The Annual National High School Essay Contest is open to students between the ages of 16-18 at the beginning of a school term. The purpose of the contest is to increase awareness of the ready mixed concrete industry among our younger generation while looking to develop the next generation of industry leaders. The winner of the national contest is flown, along with a parent or guardian, to NRMCA's Annual Convention. 

The rules are as follows:

• Open to all high school students ages 16-18 at the beginning of the school term.
• An entry form must be included with all essays returned to you. That form, along with the essay and a photo of the winning student must be forwarded to NRMCA by the specified closing date. No more than one entry per state may be forwarded to NRMCA.
• Entries must be typed, double-spaced and not exceed 600 words.
• Essays will be judged on content and writing ability (grammar, style, clarity, etc.). Possible themes include concrete's benefits to society; how concrete affects the environment and using concrete to build homes, commercial buildings, bridges or roads. Essays should demonstrate a student's awareness of concrete's role as a building material in homes, commercial buildings, streets and highways.

The entries received by NRMCA will be judged by industry executives and college/university faculty members with a concrete-related background. In addition to being NRMCA's guest at the convention and being introduced at the convention's business session, the winner will also receive a scholarship of $5,000 if they enroll in a concrete-related curriculum such as those offered at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Alpena College in Michigan or Rhodes State College in Ohio, for his or her freshman year. Should the winner not choose to enroll in a concrete-related curriculum, he or she will receive a $2,000 scholarship for the freshman year at the college of his or her choice. All state entries will receive a certificate of appreciation for entering the contest along with a notification of the winner.

For more information, contact Nicole Maher, senior vice president of industry relations, at 240-485-1158 or 1-888-846-7622, ext. 1158.