The South Dakota Soil Health Coalition is excited to announce student essay and contests for the 2025 Soil Health Conference, Jan. 15-16 in Watertown, SD.

The essay contest is open to South Dakota middle school, high school and post-secondary students. Cash prizes and hoodies will be awarded to winners in each of the age categories. The top prizes will be $400 in the post-secondary division, $300 in the high school division, and $200 in the middle school division. Participants in the essay contest can choose between two topics: “Why does healthy soil start with soil biology?” or “Why is biodiversity important for rural landscapes?”

The video contest is open to all K-12 students in South Dakota. Prizes for the video contest will be $750 for first place, $500 for second place, $250 for third place, and $100 for fourth place. Participants in the video contest can choose between two topics: “Clean Water for Future Generations” or “Healthy Soil Leads to Healthy People”

The deadline for contest submissions is Dec. 22, 2024. Contest rules and information are available at www.sdsoilhealthcoalition.org/soil-health-conference/students.

Contest winners will be announced during the Soil Health Conference. Student registration for the conference is free. More information about the conference is available at www.sdsoilhealthcoalition.org/soil-health-conference.