TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced the winners of the second annual Agriculture History and Creativity Award contest.
“We’re incredibly proud of all the students that participated in our essay contest, in spite of all the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Commissioner Nikki Fried. “Though school may have looked very different for many this year, our resilient Florida kids did a great job. It’s essential that we can creatively examine the problems, inequities, and solutions surrounding food insecurity and chronic hunger, which affects up to one in five Floridians every day. Congratulations to our essay contest winners!”
Commissioner Fried and the Department announced the essay winners on Facebook and on Twitter. The full list of the 2021 Agriculture History and Creativity Award recipients can be found here.
Open to all 4th through 12th graders enrolled in a Florida public or private school to write a 500-word essay about food insecurity topics that vary by grade level. This year, students were encouraged to explore food insecurity affecting up to one in five Floridians through discussing school gardens, nutrition programs, food inequities in communities of color, and leaders helping fight chronic hunger. Nine winners were selected: one elementary school contestant (grades 4-5), one middle school contestant (grades 6-8) and one high school contestant (grades 9-12) was chosen from each topic category.
Winners will receive a $1,000 Florida Prepaid 529 Scholarship, courtesy of Fresh From Florida. Cooperating partners include No Kid Hungry, the Florida Association of District School Superintendents, and the Florida PTA.
Background: The 500-word essay competition was originally established by Commissioner Fried in late 2019 to encourage Florida elementary, middle, and high school students to discover the achievements of women, African American, Hispanic, and Latinx leaders that have made notable impacts on Florida agriculture.
–FDACS
