When to Use the Kansas 4-H Award Portfolio Application

For area and state levels, the Kansas 4-H Award Portfolio (KAP) must be used even if it was not used to select county/district project winners. Check with your 4-H club leader or local K-State Research and Extension office to learn how your county/district 4-H project award winners are selected. Many counties/districts use the KAP to select winners. Some counties/districts, however, use other selection tools. For members to advance to area or state judging, it is strongly suggested that leaders make the KAP available to them early in the 4-H year, so members know what information is required.  Near the end of the 4-H year, clubs should set a date when all award applications or record books are due. 

For area and state levels, the KAP must be used, even if it was not used to select county/district winners. To be eligible for area or state award selection, 4-H members must meet the following requirements:

1.	Have completed one or more years in the project.
2.	Have been named a county/district winner in the project/award project for the most recently ended 4-H year, i.e. the year in which the work was done.
3.	Have re-enrolled in the project for the current 4-H year, i.e. the year in which area or state level judging occurs.
4.	Have passed their 14th birthday as of the current 4-H year, i.e. the year in which area or state level judging occurs.
5.	Have not passed their 19th birthday as of January 1 of the current 4-H year, i.e. the year in which area or state level judging occurs. 
6.	Have not previously been named a state winner in the same project or award project.
7.	If a member has attended National 4-H Congress, he or she may be named a state winner but cannot receive another trip to National 4-H Congress.
8.	At the state level, a member can only be named a state winner in one project or award project a year.

Key Changes:
1.	The Permanent Record is not included in the portfolio. It may be used as a supporting record keeping document, training tool or for evaluation at the local level but should not be included in the packet sent to area or state judging. 
2.	Photography project; DO NOT add any additional photo pages.
3.	Communications (formerly Public Speaking) project no longer includes a speech.
4.	Interviews will be included in final selection of the State Project Winners.

The Kansas 4-H Award Portfolio (KAP)

Introduction and General Information 

The Kansas 4-H Award Portfolio consists of the following:  

1.	A complete original or copy of the Kansas 4-H Personal Page
2.	4-H Story, does not need to be signed 
3.	The signed KAP, includes Photos 

The KAP should be assembled in the order indicated in the assembly section of this document (last page).  Detailed instructions for each section follow.  

All sections and attachments should meet the following requirements:

1.	Complete one KAP for each project for which you are to be considered.
The August Project Selection Guide issue of the Kansas 4-H Journal lists all the county and state-sponsored 4-H awards programs for the new 4-H year. Individual counties may have additional locally sponsored awards. Because State Awards may change and counties/districts do not always offer the same award programs as the State, be sure to use the most recent Kansas State Project Selection Guide to see if a recognition program is offered before you complete a KAP – so that you can be sure that your portfolio is included in the appropriate award category at the Area and State level. For example: If your county/district does not offer a particular project award, for example, Performing Arts and you enrolled in “Self-Determined – Performing Arts” in your county/district, you would find that the State Project Selection Guide identified Performing Arts as a State Project Award Area. In this case, for State recognition, you must complete the KAP Application within the State Award Project Area, i.e., Performing Arts not Self-Determined. 
2.	Use a computer or print clearly with an ink pen.
3.	Paper (Personal Page, KAP & Story): 8 ½ x 11 inch white paper. One side of page only. 
4.	Paper (Photos): 8 ½ x 11 inch white. Heavy photo paper is acceptable but not required. Strongly recommend the use of cardstock if you physically mount prints on the pages.
5.	Margins:  	Top, Right Side & Bottom: 1 inches
Left: 1 ½ inch
6.	Font: 		Easily legible, no smaller than 10 point font.
7.	Spacing: 	Double Spaced
8.	Use proper grammar, paragraph styling, punctuation, and spelling. If using a computer be sure to spell check and proof-read. Sometimes commonly used words are spelled correctly but not used correctly – for example country instead of county; goat instead of coat or boat; counsel instead of council; bred instead of bread; or lead instead of led.
9.	Use technology to your advantage such as bolding headings or key points, underlining, bullets, outlines, etc.
10.	Do not use plastic sleeves, divider tabs or table of contents page.
11.	White space is ok.
12.	Use action verbs to accurately describe what you have done. Did you “help” or did you “plan and conduct?” Some words to consider are:

Assisted	Directed	Maintained	Presented	
Constructed	Explained	Managed	Revised	
Coordinated	Initiated	Organized	Selected	
Developed	Learned	Planned		

13.	Ask for help with translation if you do not use English as your first language.

Evaluating the Kansas Award Portfolio 

Score sheets have been developed to help evaluators and interviewers make more objective decisions when judging the KAP. Ask your local K-State Research and Extension office for the most recent copy of the score sheet as you prepare your KAP. All Sections of the KAP, the Story, Photographs and applicable interviews will be evaluated. To make the process more equal across the state, maximum points are awarded for specific criteria, but are no longer directly tied to a level of participation (local, county/district, multi-county, state, national or International) nor to the number of items involved in the activity or learning experience.  

