Help us find young Delawareans who have put their passions into projects that benefit our environment. Use the form below to nominate a young person for a Young Environmentalist of the Year Award.

An awards ceremony is tentatively scheduled for Governor’s Day, Thursday, July 25, at the Delaware State Fair.

Official Rules

Nominations

The 2024 DNREC Young Environmentalist of the Year Award is open to nominations of Delaware students in grades 1 through 12 submitted by teachers, classmates, club or group leaders, family members and others. Nominations must be based on actions or projects which have taken place between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024.

The Young Environmentalist program honors Delaware students whose actions have helped protect, restore or enhance Delaware’s natural resources through one or more of the following: demonstrating environmental stewardship, initiating an innovative project, increasing public awareness or demonstrating environmental ethics.

Past honorees have included students who planned community cleanups and tree plantings, founded or led school environmental clubs or projects and volunteered at parks and nature centers, as well as beekeepers, nature photographers, recycling advocates and young lobbyists.

Deadline for Entry

Written nominations and the completed Entry and Release Form(s) must have been submitted by close of business on Friday, July 5, 2024.

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (“DNREC”) shall not accept late or incomplete submissions, or submissions that have not followed these Official Rules.

DNREC reserves the right to adjust any deadline(s) as the result of causes beyond its immediate control. DNREC will take reasonable steps to notify of any adjustments made to deadlines.

Content

In addition to the nomination form, nominators are encouraged to include supporting documentation of the nominee’s environmental work, such as reports, letters, news articles, video links and photos of the student actively performing or participating in the project for which the student is being nominated.

Photo and video submissions included in nominations must not contain inappropriate, indecent, or obscene content. DNREC has sole discretion in determining whether any video submission contains inappropriate, indecent, or obscene content. Nominations including photo or video submissions determined by DNREC to contain inappropriate, indecent, or obscene content shall be rejected by DNREC.

Photo submissions should accurately reflect the subject matter and the scene as it appeared.

Photos may not include other discernible people, names, signatures, logos or other identifying marks.

Eligibility

This contest is open to all legal residents of the State of Delaware. The contest is not open to DNREC employees or contractors.

Judging and Selection of Honorees

Nominees will be judged in three age groups: grades 1 to 4, grades 5 to 8 and grades 9 to 12. Judges will be DNREC staff members including educators, scientists and other personnel.

DNREC has sole discretion over the selection of winners for each category. By entering this contest, nominees and their nominators waive any right they have to dispute or otherwise challenge DNREC’s selection of the winning entries.

Prizes for Winners

Winners in each category will receive a gift card, prize pack and an award certificate. An awards ceremony is tentatively scheduled for Governor’s Day, Thursday, July 25, at the Delaware State Fair, with details to be announced in the summer. All plans are subject to change based on health and safety considerations and any changes will be announced.

DNREC will make reasonable efforts to notify winners by phone or email prior to the ceremony. Contest winners will be announced publicly via email, news release(s) and social media.

General Provisions

Photo Release: By submitting this nomination and submitting this completed Release Form, I, on behalf of myself and, if applicable, the Child identified on this Release Form, grant permission to the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and its employees a royalty-free, world-wide, perpetual, nonexclusive license to display, distribute, reproduce, and create derivative works of the nomination and related submission materials, in whole or in part, in any media now existing or subsequently developed, for any State of Delaware or DNREC purpose, including, but not limited to advertising and promotion of DNREC in print, its website, and its publications. By entering this award nomination, I further agree that the submission complies with to these Official Rules and I will make no monetary or other claim against DNREC or the State of Delaware for the use of any content provided DNREC in connection with My Child’s Participation in these awards.

DNREC is an Agency of the State of Delaware subject to Delaware’s Freedom of Information Act (29 Del. C. 10001 et seq). Participants are advised that any information provided to DNREC in conjunction with this Contest may be deemed a public record under FOIA.

No Third Party Rights: This Release Form affects the rights, obligations, and duties of the Parties only. Notwithstanding any other provision to the contrary, nothing in this Release Form is intended to, nor shall it be interpreted or construed in a manner which shall: (a) grant any third party the right to enforce any of the terms, rights, or obligations set forth herein; (b) confer any substantive or procedural rights or privileges to any third party in relation to or arising out of any collateral civil or criminal legal proceeding; or (c) waive or otherwise affect the sovereignty of the State of Delaware or the application of 10 Del. C. § 4001, et seq. to any civil proceeding involving any officer, employee, or agent of the State of Delaware.

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware. Any legal action brought by either party to enforce any provision of this Agreement shall be brought in an appropriate Delaware State Court.

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Nomination Form

First, please tell us who you are nominating

Student’s Name

Date of Birth

Grade

Club or Organization

Address

City

State

ZIP Code

Email

Phone Number

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And tell us about yourself

Your Name

Your affiliation with the student

Email

Daytime Phone

Home Phone

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Now, please tell us why you are nominating this student

Please add links to any supporting information we might find online, such as newspaper articles or organization web pages. You may send additional supporting information, including photos of the nominees in action, to Young Environmentalist Awards Coordinator Joanna Wilson, by email or via the US Postal Service.

Submit

Related Topics:  award, environ, Environmentalist, nomination, volunteer, young environmentalist, youth