The Buffalo County Premier Communication Event will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 12 at Kearney Welcome Center at 220 11th Avenue in Kearney. All visual aids, PSA's and Video Communication entries must be sent to buffalo-county@unl.edu by May 5. Youth can participate in multiple contests.
Sign up by May 5
The Premier Communication Event features a variety of county-level communication contests. This event is an opportunity for youth to showcase their learning and skills in the area of communication, explore issues related to the communication industry, and discover college and career opportunities. This event is made up of the Buffalo County Prepared Speech Contest, Radio Public Service Announcement (PSA) Contest, Illustrated Presentation Contest, Impromptu Speech Contest, and Video Communication Contest. Youth may participate in any of these contests. 4-H members must be present at the county contest. Contests using computer-based visuals or audio files must be sent to the Extension Office by the sign-up deadline, prior to the event in the form of an email, on a USB drive that is PC formatted, or another way that works for the youth and the Extension Staff. Contact the Extension Office if you need assistance in sharing the file.
PREPARED SPEECH CONTEST
* Denotes State Fair Eligible
Purple, $7.50; Blue, $4; Red, $3; White, $2
*B105002 Junior — Ages 8-10 as of January 1 of current year. All speeches must be original and include 4-H as the major component of the speech. The suggested time frame is 2-3 minutes in length. The use of visual aids or props is not permitted.
Purple, $7.50; Blue, $4; Red, $3; White, $2
*B105003 Intermediate — Ages 11-13 as of January 1 of current year. Speeches must pertain to the 4-H program or projects and must be original. The suggested time frame is 3-5 minutes in length. The use of visual aids or props is not permitted.
*B105004 Senior — Ages 14-18 as of January 1 of current year. Speeches must be original and pertain to the 4-H program or projects. The suggested time frame is 5-8 minutes long. The use of visual aids or props is not permitted.
Purple, $0; Blue, $0; Red, $0; White, $0
B105010 Clover Kid – Ages 5-7 as of January 1 of current year. Talk about anything – read a poem, read a favorite story, or tell your favorite thing about 4-H. Speech may be read and suggested time frame is less than 1 minute. The use of visual aids or props is not permitted. Clover Kid category is non-competitive.
RADIO PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS
4-H members must be present at the county contest in order to receive premium and outstanding award credit.
*Denotes State Fair Eligible.
Purple, $7.50; Blue, $4; Red, $3; White, $2
All State Eligible PSAs (classes 105006 to 105008) will use the state theme “Ready today, leading tomorrow” as the basis for their PSA. All radio PSAs must promote 4-H and be general enough to be used anywhere in Nebraska at any time of the year. All 4-H PSAs (except class 105009) must include the following tag line within the last 10 seconds of the PSA: “Learn more about Nebraska Extension 4-H Youth Development Program at 4h.unl.edu.” The tag line is included in the 60-second time limit. Sound effects and public domain music may be used. Copyrighted material may not be used. All PSAs must be the original work of the presenter. Contestants may not use PSAs written and provided by the state or national staff. No team PSAs are allowed.
PSAs will be played at the public speaking contest but will be evaluated prior to the contest. Three youth in each division can be sent to the state contest.
An information sheet on PSAs is available at the Extension Office.
*B105006 Junior, ages 8-10 as of January 1 of current year. State Theme.
*B105007 Intermediate, ages 11-13 as of January 1 of current year. State Theme.
*B105008 Senior, age 14 and older as of January 1 of current year. State Theme.
B105009 Buffalo County Fair Theme: “One Last Ride” - These county-only PSAs must be 60 seconds in length, use the county fair theme and promote 4-H relative to the Buffalo County Fair. They must relate to the County Fair. For example, write a PSA about the Dog Show, Static Exhibits, Horse Show, Cake Walk, Pie Auction or any other 4-H event. All county-only 4-H PSAs must include the following tag line within the last 10 seconds of the PSA: “Come check out the 4-H exhibits and shows at the 2026 Buffalo County Fair, July 21 through July 27 at the Buffalo County Fairgrounds in Kearney.” The tag line is included in the 60-second time limit. Youth may only use the Buffalo County music bed available at the Extension Office for all sound effects and background music. This class is for all ages (8-18) as of January 1 of the current year.