Completing the Kansas Award Portfolio 
  
Remember that the amount, variety and quality of work will be important in a 4-H record that shows excellence.  The following sections will give you tips and examples of how to complete each portion of the KAP.  Sections two and three should only include direct 4-H involvement. Section five has been provided so that you can include non 4-H involvement in community, school or other organizations directly related to this project.     It should be understood that some projects will have more non 4-H involvement than others; nevertheless, activities should only be reported in one section of the KAP.

Section - 4-H Story 
1.	Use a computer or print or write clearly with an ink pen.   
2.	Paper:  8 ½ x 11 inch white paper.  One side of page only. 
3.	Margins:  	Top, Right Side & Bottom: 1 inches
Left: 1 ½ inch
4.	Font: 		Easily legible, no smaller than 10 point font.
5.	Can be up to six pages, double spaced.
6.	Use proper grammar, paragraph styling, punctuation, and spelling. If using a computer be sure to spell check and proof-read. Sometimes commonly used words are spelled correctly but not used correctly – for example country instead of county; goat instead of coat or boat; counsel instead of council; bred instead of bread; or lead instead of led.
7.	Use technology to your advantage such as bolding headings or key points, underlining, bullets, outlines, etc.
8.	Do not use plastic sleeves.
9.	The 4-H Story does not need to be signed.

Here is your opportunity to let the person reading your story get to know you personally and your life in this 4-H project.  

Of course, most good stories start out with some type of introduction. Journalists call it a “lead.” The idea is to make it fun, interesting, surprising or informative. Your introduction should make the reader want to delve further into your 4-H Story. 
 
The body of the 4-H Story should focus on activities and learning in the specific award program area. It’s okay to touch on other projects later in the story, especially if they tie in with the main project.

The 4-H Story is a time to expand on what you learned and how you shared your project with others. What were the highlights of the year (more than just awards and ribbons)? Did you have a project disaster?  If so, tell what it taught you.  

This is your opportunity to share information that wasn’t included in any other area of the KAP. Did you achieve a longtime goal? Did you learn something totally new? Did you solve a project problem? 

Think about the people who have helped you be successful in this project. What have others done for you and with you in your 4-H project?  

Don’t forget to consider your future when writing your 4-H Story. Will you take this project again? Why or why not? Has this project affected your career dreams? What did you learn that has helped you in everyday life?

These are just some sample questions to help you think about what you might include in your story. Focus on what you want to share about your project and what the reader needs to know in order to distinguish your KAP from all others.  

Like every good story, the 4-H Story has several parts. Just remember, the 4-H Story should focus on one project. It is acceptable to include general information about other projects later in the story, especially if they tie in to the project featured in the KAP. Again, the 4-H Story is the time to let the reader get to know you and your project.

First is the introduction.  It should capture the reader’s attention. It’s a way to get the reader interested in what you have to say. It’s a good time for an introduction of yourself and the focus of the project shared through this story.

The body of the story is where you shine. Tell the reader information they didn’t find in the other parts of the KAP. This is a time to tell what you learned, how you shared with others and about the highlights of your project. There are occasionally “down” times in the project and those are also learning experiences that can be included. Included in the body of the story may be tidbits about who helped you in your project work. Many people are part of your success story. Perhaps you can tell something about them and the knowledge they shared with you. Of course, a project may be a springboard for a future career or job exploration. If this project is closely tied into your future, tell how. Think if this project will be part of your 4-H future or not.  

A conclusion isn’t always necessary but it let’s you wrap up your story neatly. It is here you can stress what makes your KAP stand out above the rest.  

Your 4-H Story is about you and your 4-H experiences. It can be told in many different ways. First and foremost, keep it focused on the one project. There’s no secret formula to writing a 4-H Story but remember to keep it interesting, informative and a maximum of six pages.  

Section 1: Goals
Most successful projects begin with well-founded goals that provide a plan to increase your personal knowledge, technical skills, and leadership abilities. In some projects, particularly animal projects, they may include teaching or training large or small animals as well. In all cases, however, a 4-H record that shows excellence will begin with goals designed to provide learning, leadership and citizenship experiences for the individual. Remember that leadership is teaching another person or a group skills or information and includes organizing or coordinating an activity, event, or meeting; selecting and preparing materials, and selecting presenters while citizenship means helping out in your community and serving others without compensation.

