatives-- including designing
your own video game or using different types of software --
in your own approach.”
Six winners (three in the High
School and three in the Middle School category) will receive
generous cash prizes made possible by McGrath
Real Estate. All six winners will be invited to
the Youth Awards Ceremony at the Department of State in
Washington, DC in July 2012. Entries are due by April
30, 2012.
To read the 2010 winning essays, click here. To read about the 2010 Essay Contest winners, click here.
To read the 2009 winning essays, click here. To read about the 2009 Essay Contest winners, click here.
The annual FSYF/FSI Transition Center-Overseas Briefing Center KidVid Contest challenges U.S. Foreign Service youth ages 10-18 to produce a DVD about life at an overseas post from a kid’s perspective. Winners will receive cash prizes made possible by Peake Management Inc and will be honored at the 2012 Youth Awards Ceremony at the Department of State. Entries are due by April 16, 2012. Click here for the complete contest rules.
To read about the KidVid winners, click here.
The winning videos and all other entries from prior years are available for viewing at the FSI Transition Center-Overseas Briefing Center (OBC) in Arlington, Virginia.
The annual FSYF Community Service Contest recognizes U.S. Foreign Service youth who demonstrate outstanding volunteer efforts in service to their community or to their peers. Two winners will each receive $1,500 U.S. Government savings bonds ($750 cash prize equivalent) made possible by Clements Insurance and will be honored at the Youth Awards Ceremony at the Department of State in July 2012. Entries are due by April 30, 2012. Click here to download instructions and the entry form.
To read about the 2010 Community Service Contest winners, click here.
To read about the 2009 Community Service Contest winners, click here.
Eligibility
All FSYF contests are open to children of U.S. Foreign
Affairs agency officials who are eligible for overseas
assignment and who report to the Chief of Mission when at
post. Entry is free to FSYF members.
A
3-year family membership is only $30 and it takes only
moments to join. To join FSYF click
http://www.fsyf.org/joindonate/joindonate.html If you
are not a member of FSYF (and do not wish to join at this
time) you can still enter the FSYF contests by paying an
entry fee of $20 per person, per contest (only one entry can
be submitted for each contest). The contests are closed to
the general public and to children of Foreign Service
Nationals. The KidVid Contest is restricted to U.S. Foreign
Service youth at overseas posts. The Art, Essay, Community
Service and Scholarship contests are open to U.S. foreign
service youth living in the United States and overseas.
Youth Awards Ceremony
Every July, the Family Liaison Office (FLO) sponsors a
Youth Awards Ceremony at the Department of State in
Washington, DC. The purpose of the ceremony is to honor
contest winners as well as the children of officers serving
unaccompanied overseas tours. The formal, invitation-only
event often takes place in the Benjamin Franklin room on the
eighth floor and may be attended by the Secretary of State
or other high-ranking official.