Presentations using computer-based visuals must send the visuals to the Extension Office 24 hours prior to the event in the form of an email, on a USB drive that is PC formatted, or another way that works for the youth and the Extension Staff. Contact the Extension Office if you need assistance in sharing the file.
*Denotes State Fair Entry.
Purple, $7.50; Blue, $4; Red, $3; White, $2
All 4-H presentation topics should be related to what the 4-H youth is learning through 4-H educational experiences. Presentations should include an introduction (the “why” portion of the topic), a body (the “show and tell” portion of the topic), and a conclusion/summary (the “what” portion of the topic).
Enrollment in the project area in which the participant is making a presentation is not required.
A Presentation may be given by one (1) individual or a team of two (2) individuals. If team members are not in the same age division, they must compete in the age division of the oldest team member.
All classes require the presence of the contestant(s).
Presentations that were given at other state 4-H Contests (ex. State 4-H Horse Stampede Demonstration Contest) or that are entered as another fair exhibit (ex. computer slideshow presentation in 4-H Engineering Department), are not eligible to compete in the State Fair 4-H Presentations Contest.
To be eligible for State Fair, participants must be 8 years old as of January 1 of current year must have received a purple ribbon at the County contest.
Illustrated Presentation Description: An Illustrated Presentation is a live presentation with a formal talk where youth will use visual aids (such as props, posters, computer-based visuals, handouts, video, etc.) to show and tell others how to do something. There is no separate class for team presentations. The time limits for individual presentations are 3 to 5 minutes for juniors, 6 to 8 minutes for an intermediates/seniors. The time limits for teams are 5 to 7 for junior and 8 to 10 minutes for intermediate/senior. Participants may be penalized if their presentation exceeds the time limits.
Advanced registration should be submitted to the Extension Office seven days before the contest.
Age divisions are:
*B151113 Junior — Ages 8-10 as of January 1 of current year.
*B151114 Intermediate — Ages 11-13 as of January 1 of current year.
*B151115 Senior — Ages 14 and older as of January 1 of current year.
IMPROMPTU SPEECH
*Denotes State Fair Entry.
Purple, $7.50; Blue, $4; Red, $3; White, $2
The Impromptu Speech Competition gives youth the opportunity to write and present a speech around a 4-H related topic that they select during the competition, where they are given 15 minutes to develop and prepare for their presentation. Judges evaluate the subject, organization, and delivery of the speech.
Only Individuals may compete in this competition; no team entries allowed.
On the day of the Premier Communication Event participants have a topic randomly selected for them. Youth will have no more than 15 minutes to develop a speech on the selected topic. Participants will then deliver the speech to the judges and audience members. Example of a topic: My Day in 4-H.
Age divisions are:
*B151116 Junior – Ages 8-10 as of January 1 of current year. 1½-minute length.
*B151117 Intermediate — Ages 11-13 as of January 1 of current year. 3-minute length.
*B151118 Senior — Ages 14 and older as of January 1 of current year. 5-minute length.
VIDEO COMMUNICATION
*Denotes State Fair Entry.
Purple, $7.50; Blue, $4; Red, $3; White, $2
The Video Communication Contest allows youth to create a multi-media video around a theme related to 4-H. Judges will be evaluating both the organization of the information as well as the audio and video production. Length of video must be 60-90 seconds.
Only Individuals may compete in this competition; no team entries allowed.
Youth may use a phone, laptop, or tablet to create a multi-media piece around the theme: Ready today, leading tomorrow.
Sound effects, public-domain music, and graphics can be used. Copyrighted materials may not be used.
Entries must be sent to the Extension Office 24 hours prior to the event in the form of an email, on a USB drive that is PC formatted, or another way that works for the youth and the Extension Staff. Contact the Extension Office if you need assistance in sharing the file.
Age divisions are:
*B151119 Junior — Ages 8-10 as of January 1 of current year.
*B151120 Intermediate — Ages 11-13 as of January 1 of current year.
*B151121 Senior — Ages 14 and older as of January 1 of current year.