Ideally, goals should be set at the beginning of the project experience because they teach decision-making and allow the 4-Hers to plan their own learning experiences. Goals tell what you plan to learn, make or do. Your goals should be detailed enough to keep the project on track and to evaluate your progress; flexible enough to grow with the project and to determine when you have reached a stopping point or need to change directions; and provide a balance between project learning and activities, leadership and citizenship. Even though you are completing this application for just one year, it is reasonable to expect an excellent project record to have several goals within that year.  

In order to assist the evaluator, each goal should be identified as a learning experience, leadership experience or citizenship experience by placing an X in the appropriate column of the KAP. One goal may involve multiple levels as you will see in the sample section below: 

Learning	Leadership	Citizenship	My goals for this project or award program were:
(Examples: Learn to knit with two colors of yarn; Learn to operate a lathe; Prepare and present a program on bicycle safety; Bake sugarless cookies for the senior center once a month.)  Indicate whether the goal is project learning, leadership or citizenship with an X in the appropriate column. One goal may involve multiple levels – for example; I want to learn bicycle safety, teach bicycle safety to our club and the after-school day care program might have an X in learning, leadership and citizenship.	
X			Learn to knit with two colors of yarn	
X			Learn about bike safety	
X	X	X	Teach bicycle safety to our club and after-school day care program	
	X	X	Serve as an assistant fair supervisor for photography	
		X	Use my foods project to make gifts for the community and for club fund-raisers	
X			Learn more about animal nutrition and the cost of various feeds.  	
X			Improve my showmanship skills	
X	X		Improve my showmanship skills and set-up a showmanship clinic	
X			Participate in judging schools/contests and qualify for the county team.	
X	X		Participate in judging schools/contests and lead the county team.	
X			Take private lessons to improve my piano skills.	
X	X		Give (piano, riding, etc.) lessons to 4-Hers and other to earn money.  	

Section 2: Summarization of 4-H Project Experiences
The principle of 4-H work is learning by doing. This section is where you report what you have learned and done within your 4-H project this year. Your experiences and/or learning should be age-appropriate and detailed enough to evaluate your progress; include an indication of the size, amount of work accomplished and the financial impact (including production figures such as average daily gain, pounds of milk, beginning and ending inventory for animal projects); and reflect a balance between project learning and activities. Even though you are completing this application for one year, it is reasonable to expect an excellent project record to have a variety of age-appropriate project experiences within the year. Examples of learning experiences include, but are not limited to, judging schools, camps, contests and tours. The activities and things learned provide evidence of growth in this project. Include challenges you faced and how you overcame them. Leadership and citizenship activities are included in the next section, thus you do not need to list them here, but may feel free to include some of what you learned in doing them (see the following examples).

Record keeping tools that may be helpful include: Permanent Record Section 2 and 3, project records, income expense records, etc. Use any format of your choosing, (narrative, bullets, charts, tables).  This section is limited to the front side of one page.  

Example 1 – Use of Numbered Outline – Photography

SECTION 2: SUMMARIZATION OF PROJECT EXPERIENCES/4-H EXPERIENCES
Maximum 1 page – front side only
Provide examples of learning experiences, (including but not limited to, judging schools, camps, contests, tours) and things learned that provide evidence of growth in this project. Include challenges you have faced and how you overcame them. Record keeping tools that may be helpful include: Permanent Record Section 2 and 3, project records, income expense records, etc. Use any format of your choosing, (narrative, bullets, tables). Also, include level of participation (L, C/D, A/R, S, N, I)

1.	As a county project leader, I learned that you should never plan a large event without a pre-enrollment fee and that even with a pre-enrollment fee people don’t always come. (C)

2.	I helped develop an excel spreadsheet to use at county Photo Judging Contests and helped plan and coordinate the contests. I learned:
a.	A lot more about excel – like how to sort columns without losing or changing information. (L)
b.	That registration may be some faster, but entering names and ages still takes time and care. (2C)
c.	That entering scores and determining the winners is a lot faster (2C)
d.	That many parents want to be involved in and understand what their kids are doing and may ask more questions than the kids. (2C)

3.	In buying a new digital camera, I learned that:
a.	It cost approximately $0.67/picture to use regular film ($3.00 for film and $12.00 for development). (L)
b.	That it would take 850 pictures to “break-even” using the digital – if most pictures weren’t printed. (L)

4.	When taking pictures at a retirement party and wedding, I learned that:
a.	There is always a market for amateur photographers. (2C)
b.	You must take a lot of pictures and usually have to recrop or fix them on the computer. (L, 2C)

