LEWISTON — The Lewiston Lodge of Elks 371 is sponsoring an Americanism Essay Contest for area children in the fifth through eighth grades. The contest will involve the student writing an essay on the topic of “Why I am Proud to Pledge Allegiance to Our Flag.”

The contest will be broken down into two divisions. Division I will include essays from grades 5 and 6. Division II will include essays from grades 7 and 8. There is no minimum length, but the essay must not exceed 250 words. The essay must be submitted as written by the entrant, and be either typed or legibly written in ink.

Area schools are invited to participate in this program by encouraging their students to enter this contest. Essay entries must include the following information on the back of the essay: student’s name, address, parent’s name, school name, teacher and grade. Entries should be mailed to: Americanism Essay Contest, Lewiston Elks Lodge #371, 1675 Lisbon St., Lewiston ME 04240.

Winning essays will advance to the district, and possibly state and national levels of competition, with national winners receiving a $1000 savings bond for first place, a $500 savings bond for second place and a $250 savings bond for third place. Additional prizes may be awarded at the local, district and state levels.

The deadline for submission of essays will be Jan. 10. For more information, contact Exalted Ruler Karen Staples at 312-4516 or [email protected].