Essay contest promotes financial independence
High school seniors can turn their knowledge of finances
into cash by participating in an essay contest on investing.
The contest is coordinated by the South Dakota Department of
Revenue and Regulation, Division of Securities.
South Dakota high school seniors are invited to submit a
five-page essay that could earn them cash prizes of up to
$5,000. Under the contest rules, students must write one
page on each of the following five principles of investing:
How Financial Markets Work, Time Value of Money, How Credit
Card Debt Affects Your Ability to Invest, Understanding the
Pyramid of Investment Risk, and Avoiding Investment Fraud.
In addition to submitting an essay, students also must be
sponsored by a teacher from their high school.
Essays will be judged based on their content as it relates
to the five principles of investing. Upon being judged, each
entry will be placed in one of four levels: A, B, C or D.
When all papers are categorized, Securities Division
officials will randomly draw two winners from Level A, with
both winners receiving $5,000. Teachers sponsoring the Level
A winners receive $500. One essay will be randomly drawn
from each of the remaining three levels, with those students
receiving cash prizes of $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000,
respectively. The high school teacher sponsoring the most
senior student essays wins $500. Chances of winning are
subject to the number of entries received and the number in
each level.
Deadline to submit entries to the essay contest is Jan. 14,
2006. Winners will be announced by April 30, 2006. Only hard
copy entries are eligible; electronic entries will not be
accepted. Contest rules and more information are available
online at
www.state.sd.us/securities/essay.htm.
The essay contest is funded by a grant from the Investor
Protection Trust (IPT), a nonprofit organization devoted to
investor education.
For more information about the program, contact Leonore
Friez, investor education specialist, Division of
Securities, (605) 773-4823.
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