Example 2 – Use of Combination (Text, Table & Chart) – Horse

SECTION 2: SUMMARIZATION OF 4-H PROJECT EXPERIENCES
Maximum 1 page – front side only
Provide examples of learning experiences, (including, but not limited to, judging schools, camps, contests, tours) and things learned that provide evidence of growth in this project. Include challenges you have faced and how you overcame them. Record keeping tools that may be helpful include: Permanent Record Section 2 and 3, project records, income expense records, etc. Use any format of your choosing, (narrative, bullets, charts, tables). Also, include level of participation (L, C/D, A/R, S, N, I)

1.	Teaching the Level I Curriculum to the county classes, I learned:
a.	Not to get discouraged by parents interruptions. (C/D)
b.	Not to give the answers, but to ask questions to help them figure out the answer or jog their memory. (C)

2.	Working with the therapeutic center, I learned:
a.	Each horse has a different motion (backward-forward, sideways, rotating).
b.	Different horses are used at different times or with different kids to stimulate specific muscles.
c.	The horse leader has to pay attention to the horse, not the rider, but the sidewalkers work with the rider.

To teach your horse to bend, you can try to put pressure on his side, pull your rein straight back and see if you can see the inside corner of his inside eye.

Activity	Level	Qty	Hours	Income or Expense	
Daily Care – Feed/Water/Stalls/Boarding of 3 horses	L	3	210.0	($1,250.00)	
Vet Bills – Semi-Annual Shots, Coggins	L	6	2.00	($600.00)	
Farrier – Trim & Shoes every 6 weeks	L	12		($800.00	
Miscellaneous – Clothes, Tack, Fly Spray, Show Fees	L, C, D			($500.00)	
Riding Lessons Taken	L	26	26.00	($520.00)	
Lessons/Instructions Given to 4-H Youth	L	10	10.00	$100.00	
TOTAL			248.00	($3,570.00)	

Section 3: 4-H Leadership & Citizenship Experiences Within This Project
Summarize your 4-H meetings/committees/organizations, your level of involvement (were you a member or an officer or chairperson) and the level of participation in the space provided on the form. Project meetings or project club meetings should only be included if related to this award portfolio. To the extent possible, include the actual numbers, not just an X. The # Attended should equal the total for all levels of participation (the sum of L, C/D, A/R, S, N, I).
•	Leadership is teaching another person or a group skills or information and includes organizing or coordinating an activity, event, or meeting; selecting and preparing materials, and selecting presenters.
•	Citizenship means helping out in your community and serving others without compensation.

Even though you are completing this application for just one year, it is reasonable to expect an excellent project record to include both leadership and citizenship activities within that year. Record keeping tools that may be helpful include the Kansas 4-H Permanent Record Section 1. Note that in all tables, every line item will not necessarily have something in every box.

Examples for the Meetings, Committees, Offices, Leadership Roles KAP Table include:

Meetings, Committees, Offices	#
Held	 # 
Led	# 
Attended	Local	 County/
District	 Area/
Regional	 State	National/ Int’l	
Photography Examples									
County-wide Assistant Photography Project Leader	3	1	3		3				
KSF Photo Fun Day – Teen Leader	1	1					1		
Horse Club, Historian	12		12	12					
									
Horse Project Examples									
Horse Club, Historian	12		12		12				
Fairground Work Committee	4		2		2				
Horse Show Food Stand Committee, Chairman	3	3	3		3				
									
Beef Project Examples									
Club, Bucket Calf Co-Project Leader 	4	2	4	4					
Fairground Work Committee	4		2		2				
									
Foods Project Examples									
Club Co-Project Leader	4	1	3	3					
Club Refreshments Committee	12	2	10	10					
Council 4-H Council Fair Food Stand Committee	2		2		2				
Horse Show Food Stand Committee, Chairman	3	3	3		3				
Club, Food Bank Work Day Committee, Chairman	1	2	2	2					

Examples for the What You Did Table include:
 
Include leadership, citizenship and presentations given or prepared i.e., talks, demonstrations, webpage development, articles written, slide shows, numbers of hours, number of people reached (audience), money raised, and number of times at each level of participation within the table below. Record keeping tools that may be helpful include: Kansas 4-H Permanent Record Section 2 and 3, project records, income expense records, etc.
Leadership is teaching another person or a group skills or information and includes organizing or coordinating an activity, event, or meeting; selecting and preparing materials, and selecting presenters. 
Citizenship means helping out in your community and serving others without compensation.  
Leadership	Citizenship	What You Did	Local	 County/
District	 Area/
Regional	 State	National/Int’l	Hours	Audience	
		Photography Examples								
X		Organized Photo Shoot at Park 		1					10	
X		Demonstrated Proper Mounting Techniques 	1	2		1			200	
		Took 60 pictures as Club Historian, used 20 in book	20							
	X	Gave 20 pictures to various club members 	20							
										
