You Could Win $10,000 for an Essay on America

This contest is open to U.S. residents who are 13 to 20 years old, enrolled in grades 7 – 12. The essays will be reviewed in two groups: 7th to 9th grade and 10th to 12th grade, and prizes will be provided for each pool of entries.

Rand McNally and USA TODAY have a quick essay contest titled “American the Beautiful” for students in 7th through 12th grade. Students can win a $10,000 college scholarship, a NOOK Tablet™, publication in an eBook, and a trip to Washington, D.C. and. Teachers can win a NOOK Tablet™ and $5,000 worth of product for their schools. The challenge for students is to describe the one place in the U.S. that truly inspires them. It could be their hometown, Monument Valley, or the Lincoln Memorial.

“Rand McNally has been selling educational products to schools for more than a century. We have seen social studies de-prioritized in classrooms in recent years due to budget constraints, while technology has made the world smaller and geographic awareness a more critical skill for the 21st century,” explained Dave Muscatel, CEO of Rand McNally. “By encouraging kids to write about a “place,” our goal with this program is to weave social studies content back into core curriculum, as well as to get kids feeling good about their country. With this goal in mind, the “America the Beautiful” contest is the first of many digital programs we have planned for 2012.”

Awards for the Rand McNally Writing Competition

• Students who enter the contest have the opportunity to win a $10,000 college scholarship and earn a trip to Washington, D.C.
• Student winners from each state will win an award-winning Barnes & Noble NOOK Tablet™ and have their essays published in an “America the Beautiful” eBook available exclusively on NOOK.com.



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• The first 1,000 teachers who register will receive a Barnes & Noble gift card.
• Teachers whose classrooms participate in the program have the opportunity to win $5,000 worth of products for their schools.