Liberty, PA-- As February 15th draws near, the deadline for Pennsylvania Jersey Cattle Association (PJCA) youth awards quickly approaches. Youths under 21 years of age are eligible to participate in the youth activities sponsored by the PJCA. The Pennsylvania juniors represent one of the largest, most active state junior Jersey clubs in the country.

Pennsylvania Youth Achievement Awards
The Youth Achievement Award is given to recognize accomplishments with Registered Jersey cattle in three age divisions. Applicants must own at least one Registered Jersey and be between the ages of 9 and 19 as of January 1, 2010.

First Year Project Award
This award is given to honor juniors for work with their official 4-H Project Record Book. It is open to youth 8 to 12 years-of-age who are active members of an organized 4-H club in their first year of a Jersey project. Applicants must also submit a handwritten story entitled, "Highlights of My First Jersey Project Year."

Pennsylvania Youth Production Awards
Junior members can earn awards for the production of their animals in the Pennsylvania Youth Production Contest. Cows must be enrolled on official DHI or DHIA test to qualify. Awards are based on mature equivalent protein production, with the top record earning the Jacob Brunges Production Award. Juniors can enter one animal per year and must submit an official individual cow record from DHI/DHIA as the application.

Scrapbook Contest
The scrapbook contest recognizes juniors in two age categories for their efforts in creating scrapbooks pertaining to their Registered Jersey projects. Awards are based on quality and quantity of content along with artistic skill and creativeness. Applicants must be between the ages of 9 and 19 as of January 1, 2010.

Speech Contest
The speech contest is one of the most recent additions to the activity list for juniors. Youth deliver speeches on Jersey-specific topics to a panel of judges during the annual meeting and compete for prizes in one of three age divisions. Applicants must own at least one Registered Jersey and be between the ages of 9 and 19 as of January 1, 2010.

Scholarships
The PJCA makes available scholarships for youth enrolled in college or high school students who plan to enroll in college within a year of high school graduation. Applicants must have been actively involved with Jersey projects for at least two years.

Pennsylvania Jersey Queen Contest
One of the highlights of the banquet at the annual meeting is the crowning of the Pennsylvania Jersey Queen. The queen and alternates represent the Jersey breed at various dairy functions across the state and the queen competes in the National Jersey Queen contest held during All American festivities. Contestants must own at least one Registered Jersey or be the daughter of a Registered Jersey breeder and be no younger than 16 and no older than 20 as of January 1 of the contest year.

Submissions
To be eligible to apply for the awards youth must be a PJCA member or their parents must have an active membership. The deadline for all awards is February 15. Applications are to be mailed to PJCA Secretary/Treasurer, David Norman, 7076 Rt. 414, Liberty, PA 16930, by the deadline.

Applications can be found online at the PJCA’s new website http://jerseysites.usjersey.com under the Juniors tab. Addtional on the website. information regarding the PJCA can also be found