Students of all ages are invited to submit essays to the Friends of the Long Beach Public Library student essay contest by Aug. 13 for a chance to win Barnes & Nobles gift cards.
The contest, which runs in conjunction with the Read Beyond the Beaten Path Summer Reading Program, offers Barnes & Noble gift card prizes to encourage reading.
“One of the missions of our group is to foster literacy and encourage people to use the library,” said Barbara Sosa, president of the Friends of the Library.
The nonprofit organization, which advocates for a strong public library system, has held the contest every year since 2013.
The Friends of the Library extended the submission date a week because there are fewer entries than usual this year.
“We’re kind of puzzled,” Sosa said. “There aren’t as many people going to the library as there used to be. Attendance has dropped off pretty radically, a lot of people didn’t even know the libraries were still open during the pandemic.”
To enter the contest, students must write an essay describing a book that helped them learn about a new time, place or emotion.
This year, Friends of the Library will give out 12 Barnes and Noble gift cards from $50 to $100—$100 for first place, $75 for second place, and $50 for third place for each age group.
“We love reading all of the essays,” Sosa said. “It’s one of our favorite events of the year.”
The word count requirement is as follows: 25 to 50 words for students ages 6 to 7; 50 to 100 words for students ages 8 to 9; 150 to 200 words for students ages 10 to 13; and 300 to 500 words for students ages 14 to 18.
Entries must include a name, age, phone number and email. Students may drop off a printed essay to a neighborhood librarian or email the essay to lbfriendsessaycontest@gmail.com.
Winners will be announced on August 22nd on the Long Beach library’s website www.lbpl.org and the Friends of the Library Facebook page. There will also be an essay awards ceremony on August 27 at Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library.