		Horse Project Examples								
		Horse Quiz Bowl Practice Sessions		20						
		Horse Quiz Bowl Contests (team & individual)		2	4	1	1			
	X	Worked Horse Show Food Stand 		1				2.0		
X		Riding Lessons given to 4-H youth	20							
X	X	Prepared Therapeutic Riding Display for Club Meeting								
	X	Took pony to Club sponsored mini-fair at mall		1					50	
										
		Beef Project Examples								
X		Prepared two demonstrations on leading a bucket calf 	1	1						
		Participated in Livestock Judging 	2	6	4	3				
X	X	Set-up & worked beef weigh-in and beef shows		3						
	X	Cleaned  & painted livestock barns for fair		3				15.0		
		Exhibited in 4 classes at 9 shows		4	2B	2P	1B			
X		Illustrated Talk on the Growth of the Breed	1	1P	1B					
										
		Foods Project Examples								
X	X	Organized Club cookie bake for nursing home 	1					4.0	75	
	X	Made & Served Club Refreshments 	2					1.0		
	X	Worked Fair Food Stand 		1				4		
X		Demonstrations:  Moo-licious Meals  	2	1B	1R	1R		35	69	
	X	Collected and sorted food at Regional Food Pantry			1			4		

Section 4: Awards & Recognition In 4-H  
List the most meaningful awards and recognition you received this year. Place asterisks (*) beside awards & recognition relating directly to this award portfolio. Record keeping tools that may be helpful include the Kansas Permanent Record Section 4. Examples include:

* Project Related 	Awards and Recognitions	Local	 County/
District	 Area/
Regional	 State	National/ Int’l	
	Examples – All Projects						
	Leadership Pin		X				
	Key Award				X		
							
	Horse Project Examples						
*	Horse Quiz Bowl Team, State Champion, Nat’l Runner-up				X	X	
*	County Horse Project Award		X				
							
	Beef Project Examples						
*	Grand Champion Steer 		X				
							
	Photography Project Examples						
*	Grand Champion Photograph at County Fair		X				
*	Picture selected for exhibit at Rock Springs				X		
							
	Foods Project Examples			X			
*	Best Camp Handwasher Award						

Section 5:	Non 4-H Leadership & Citizenship Experiences within 
This Project
Summarize your non 4-H meetings/committees/organizations, your level of involvement (were you a member or an officer or chairperson) and the level of participation in the space provided on the form. To the extent possible, include the actual numbers, not just an X. The # Attended should equal the total for all levels of participation (the sum of L, C/D, A/R, S, N, I).
•	Leadership is teaching another person or a group skills or information and includes organizing or coordinating an activity, event, or meeting; selecting and preparing materials, and selecting presenters.
•	Citizenship means helping out in your community and serving others without compensation.

Even though you are completing this application for just one year, it is reasonable to expect an excellent project record to both leadership and citizenship activities within that year. Record keeping tools that may be helpful include the Kansas Permanent Record Section 1.

Examples for the Non 4-H Meetings, Committees, Offices KAP Table include:

Meetings, Committees, Offices	#
Held	 # 
Led	# 
Attended	Local	 County/
District	 Area/
Regional	 State	National/ Int’l	
Photography Examples									
Open Class Fair Assistant Superintendent					1				
School Newspaper Photographer 									
									
Horse Project Examples									
Rodeo Association, Calf-Roping Youth Committee	5		2			2			
Therapeutic Riding Association Spotter						20			
									
Beef Project Examples									
Beef Association, Youth Member 									
County Livestock Association, Youth member									
Rodeo Association, Calf-Roping Youth Committee	5		2			2			
									
Foods Project Examples									
Church Refreshments Committee	52	4	20	20					
School FACS Club , President 	12	12	12	12					

Examples for the Non 4-H What You Did Table include:
 
List your most meaningful non 4-H experiences related to this project. May include, but is not limited to, school (FFA, clubs, groups/teams, activities); community, faith based activities/organizations; breed associations, etc. See Kansas 4-H Permanent Record Section 2 and 3.
Leadership is teaching another person or a group skills or information and includes organizing or coordinating an activity, event, or meeting; selecting and preparing materials, and selecting presenters. 
Citizenship means helping out in your community and serving others without compensation.  
Leadership	Citizenship	What You Did	Local	 County/
District	 Area/
Regional	 State	National/ Int’l	Hours	Audience	
		Photography Examples								
X		School Newspaper, Lead Photographer 	2,000							
	X	Nursing Home, Christmas Photographer 	20							
										
		Horse Project Examples								
	X	Worked Breed Show Food Stand 				1		2		
X		Riding Lessons given to non-4-H youth	20							
X	X	Prepared Therapeutic Riding Display for Library		1				2		
	X	Therapeutic Riding Center, Volunteer		50				100		
		FFA Horse Judging Team	20	2	2	1				
										
