College. Essay. Contest.

You drafted them. You revised them. You polished them until they shined like gems. Now it’s time to get some payoff from all that hard work. If you’re among those who wrote entrance essays for your college application—SN&R wants to see them.

We’ll print the winners and finalists in an upcoming issue of SN&R.

This contest is open to high-school seniors graduating in 2010. If you’re heading to college but did not write an essay for your application, feel free to do so now. Community-college students who wrote personal statements to apply for transfer to a four-year institution may also apply. Only one entry is allowed per student; you must live in the Sacramento region to apply. Essays will be judged anonymously. (No employees or relatives of employees of SN&R may enter.)

Here’s the best part—prizes.

First prize is $2,010 in college money. To find out how much the second prize is, divide the top prize by two, then add 52. And here’s a word problem: Madison was the _____ president of the United States. Divide that number into the top prize to calculate third prize. (Hint: These prizes add up to a lot of money.)

To enter, e-mail a copy of your essay to <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">{ document.write(String.fromCharCode(60,97,32,104,114,101,102,61,34,109,97,105,108,116,111,58,99,111,108,108,101,103,101,101,115,115,97,121,64,110,101,119,115,114,101,118,105,101,119,46,99,111,109,34,62,99,111,108,108,101,103,101,101,115,115,97,121,64,110,101,119,115,114,101,118,105,101,119,46,99,111,109,60,47,97,62)) } </script> by April 15.