The Ackerman Essay Contest
Our Story
The American Iris Society Foundation Ackerman Youth Essay
Mission Statement
The Ackerman Youth Essay is sponsored by the AIS Foundation to generate appreciation and love of everything iris by youth through 18 years of age.
Writing to a prompt is a skill to help youth organize their thoughts and learn to do creative stories. The youth are encouraged to get guidance from an older mentor to improve and expand their stories.
Prizes are awarded to let the youth know their work is appreciated and encourage them to participate.
Description
The AIS Foundation sponsors an essay contest each year for youth who are interested in iris. There are three age groups of competition. There is the 9 and under group, the 10-12 year-olds, and the 13 and over.
The contest is managed by a chair that is appointed by the AIS Foundation executive board. The AIS Foundation also provides cash awards for the first, second, and third place winners. Currently they are $100, $50, and $25 respectively,
Sometime in July or August the Chair writes a prompt for the youth to study and write their essay about. It is announced in “AIS News And Notes”, “Irises: The Bulletin of The American Iris Society’, and the youth newsletter, “The Iris Fan”.
The rules, suggestions for writing, deadline, age groups, prizes, and where and who to send the essays to are also published. The youth can either mail their essay in or email it to the addresses in the announcement. The essays should be 500 words or less.
The winners are announced at the awards banquet of the annual AIS National Convention. The winners are recognized by coming to the front of the banquet, if they are present, to receive certificates, their checks, and a coupon for a free new iris rhizome from one of AIS’s hybridizers. If they are not present, they receive their certificate, check, and rhizome coupon in the mail.
Everyone who enters the contest receives in the mail a letter thanking them for participating, as well as a nice certificate.
Youth are encouraged to begin writing soon after they learn the prompt for the year. This gives them time to write one than one draft and get their spelling and grammar checked.
Ackerman Essay 2024 Winner: Samantha Anderson, age 18 Region 5
Ackerman Youth Essay Contest 2025!
My New Iris Hybrid!
2025 Ackerman Youth Essay Contest
By Debbie Strauss, Chair
It is time for a new theme for the Ackerman Youth Essay Contest 2025! The 2025 American Iris Society National Iris Convention is on June 2-7 in Billings, MT! During the awards ceremony the Essay Winners will be recognized, receive their cash reward, and a certificate for a 2025 iris! The deadline for submitting the essays will be May 17, 2025. Have you ever thought about an iris color or pattern, or novelty look you would like to see in an iris? Or maybe a special height, or fragrance? Hybridizing iris is not as hard as you would think. Make your essay a creative writing and be sure you have fun imagining your perfect hybrid.
Read the theme below and let your imagination flow.
Pretend you are going to hybridize a new iris for a particular color, pattern, flounce, horn, or other things in an iris that would be special to you. Decide what you want to end up with when your iris blooms. Try to imagine what the parents could be for your iris. Which two irises crossed might give you what you are looking for. Write about why you are picking the parents for your special iris, and what you want your new iris to look like. Then come up with a name for your new hybrid. For your essay, write all about what you were thinking and why you picked the parents to get your new iris, and why you chose the name. Maybe even draw us a picture of your new hybrid.
Before you turn it in, get your Mom, Dad, Sister, Aunt, Teacher, or anyone to read it over after you write your first draft. Get them to help you think about how to add to it, make it have more details, and check your grammar and spelling.
Check out the other rules below and send your finished essay to me, Debbie Strauss at debbie@loveirises.com or mail it to me at 2213 Hereford Blvd, Midland TX 79707 by the deadline of May 17, 2025.
There are three age group competition categories, thus awarding three 1st, three 2nd, and three 3rd place prizes: one in each age group! The age groups are 9 and Under, 10-12, and 13 and Over. All three age groups will receive a $100 Reward for First Place, $50 Reward for Second Place, and $25 Reward for Third Place (courtesy of The American Iris Society Foundation). Winners will also receive a new 2025 iris from one of our wonderful hybridizers. And of course, there are just a couple of other easy rules:
Essays should be written in 500 words or less. Once again, the deadline for getting the essay finished and submitted to me is May 17, 2025.
If you write for the contest, on Saturday June 7, 2025, you might be up front at the final convention banquet in Billings accepting your certificate, money, and a coupon for a 2025 iris! So, get started NOW, don’t wait, get it finished and send it in. I can’t wait to learn about an iris that you create, how you hybridized it, your iris name, and maybe a drawing of it too!