		Beef Project Examples								
X		FFA Shows, Livestock Judging Contests 	2	2	1	1				
X		FFA Illustrated Talk on the Growth of the Breed	1	1	1					
										
		Foods Project Examples								
	X	Donated 4 dozen cookies for School Fundraisers	4		4	4				
	X	Contributed garden vegetables to Food Pantry					8			
	X	School & Church Canned Food Drives	10							
	X	Prepared Meals for Local Residents without Power 	2							
	X	Lion’s Club Pancake Feed Volunteer			1			4		
X		Food Demonstrator for Grocery Store		25				100		

Examples for the Non 4-H Awards and Recognitions Table include:

List the most meaningful non 4-H awards and recognitions you received this year. Place asterisks (*) beside awards & recognition relating directly to this award portfolio. (See Kansas 4-H Permanent Record Section 4 or other record keeping tools.)  

* Project Related 	Awards and Recognitions	Local	County/
District	Area/
Regional	State	National/ Int’l	
	Photography Project 						
*	High School Journalism Action Photography Awards	1st		X			
*	35 Photographs published in paper		35				
	KMEA Area and State Solo Competitions – I ratings			1	2		
	Marching Band & Jazz Band Letters	2					
							
	Horse Project 						
	KMEA Area and State Solo Competitions – I ratings			1	2		
	Marching Band & Jazz Band Letters	2					
*	Therapeutic Riding Volunteer – 100 hour pin			X			
*	Having my therapeutic rider say my name	X					
							
	Beef Project						
*	FFA Livestock Judging Team, 1st Place at State				1st 		
*	Breed Association Show, Grand Champion Junior Heifer				X		
	High School Football Letter	X					
							
	Foods Project						
*	Recognized in newspaper for work with Food Pantry		X				
*	Newspaper Best Frozen Dessert for Dads		X				
	KMEA Area and State Solo Competitions – I ratings			1	2		
	Marching Band & Jazz Band Letters	2					

Section 6: Project Photographs 
The KAP form provides three pages for pictures and limits you to six pictures per page. Select action photos that visually help to tell and/or add to your story, crop as necessary or desired. Use captions to show project involvement, leadership, and citizenship within this project. The caption should not cover up the subject but may be on the photo. When used correctly, the caption can add a lot to your photos, i.e., humor or numbers to give an added affect. Pictures are important because they help the judge get to know the 4-Her, document the project, and show sequences of growth. You may incorporate digital pictures in the KAP or use mounted prints. Be sure to use 8 ½ x 11 inch white paper. Photo paper is certainly acceptable but is not required. However, if mounting prints, it is strongly recommended that card stock, which is strong enough to support the pictures and flexible enough to turn easily.  

Project Picture Examples:
1.	You cleaning a horse’s hoof.  Captioned:  “Required Care before every Ride.”
2.	You weeding the garden.  Captioned:  “Young Plants Require Regular Care.” 
3.	You participating in a judging practice or contest.  Captioned:  “Livestock Judging Practice.  1 of (?) County practices, (?) County, (?) Area and (?) State Contests.”
4.	You baking a cake, practicing piano, an instrument or dance, working with an animal, taking pictures or taking project related lessons.  Captioned:  “Practice, Practice, Practice.  1 of (?) hours spent working on my  ______ skills.”

Leadership Picture Examples  (some, but not all might be from non 4-H activities);
1.	You giving a project talk or demonstration or presentation at a clinic.  Captioned:  “Giving a project talk about _____ at our Club.”
2.	”You and a younger 4-H person weeding the garden, practicing sheep shearing.  Captioned:  “Helping a club member with their project - 1 of 15 informal times.” 
3.	You with your judging team eating pizza.  Captioned:  “Pizza is great after a 3rd Place Judging Team finish at ______.”
4.	You with or leading a music ensemble, photo shoot, trail ride.  Captioned:  “My Ensemble worked hard to Learn our Music.  1 of ? practices, ? performances or contests.”
5.	You working registration at the Fair or other events.  Captioned: “Working Registration at County Fair.”

Citizenship Picture Examples (some, but not all might be from non 4-H activities);
1.	You giving a project talk, demonstration or sharing livestock at a nursing home.  Captioned:  “Giving a talk about _____ at a Nursing Home.”
2.	You and other 4-Hers weeding at the School, Nursing Home, Community Park or Fairground.  Captioned:  “Helping keep our community Clean and Weed Free.” 
3.	You delivering cookies to auction buyers, elderly neighbors.  Captioned:  “Home baked cookies make great thank-you gifts. 1 of ____ dozen given to friends, neighbors and sponsors.”
4.	You and/or a music ensemble or group performing within the community or with community theater.  Captioned:  “My _____.  1 of ?performances for community events, the elderly or others.”
5.	Working in the fair food stand, a fund raiser booth or with set-up, clean-up, or registration at events.  Captioned: “Fund-Raising, Set-up and Clean-up Seem to be Part of Every Event.”

