Official Contest Rules

Hawaii: Next 50 Contest invites Hawaii’s youth to think about our state’s future and what it will take to make their home in the Hawaiian Islands the very best place to work and live. There are separate rules for each category:

ESSAY CATEGORY

  1. The essay category is open to all Hawaii students currently enrolled in grade 4 through grade 12. There will be three divisions: Grades 4-5, Grades 6-8, and Grades 9-12.
  2. Contestants are asked to read former Governor George R. Ariyoshi’s book, Hawaii: The Past Fifty Years, The Next Fifty Years, and provide their answer to the designated question in a well-written essay.
  3. Each essay must be submitted with a Student Release Form (available on website). The essay should not contain the grade level and the names of the student, teacher or school.
  4. Essays must be typed, double-spaced, using a 12 point font on 8.5-inch-by-11-inch paper with 1-inch margins. Essays must be 500 words or less, including the title. Entries with more than 500 words will be automatically disqualified.
  5. Each essay must be emailed in a Word document (.doc) format.
  6. Students are asked to be creative and to expand the limits of possibilities beyond the common solutions we mostly see today. This is more of a visioning exercise rather than a term paper with references. In fact, the only required reading is Hawaii: The Past Fifty Years, The Next Fifty Years.
  7. Essays will not be returned. All entries will become the property of Hawaii: Next 50 and the aio Foundation.
  8. Essays can be submitted online starting November 1, 2017.
  9. Essays must be submitted online by 11:59 p.m. on January 31, 2018.

MULTIMEDIA CATEGORY

  1. The multimedia category is open to all Hawaii students currently enrolled in grade 4 through grade 12. There will be three divisions: Grades 4-5, Grades 6-8, and Grades 9-12.
  2. Contestants are asked to read former Governor George R. Ariyoshi’s book, Hawaii: The Past Fifty Years, The Next Fifty Years and provide their answer to the designated question by creating a poster, video, or multimedia entry.
  3. Each poster/video/multimedia must be submitted with a Student Release form (available on website).
  4. All 2-dimensional (2D) entries and videos must be submitted online. No mail or email submissions of 2D or videos will be accepted. All 3-dimensional (3D) entries shall be submitted by mail and online. The online submission of a 3D entry shall be photos and/or a video of the entry. The multimedia entry tagged with the student’s name and school shall be dropped off during regular business hours or mailed to:

    Representative Mark Nakashima
    415 South Beretania St. Room 404
    Honolulu, HI 96813

    Please call to arrange (808) 586-6680.

  5. The multimedia entry should not contain the grade level or the name of the student, teacher or school. This information will be collected via the online submission form.
  6. Digital posters or photos of multimedia entries must be submitted in digital format and should be formatted to 300 dpi (TIFF, EPS or JPG format).
  7. Videos must be 3 minutes or less, and must not have been previously broadcasted. Videos must be hosted at YouTube.com and have its setting listed as "private."
  8. 3D multimedia entries must not exceed 10x10x10 inches.
  9. Posters, videos, and multimedia entries must be original and created by students. Seeking help from a professional company is strictly prohibited.
  10. Posters, videos, and multimedia entries must not include commercial logos and products.
  11. All entries will become the property of the Hawaii: Next 50 and the aio Foundation.
  12. Essays can be submitted online starting November 1, 2017.
  13. Posters, videos, and multimedia entries must be submitted online by 11:59 p.m. midnight on January 31, 2018. Multimedia entries must be physically received by January 31, 2018.

Hawaii: Next50 and the aio Foundation are not responsible for late, incomplete, damaged, destroyed, lost or misdirected entries. Entries that do not comply with the Official Contest Rules will be automatically disqualified and ineligible to be considered for the contest.