Local Essay Contest Winners Announced

Seventeen young people across Pennsylvania are celebrating their winning entries in the just-completed Blueprint Communities Essay Contest.

Students in grade 6-8 were invited to take part in an essay contest that asked this question: "A 'blueprint' is a plan for the best way to build something – a car, a house, a career, a future. What would be your blueprint for making your community a better place to live?"

A total of 245 entries of 500 words or less were received from 17 Blueprint Communities. The essays were evaluated by an independent panel of one dozen graduate students in English at the University of Pittsburgh, using the Pennsylvania Writing Assessment Domain Scoring Guide, which considers the writer’s focus, content, organization, style and conventions such as grammar, spelling and usage. Read winning essays on this site, at the community home page of each Blueprint Community participating in the contest.

Winners receive a $100 check from the FHLBank of Pittsburgh, a certificate of honor, a poster suitable for display at their school and a T-shirt proclaiming them the winner. Each commuity winner is also eligible for a Division Grand Prize of $500, to be awarded at the final Blueprint Communities workshop in December.

Congratulations to all the local winners!