Assembling  
Put each Award Application inside a cover and secure pages so they will not fall out. A regular 4-H record book cover, a standard acco-type 8 ½ x 11 inch binder, or a loose-leaf binder will all work.  

The Kansas 4-H Award Portfolio Application consists of the following:  

1.	A complete original or copy of the Kansas 4-H Personal Page
2.	4-H Story, does not need to be signed   
3.	The signed KAP, includes Photos

The KAP should be assembled in the order indicated.  

Now that you have your application assembled, what do you do next? Be sure to turn it in to your local K-State Research and Extension office on time so it can make the next step in the evaluation process. Area Awards judging generally is in late January or early February of each year. Applications for state awards judging are due in the State 4-H office by March 1 of each year. Winners are generally notified in early April of their selection and are announced at the annual Emerald Circle Banquet. Special medallions are awarded to each state winner. All state winners, recognized at the Emerald Circle Banquet, are invited to attend National 4-H Congress if they have not previously attended.

 Glossary (Definitions) 

Awards are the things given to a person or group as public recognition. Awards can be a pat on the back, words of encouragement praise, a handshake, sticker, trophy, T-shirt, dinner, trip or money. 

Citizenship means helping out in your community and serving others without compensation. Examples include, but are not limited to:
•	Visiting nursing homes to entertain and/or to share your projects with the residents. 
•	Caring for a neighbor’s livestock or garden during a vacation, holiday or illness.
•	Collecting, donating and/or sorting canned goods for a local food bank.
•	Cleaning a trail or roadway.
•	Donating materials, money or time to a soup kitchen, hospital, animal shelter, etc.
•	Working with the handicapped.
•	Working in the Fair food stand or as an assistant fair superintendent.  
Citizenship may be undertaken alone, as a family or with your Club or group. It may also be leadership, if you organized the activity and worked with the community contact to arrange the time, etc. 

Clinic, Project Camp, Workshop is a formal extended (one or more day) educational event (not necessarily sponsored by 4-H) which provides the member with project learning opportunities. Examples include, but are not limited to:
•	Discovery Days;
•	Horse Panorama;
•	Judging Schools;
•	Geology Camp;
•	Space Camp; and
•	Music, Theater or Dance Camps.  

Contest means a competitive project related activity which involves the showing or displaying of project work before the public or a judge. These activities may be individual or group activities. Examples include, but are not limited to:
•	Judged Fair Classes;
•	Horse, Dog or Livestock Breed or Open Shows;
•	Judging Contests;
•	Quiz Bowls; and
•	Music, Theater or Dance Competitions.  
 
Exhibit means to show or display project work before the public. Often this term is used for individual items or classes involved in a competitive fair class (see contest above). However, exhibits are not necessarily competitive. Examples include, but are not limited to:
•	Photo displays at a library, school, or nursing home;
•	Non-competitive fair classes; and
•	Music, Theater or Dance performance at school, a nursing home or community event. 

Field Trip is a planned educational event (not necessarily sponsored by 4-H), which provides a learning opportunity for the member or group away from the normal meeting site. Generally the member or members will have an opportunity to participate in a “hands-on” experience, such as collecting samples, building stage scenery, etc. A field trip will generally provide more depth than a “tour” and require less time than a “clinic.”  

Hours include preparation, organization, practice and activity time. They do not include personal time (travel, sleeping, meals, etc).  

Judging Contests or Skill-A-Thons are events, either a school or contest, which encourage members to learn and apply decision making skills to “situations” such as the ranking of livestock, photographs, fruits and vegetables, or health choices. Members learn to make decisions and to support those decisions based on information they have learn at the event or previously within the scope of the activity.

KAP normally refers to the Kansas 4-H Award Portfolio Application Form.  It is not the same as the Record Book, Permanent Record, or the completed Project Award Application.  See those definitions.  

Leadership is teaching another person or a group skills or information and includes organizing or coordinating an activity, event, or meeting; selecting and preparing materials, and selecting presenters.   

Level of Participation is intended to identify the activities’ participation level uniformly.  Acceptable options are: 
 
Local (L) – Identifies activities or events within the family, an individual 4-H club, school or the city or community in which you live. This level is the first or lowest level of 4-H participation. Generally groups are smaller and more closely knit and less intimidating to youth.

