LEWISTON – Winning essays on the meaning of home written by fourth-graders at schools in Leeds and Lewiston were chosen for their creativity and reflection of the concept of affordable housing, said Andrew Bear, spokesman for the Lewiston branch of USDA Rural Development.

The winners among the 65 or so essayists were Ashley Bergeron of Leeds Central School and Sarah Allen and Matthew Shedd of Trinity Catholic School.

Their essays portrayed home as a place of “food, shelter, safety and fun,” Bear said.

The three were awarded prizes at a ceremony Wednesday during the agency’s housing fair at the Ramada Inn.

In its first-ever essay contest, the Lewiston branch of the agency asked fourth-grade classes at Leeds Central and Trinity Catholic schools to write on the theme of “What a Home Means to Me.” The schools were chosen at random and the essays were judged by local Rural Development employees who volunteered, Bear said.

“They were tough choices for the judges,” he said. “All of the essays were great.”

Rural Development’s focus is on providing affordable housing and promoting home ownership.

Programs include low-interest loans and grants, home-buyer education, energy conservation and credit counseling. The essay contest was timed to National Homeownership Month.