It’s more than just a contest... it’s your chance to show off your passions, build confidence, and shine as a leader! Over the next 7 months, we’ll guide you, step-by-step, as you build a winning 4-H Portfolio. After Portfolios are turned in on January 6, 2026, we will shift our focus to preparing for the public speaking portion of the contest.

You can read more about the contest on the Georgia 4-H Website:
Juniors (7th and 8th graders)
Seniors (9th-12th graders)

Your 4-H Project Achievement Portfolio is a written record of your hard work, leadership, and service throughout the year. It helps judges learn about your project and your growth as a 4-H’er. The portfolio is an important part of your final score at District Project Achievement.
 

Senior Portfolio (9th–12th Grade)

Senior 4-H’ers will complete a five-page portfolio. It should include:

• A certification page with signatures (1 page)

• A cover letter addressed to “Dear Project Judge” (1 page)

• Two pages of 4-H accomplishments from January 1 to December 31, 2025 (2 pages)

• Two pages of supporting materials such as photos, articles, and letters (2 pages)

Formatting Requirements:

• Portfolio may be handwritten or typed using black ink

• Use white 8½ x 11 inch paper with printing on one side only

• Minimum ½ inch margins on all sides

• No photos, artwork, clip art, or colored ink on the cover letter or accomplishment pages

• Supporting material must lay flat and cannot be layered or shingled

How it’s scored (Portfolio = 50% of your total score):

• 25% Project Work

• 25% Sharing and Helping in the Project Area

• 15% Other Leadership

• 15% Citizenship and Community Service

• 10% Other Activities

• 5% Supporting Materials

• 5% Layout and Reliability

Important: Seniors are expected to complete their own portfolio. Adults can help with guidance, but the 4-H’er must do the work.
 

Junior Portfolio (7th–8th Grade)

Junior 4-H’ers will complete a three-page portfolio. It should include:

• A certification cover page with signatures (stapled on the front)

• Two pages of 4-H accomplishments from January 1 to December 31 (2 pages)

• One page of supporting material such as photos, awards, and other evidence of work (1 page)

Formatting Requirements:

• Portfolio may be handwritten or typed using black ink

• Use white 8½ x 11 inch paper with printing on one side only

• Minimum ½ inch margins on all sides for written pages

• No photos, clip art, or colored ink on the accomplishment pages

• Supporting material can be in color and may include decorations or clip art

• Items must lay flat on the page. Layering is allowed, but shingling is not

How it’s scored (Portfolio = 40% of your total score):

• 5% 4-H’er Background

• 25% Project Work

• 20% Sharing and Helping in the Project Area

• 15% Other Leadership

• 15% Citizenship and Community Service

• 10% Other 4-H Activities

• 5% Other Activities and Information

• 5% Supporting Materials

Note: Juniors are also responsible for completing their own portfolio. Parents and leaders can provide help, but the content should come from the 4-H’er.

Each month, we’ll tackle a new section together. 

Month	Focus
June	Kickoff + Overview
July	Cover Letter
August	Project Work
September	Sharing & Helping
October	Leadership & Service
November	Supporting Materials & Layout
December	Final Review & Formatting

Okay, friend, take a deep breath. Starting your portfolio might feel a little overwhelming at first, but I promise you can do this.

Think of it as telling your 4-H story for 2025. You don’t need to write a perfect essay or stress about making it fancy. Just focus on sharing all the amazing things you’ve done this year in a way that helps someone else understand how much you’ve grown.

Start by grabbing a notebook or opening a Google Doc. Write down everything you can remember doing since January. What projects have you worked on? Did you help anyone? Teach something? Try something new? Travel anywhere with 4-H? List it all out. Don’t worry about the order or making it look perfect yet.

This first step is just a brain dump. Once you’ve got your ideas on paper, we can figure out how to organize it into your portfolio later.

And remember, you don’t have to do it all in one day. Just take it one piece at a time.

You’ve already done the work by living the experience. Now it’s time to show it off.

You’ve got this! 💪🍀