County or District (C/D) - Identifies activities or events that are open to and attended by anyone within your County or District of the 4-H program. Generally these activities or events include multiple 4-H clubs/organizations and correspond to a KS county or a recognized unit of the 4-H Project. Examples include, but are not limited to:
•	project clubs such as Horse, Dog, or Theater;
•	quiz bowl or judging team practices;
•	County/District Club Days;
•	county fairs, shows, and contests; and
•	nursing homes and care centers. 

Area/Regional (A/R) - Identifies activities or events that are open to and attended by members representing more than one county or designated Extension unit (i.e. District).  Examples include, but are not limited to:
•	Regional Club Days
•	District or Regional judging contests, schools, camps, or shows

State (S) - Identifies activities or events that are open to and attended by individuals from the State of Kansas or one other state. Examples include, but are not limited to:
•	Kansas State Fair;
•	Discovery Days;
•	State Action Teams;
•	Kansas Youth Leadership Forum (KYLF);
•	Horse or Dog Panorama;
•	State judging contests, schools, camps, or shows; and
•	Missouri State Fair.

National (N) - Identifies activities or events that are open to and attended by individuals representing two or more states. Examples include, but are not limited to:
•	Kansas City Global Conference;
•	National Congress or Conference;
•	Citizenship Washington Focus;
•	American Royal; and
•	National judging contests, schools, camps, or shows.
 
International (I) - Identifies activities or events that are open to and attended by individuals representing two or more countries.  

 Non 4-H Experience - May include, but is not limited to, school (FFA, FCCLA, clubs, groups, teams, activities, etc); faith based activities/organizations; community groups or organizations; and breed associations..

Permanent Record is a record-keeping tool designed to assist the 4-Her in developing record-keeping skills. In some counties/districts it may be required as part of the award process.  

Presentations - There are many types of 4-H presentations. Common characteristics of 4-H presentations are that they are age appropriate, impromptu or planned opportunities to share something about the project with someone, other than immediate family. Except for the youngest 4-Hers, they require more than “Hi, My name is Jane.  My horse’s name is Red.” or “I need to sacks of dog food.” Your County or Regional Club Days Guide may be a source for more information on the types of 4-H competitive presentations available.  Examples that frequently occur and/or appear in 4-H records include, but are not limited to:
•	Demonstrations are a “show-how” process by an individual or a group involving doing or making something while giving an explanation. There should be a finished product to show. Demonstrations also occur when a Project Leader organizes and teaches techniques at a project meeting or when someone asks you to show them how to saddle a horse, frost a cake, make a pot holder, or finger a chord on a musical instrument. 
•	Illustrated Talks are a “tell-how” or “tell-why” process by an individual or a group using visual aids like posters, charts, models, graphs to aid in emphasizing a point or to add interest while telling about something. Visuals are required and set this type of presentation apart from project talks. Impromptu illustrated talks rarely occur outside of the workplace due to the need for visual aids.
•	Performances are generally music, dance, theater or similar activity presenting prepared material to the public by an individual or a group. Most require an introduction of the individual, group and the material being presented.
•	Project Talks tell about the project experiences, provide information relating to the project and may promote the project. In competition, these talks are usually presented by individual younger 4-Hers.
•	Public Speaking is an original speech by an individual given on a project related topic. Visual airs may be used. In competition it is presented to a judge but may also be presented to community groups, clubs, schools, or other audiences.
•	Show & Tell is a non-competitive opportunity for younger members to speak in front of a group.  

Project Award Application (Record Book) consists of the following:
1.	A complete original or copy of the Kansas 4-H Personal Page
2.	The signed KAP, includes Photos  
3.	4-H Story, does not need to be signed

Project Leader is an individual (adult or older teen) with sufficient knowledge and/or skills in a given area to be responsible for organizing and teaching at one or more 4-H project meetings.  Most counties and/or areas require VIP certification and training.

Project Meeting is a planned educational meeting or activity involving at least one leader and one 4-Her where the 4-Her learns a new skill or knowledge that is relevant to their project.  Examples include, but are not limited to:
•	A pie baking meeting to teach how to prepare and bake a pie;
•	A quiz bowl or judging school practice session; and 
•	Private lessons  (music, voice, riding, art, etc.)

Project Size or Scope may be indicated by the number of garments made or purchased, animals, acres, articles made, hours involved, or another identifier of your choice.  

Recognition is the acknowledgment and affirmation of the personal growth of an individual or group. It can be intrinsic (within) or extrinsic (provided by others).  Recognition can be public or private.

Tour is a planned educational event (not necessarily sponsored by 4-H), which provides a brief organized learning experience about a school, business, plant, process, theater or other physical place.  Generally a tour is limited in terms of time and depth, being shorter than a “field trip” or “clinic.”