The eleventh annual McGraw-Hill Poster Contest is set for Friday, May 3rd at 9:30 a.m. in the foyer of the Whatley Center for the Performing Arts at Northeast Texas Community College. This contest recognizes and rewards creative student scholarship in Northeast Texas. Area high school seniors, college and university students are welcome to compete. Prizes range from $100 for fourth place to $400 for first place. Up to 20 community judges will determine a project’s contribution to scholarship, the persuasiveness of its author, and the quality of the overall presentation.
The event is beholden to Jerald and Mary Lou Mowery in the form of a Whatley Enhancement Grant. They have also served four times as judges. The event also owes much over the years to financial contributions from the McGraw Hill Education Corporation, and the judging of the Friends of Honors at NTCC who have made poster-judging a part of the spring academic scene in our area.
NTCC Presidential Scholars have dominated the contest in recent years. In 2011, a non-honors NTCC history major, Jared Adams, won first place. Since then, Isaac Griffin (2012), Stephani Calderon (2013), Noah Griffin (2014) Kayleah Cumpian (2015), Cassia Rose (2016), William Jones (2017), and Matthew Chambers (2018) have won the top prizes. Four of the recent winners were also able to gain extremely competitive national awards such as the Guistwhite, the Jack Kent Cooke award, and the All-USA Team.
The 20 scholars of Honors Northeast will compete. Other students wishing to enter the contest should send an abstract of 100 words to Dr. Andrew Yox, Honors Director, at ayox@ntcc.edu explaining why their project represents an original work of scholarship by noon on April 24. Yox can also offer advice and help regarding posters and protocol for the one-hour contest. The winners will be announced at 11 a.m. in the Whatley Foyer on 3 May, soon after the judging.
Visitors are welcome to learn from the contestants. Admission is free. Anyone wishing to participate should contact Dr. Yox at ayox@ntcc.edu or 903-434-8229. The winners of previous poster contests and a new video to help judges better prepare for the event can be found at the site www.ntcc.edu/honorsposters.
