PURPOSE

The purpose of this award is to recognize 4-H members who have exemplified outstanding leadership within the agricultural industry and a desire to remain engaged. Relevant topic areas within agriculture include but are not limited to: agribusiness, aquaculture, crop production, renewable energy, environment, food science, food systems, greenhouses, hydroponics, landscape architecture, livestock, plant science, processing & retailing, soil science, urban agriculture, urban planning.

 

ELIGIBILTY

Applicants must be enrolled 4-H members who are at least 17 years of age by September 1, 2026 and cannot have reached their 19th birthday by September 1, 2026. An individual may only receive this award once. 

 

AWARD

The top 10 applicants will be recognized with the Illinois 4-H Sustaining the Future Award, which will be presented at the Illinois 4-H Celebrating Excellence Award Program. Award recipients will also be invited to attend the Premier 20 Leadership Conference in April. The Premier 20 Leadership Conference is a prestigious leadership and professional development experience that brings together Illinois' top agricultural youth leaders from 4-H and FFA. Attendees participate in advanced leadership training, networking opportunities, communication and teamwork workshops, and career readiness activities designed to prepare them for future leadership roles in agriculture and their communities.

NOTE: Once an applicant has attended the Premier 20 Leadership Conference through the Illinois 4-H Program or the Illinois Association FFA, they are ineligible to participate in the conference again. They are however, if not a previous winner, eligible to apply for the 4-H Sustaining the Future Award.

 

APPLICATION

A complete application package must be submitted to be eligible for consideration of this award. A complete application package includes the completion of:

 

Deadline to apply is November 1, 2026!

 

SELECTIONS

The selection committee will consist of members from the Illinois Farm Bureau and Affiliates Youth Education in Agriculture Committee. Award recipients will be contacted by November 15 via email.

 

SPONSORS

This program is sponsored by the Illinois Farm Bureau and Affiliates Youth Education in Agriculture Committee in cooperation with the Illinois 4-H Program. The Youth Education in Agriculture Committee is comprised of Illinois Farm Bureau®, COUNTRY® Financial, GROWMARK, Inc., Prairie Farms Dairy, and IAA Credit Union.

Questions? Contact Illinois Farm Bureau at youth@ilfb.org

If selected as an award recipient, you will be invited to attend the Premier 20 Leadership Conference. All expenses while at the conference will be covered including hotel accommodations the evening of April 26th.

Prior to completing this section, please check with all necessary individuals (parents, school administration, coaches, etc.) to ensure to the best of your ability at this time that you are able and have necessary permission to attend the Premier 20 Leadership Conference.

Only select “yes” to attending the conference if you will be able to attend the entire conference. Recognition of completing the program will only be granted to those who attend the entire conference.

NOTE: Responses provided regarding your availability to attend the Premier 20 Leadership Conference will not have any impact on the judging of your application or in the determination of the award recipients.

Three completed reference evaluations are required for this application. Reference evaluations must be completed (and received at the Farm Bureau Office, if mailed) by the application due date. You must have one evaluator from each of the following three categories:

1. University of Illinois Extension staff OR adult 4-H volunteer
2. School instructor/administrator OR community leader
3. Peer from the 4-H program

 

NOTE: Reference evaluations may NOT be completed by a family member.

 

Directions

Enter each of your evaluator’s email addresses in the space provided. Your evaluators will automatically be sent a link to complete a reference evaluation form once you enter their email below and click save. Once your evaluator completes the reference evaluation, you will be sent an automated confirmation email.

 

 

If an evaluator does not have an email address, follow the below instructions.

1. Leave the respective 'Reference Email' blank.
2. Download and print the PDF listed below.
3. Send or hand-deliver the printed evaluation form to your evaluator.
4. Once the evaluation is complete: 
   • Evaluator should place the completed form in a sealed envelope with their signature across the seal.
   • Envelope should be mailed to:

Please LIST up to 10 of your previous and current 4-H leadership roles and/or significant awards or honors including the specific year(s) for each, level (club, county, multi-county, state, national), and a brief description of your role or of the criteria for receiving the honor. (Please do not include entries already listed elsewhere on the application.)

Please LIST up to 10 of your previous and current 4-H projects including the number of years you participated, level of participation (county, state, national) and a brief description of the project. (Please do not include entries already listed elsewhere on the application.)

Please LIST up to 10 of your 4-H Involvements including the number of years you participated, level of involvement (club, county, multi-county, state, national), and a brief description of your role. (Please do not include entries already listed elsewhere on the application.)

Please LIST up to 10 of your previous or current leadership roles and/or significant awards or honors outside of 4-H including the specific year(s) for each, level (club, county, state, national, etc.), and a brief description of your role or of the criteria for receiving the honor. (Please do not include entries already listed on the application.)

Please LIST up to 10 of your community service involvements within or outside of 4-H including the duration (please specify estimated hours), and a brief description of what you did. (Please do not include entries already listed elsewhere on the application.)

Please LIST up to 10 other significant experiences you wish to make known that do not fit in the above categories. (Feel free to utilize the four column entries as needed for any unique experiences you wish to share.)

Applications must be reviewed by a University of Illinois Extension staff member for it to be considered complete. Immediately after submit this form, the Extension staff email entered below will receive an automated email permitting them to review the content of the submitted application. 

Applicants will receive an email confirmation when the Extension staff application review is complete. 

 

NOTE: The University of Illinois Extension staff member application review must be completed prior to the application due date. 

I CERTIFY THAT ALL STATEMENTS OR INFORMATION I HAVE PROVIDED ABOVE ARE TRUE AND CORRECT TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE. ANY DELIBERATE MISREPRESENTATION FOUND IN THIS APPLICATION MAY BE CAUSE FOR DISQUALIFICATION OF THIS APPLICATION AND MAY PROHIBIT ME FROM APPLYING AGAIN IN THE FUTURE.

Questions? Contact Illinois Farm Bureau at youth@ilfb.org