4-H Educational Posters in San Juan County

Why do we do Educational Posters?

The goal for an educational poster is to teach the fair going public a fact or give very brief information about a subject (typically related to your 4-H project area(s)). One glance at the poster should be enough time to “get” the intended subject matter to your viewer.

Rules

• Do not use your demonstration poster. This is a disqualification.
• All work must be done by the member (adults can only give suggestions)
• Size should be a minimum of 14 in x 22 in and a maximum of 22 in x 28 in
• You may not use copyrighted illustrations or cartoons
• Use one idea, fact, or piece of imformation

Guidelines

• Plan your poster before starting it (draw a draft, list out your supplies)
• Your subject should have to do with your project area – it can be used at display in the barn after it is judged
• Use pictures/illustrations to get your point across and use as few words as necessary. A picture is worth a thousand words!
• Use borders to set off or frame your content
• Be short, concise, and clear
• Use humor – imaginative content earns points
• Use color – bright colors catch the eye
• Lettering – use a straight edge to draw lines. Space evenly. Use all upper or lower case for labels. Use computer letter for technology assisted posters. Make sure the letter are large enough to see.
• Neatness – watch smudges, coloring outside the line and spelling!
• Any charts or graphs should be titled for clarity and understanding

Which type to bring to fair?

Our Educational Poster rules and guidelines are housed in Department 4 of the San Juan County 4-H Fairbook please consult the fairbook for full details. We split our educational posters into two classses:

1. CLASS A – Hand Crafted
   • Posters must only include artwork and lettering drawn entirely by the exhibitor’s own hand.
2. CLASS B – Technology Assisted
   • Posters that include any computer-generated clip art or lettering, photographs, stencil use, or any other art medium that is not the exhibitor’s own handwork.

You should choose whichever class is best for your skill set or interest. Artificial intelligence is not to be used in either class and if it is used the posters should be entered into Department 29.

How are they scored?

We use WSU publication C0679E for scoring, it breaks down as follows:

• Design (40 points)
  • Color
    • pleasing to the eye
    • effectively used
  • Lettering
    • easily read
    • style suitable to message
  • Illustation
    • part of message
  • Layout
    • simple and orderly
    • organization of parts
    • good spacing
    • neatness
    • reflects planning
• Originality & Creativity (20 points)
  • Shows imagination
  • Innovatine idea
• Educational value (40 points)
  • One main idea
  • Effective and accurate
  • Elicits viewer response
  • Appropriate for audience
  • Chart/graph is titled