Cobb County 4-H claimed a national title for Georgia with a first-place win at the National Consumer Decision Making contest held Jan. 14-16 in San Antonio, Texas.

Winning team members included Prayushi Padhi, Aarsheya Gunjal, Naitik Maheshwari and Shubham Badve, with support from coaches Kathleen McElroy, 4-H program assistant, and Hayley Dowell, 4-H volunteer.  

Cobb County’s victory marks the second year in a row that a Georgia 4-H team has won this national contest, with Ben Hill County earning the title in 2025.

Cobb County qualified for the national contest with their win at the Georgia 4-H State Cotton Boll and Consumer Judging contest in December 2024. Georgia teams have 13 months to prepare for the national contest, held annually as part of the Family and Consumer Science National Championship and Conference.

Developing critical thinking and public speaking skills

The Georgia 4-H Cotton Boll and Consumer Judging contest teaches participants essential critical thinking and public speaking skills, providing the building blocks of consumer economics through decision-making scenarios. The team from Cobb County judged classes of carry-on luggage, water bottles, wearable tech, sunscreen pillows and fast food, ranking their choices based on the needs of a hypothetical consumer. They also present oral arguments, known in the contest as reasons, to defend their decisions.

Similarly, the National Consumer Decision Making competitors place six product classes, write and present reasons, and participate in a Group Think exercise. Group Think requires teams to create solutions for a given consumer situation and present that decision to a panel of judges.  

In addition to the team win, Cobb County brought home numerous additional awards for individual placings at the national contest. Badve was named first high individual in the contest and Padhi was named fourth high individual. Padhi also received the third high individual score in reasons; Gunjal received the fifth high individual score in reasons; Maheshwari received the fourth high individual score in placings; and Badve also received first high individual score in reasons and fifth high individual score in placings.

Years of preparation pay off

Additional team awards include champion team for placings, champion team for Group Think, and reserve champion team for reasons.

“This win represents the hard work and dedication these 4-H’ers have been putting into this contest since they were in fourth grade,” McElroy said. “It is awesome to see them succeed at this level.”

Georgia 4-H empowers youth to become true leaders by developing necessary life skills, positive relationships and community awareness. As the premier youth leadership organization in the state, Georgia 4-H reaches hundreds of thousands of people annually through University of Georgia Cooperative Extension offices and 4-H facilities.

For more information about how to get involved with Cotton Boll and Consumer Judging and Georgia 4-H, contact your local UGA Extension office or visit georgia4h.org.