Essay Contest to Be Held

Under the auspices of the Smith Mountain Arts Council, the Lake Writers is sponsoring an essay contest for middle and high school students living in Bedford city and county, Franklin County, Pittsylvania County and Roanoke city and county.

Held for the first time last year in honor of Anthony Torre, a member of Lake Writers until his death in August of 2004, the contest is again being offered to students of middle school grades 6-8 and high school grades 9-12. Home schooled students in the eligible jurisdictions are also invited to submit essays.

The subject of each essay must be an actual influential person or place in the writer's life, mentioned specifically somewhere in the essay. There is no entry fee. Deadline for sumissions is March 15, 2006.

Prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in each category - $75, $50, and $25. There may be an honorable mention prize of $10 awarded at the judges' discretion. Essays will be judged on content, style, organization, grammar and punctuation, readability and proper formatting.

Rules for submissions must be followed. Guidelines are posted on Lake Writers' Website. Essays which do not comply with all rules will be eliminated from judging.

Winners will be notified and announced in local media. Prizes will be awarded at a ceremony in the spring.

Send entries to Lake Writers Student Essay Contest, c/o Becky Mushko, Judging Coordinator, 8 Listening Hill Road, Penhook, VA 24137.

Above information was found in this week's Bedford Bulletin.