Press association essay contest offers $10,000 scholarship

Lewiston Porter Sentinel, December 9, 2006

The Niagara Frontier Publications family of newspapers are participating in a statewide essay contest that could result in a $10,000 college scholarship for the top winner.

The New York Press Association Foundation has announced the inauguration of a First Amendment Essay Contest for 11th and 12th grade high school students in New York state.

The contest is designed to foster knowledge and understanding of the First Amendment. The tiered-judging contest requires entrants to submit an essay of 500 words or less to their local NYPA-member weekly newspaper. The Sentinel, the Niagara-Wheatfield Tribune and the Island Dispatch, all part of Niagara Frontier Publications, are participating weekly newspapers.

First-place winners at the regional level will have their essays printed in their local newspaper and will automatically be entered into the statewide competition, where NYPA Foundation board members and staff will select the scholarship winner. In addition to the $10,000 first-place scholarship, the foundation also will award a $250 second-place and $100 third-place prize at the state level.

Students will be asked to interpret the First Amendment in their essays and discuss the role it plays in American life. Discussions can, for example, include the First Amendment’s importance with regard to school newspapers, local communities or state and federal government.

Full contest details, entry forms and a list of participating newspapers are available on the What’s New pages at the NYPA Web site, www.nynewspapers.com. Completed entry forms must accompany the student essays and be e-mailed to their local participating newspaper no later than Feb. 15, 2007. The e-mail addresses for the three NFP newspapers are: sentinel@wnypapers.com; tribune@wnypapers.com and dispatch@wnypapers.com.

Statewide winners will be notified in early March and will be invited to attend NYPA’s annual spring convention in Saratoga Springs to receive their awards.