The Craig Chamber of Commerce is hosting a National Civics Bees for middle school students across the Yampa Valley, and the deadline for youth to participate has been extended another two weeks. 

The 2023 Civics Bee is an initiative aimed at getting more young Americans to engage in civics and contribute to their communities. Students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade from Moffat and Routt counties are encouraged to participate. Public, private, charter and homeschool students are all welcome. 

To compete, students must submit a 500-word essay that identifies an issue in the community and proposes a solution to solve it. Essays need to be submitted by March 17 to be considered. 

After the selection panel reviews the essays, the top 20 students will be selected to move on to the final round of the competition, which is a live quiz event to test their civics knowledge. 

The chamber will host the live quiz event in April, and the finalists and winners will receive various prizes, including $500 cash for first place, $250 for second place, and $125 for third place. The top three finalists from the competition will have a chance to compete at nationals. 

For more information on the essay topic, competition rules, and to submit an essay, visit my.reviewr.com/civicsbee/site/CivicsBee/CO/CraigChamberofCommerce.