Essay contest open to students in state
Gov. Charlie Crist announced the approach of Florida’s 2009 Sunshine Week “Government in the Sunshine” Web site, and invited high school students to participate in the Florida Sunshine Week essay contest.
Sunshine Week, held March 15-21, celebrates the state of Florida’s dedication to making state and local government more accessible to the public.
“Transparency and openness within all levels of government are crucial to the best services to citizens,” Crist said. “Sunshine Week is an excellent time for Florida’s students to learn more about government accountability and good government.”
Essay contest
The essay contest is open to all Florida school students in grades 9-12, and winners will be notified the week of March 9.
The first place winner will receive a $3,500 scholarship, the second place winner will receive a $2,000 scholarship and third place will receive a $1,500 scholarship.
All winners will be invited to attend an event at the governor’s mansion.
The essay topic is “Describe the various public records available under Florida’s open government laws and how access to these records strengthens citizens’ civil rights and liberties.”
Guidelines include:
n Each student may enter only one essay, no longer than 500 words, that is typed or handwritten in print rather than cursive writing.
n Essays must include the student’s name, home address, telephone number, school, grade level and essay title.
n Essays must be accompanied by a parental waiver form, which can be found at: www.flgov.com/og_sunshine. For electronic entries, the parental waiver may be typed, but if chosen as a winner it will be verified.
Entries must be e-mailed to SunshineEssay@myflorida.com, or mailed to Executive Office of the Governor, Attn: Sunshine Week Essay Contest, 400 South Monroe St., The Capitol, Suite PL-04, Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001.
Sunshine Week
In 2002, Sunshine Sunday was launched by the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors in response to increased public and legislative awareness of the open government laws.
After Florida’s trailblazing actions to establish Sunshine Laws, many other states have adopted Sunshine Sunday, which resulted in the American Society of Newspaper Editors designating a Sunshine Week, which started in March 2005.
Crist’s dedication to Sunshine Laws is clearly evident. In his inaugural address, Florida’s 44th governor made open government a top priority. He quoted former President Abraham Lincoln, pledging that under his watch Florida government would be “of the people, by the people and for the people.”
The next day, in his first executive order, Crist established the Office of Open Government and charged it with providing the governor’s office and all state agencies with the tools necessary to serve the people of Florida in a professional and efficient manner.
For information, visit: www.flgov.com/og_home.