The South Carolina Farm Bureau (SCFB) Youth Ambassador Scholarship program aims to surface young leaders passionate about agriculture and cultivate their ability to engage in food and farming conversations with a wide variety of audiences. The program also showcases the opportunities for careers in agriculture and its related industries, as well as providing leadership and advocacy training. Youth Ambassadors should complete their year of service more confident as an advocate for agriculture and in leadership roles. Applicants must be any unmarried male or female between the ages of 17 and 21 who resides in a Farm Bureau member home is eligible to compete. They cannot reach their 22nd birthday before the SCFB Annual Meeting. In the event that an Ambassador marries during his/her year of reign, he or she shall forfeit their title and scholarship eligibility to the first runner-up. Children or stepchildren of employees of the SCFB Federation or affiliate companies are not eligible. Past state winners are not eligible to compete. Students must use the scholarship within two years of being awarded, or if still in high school, within the first two years of post-high school education. For the essay, it is required that the applicants interview at least one farmer or agribusiness person on the essay subject and include a portion of the interview in their essay. The in-person component of the competition is comprised of one-on-one interviews with the judges and oral presentations. The scores of the written essay, application and one-on-one interview will be combined to determine six semi-finalists, three males and three females. Each semi-finalist will give a two-minute presentation based on their essay, followed by an extemporaneous question from the judges. The presentation scores of the semi-finalists will be added to their previous scores. The male and female contestants with the highest overall score will be named the SCFB Youth Ambassadors. The State Competition will be held in conjunction with the SCFB Annual Meeting in December. Please visit the scholarship's website for more information.