First Place:

         Austin Wright (West Central Beekeepers)
         Isaac Wheeler (North Eastern IN Beekeepers)

Second Place:

          Riley Brand (White Water Beekeepers)
          Darien Sharpe (Community Beekeepers)

Third Place:
          Elisabeth Mains (North Eastern IN Beekeepers)

Austin Wright

Applying for The Beekeepers of Indiana Young Beekeepers Award was impactful. The application for the award was not particularly difficult but rather a point of reflection on not only on my personal gain from beekeeping but the impact I have had on others. Gaining opportunities to share about beekeeping and educate people about the importance of Bees on agriculture has been something that I had never thought to think about prior to being asked the question “What is the best way to educate the public about the importance of Honey Bees.” I now know how little the general public knows about beekeeping, which means almost limitless possibilities exist to help people further their understanding. I would advise future applicants to reflect as deeply as possible on the experiences they have had and think deeply about the application questions. 

 Isaac Wheeler

I thought this process was challenging and fun.  Learning about all the different types of mite treatments and benefits of them was alittle tricky.  I enjoyed telling stories of what I've done in beekeeping to people that might not know much about bees.  I would encourage younger beekeepers to apply for this award.  It was fun going through the process.  I really enjoyed doing it and going to the conference. I am glad that I was chosen as one of the finialist for the Young Beekeepers Award.

Riley Brand

I applied for the 2020 Young Beekeeper Award.  I found the process to be pretty straightforward.  The guidelines were very clear and I appreciated having specific talking points to address in my application.  Submission and mailing instructions were easy to follow.  I was informed of the program from an experienced beekeeper who gave me the great advice of not waiting until the last minute to apply.  I would give that same advice to any young beekeeper who would want to apply in the future.  Taking my time and working ahead of the deadline helped make the process go very smoothly.

Darien Sharpe

It has been a great experience to be able to apply for the Indiana Young Beekeeper Award.  This past spring my mother and I joined the Community Beekeepers Club in Greenfield, Indiana and then we joined The Beekeepers of Indiana right away.   When the first newsletter came and I learned of the contest I was motivated to apply.  I have worked at my school for 2 years with bees and been a beekeeper for about one year now with the help of club members and my mentor, Ron Myers.  He has taught me most of the things I know about bees.

Elisabeth Mains

Thank you for the opportunity to participate in the Young Beekeeper of the Year contest.  I am so excited to be challenged by the judges on my beekeeping knowledge and see how I have grown over the past year.  After attending bee school I learned the basics of safely capturing a swarm and was able to do this on my own this spring.  What a great experience!  It is an honor to participate with other kids that share my interest in beekeeping practices.   I have learned that not many people my age are interested in beekeeping.  Hopefully, by earning this award, I can bring awareness about the need for bees to other teens. Many people appreciate the food that the bees provide, but they don’t realize how much work the bees actually do beyond making honey.  With this achievement I plan to expand my number of hives and continue growing my business while also educating my community, FFA chapter and 4-H club.  Again, thank you for this award and I am excited to see what the next year holds!