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. That form, along with the essay and a photo of the student, must be forwarded to NRMCA by the specified closing date. No more than one entry per state association may be forwarded to NRMCA (see below for information to enter if your state does not participate in this contest).
• 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 he or she enrolls for freshman year in a concrete-related curriculum such as the Concrete Industry Management programs offered at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, California State University at Chico, Arizona State University in Phoenix and Texas State University in San Marcos.  Other eligible programs would include those at Alpena College in Michigan or Rhodes State College in Ohio, or other majors directly related to the concrete industry, such as those for construction materials science/engineering.  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 entries will receive a certificate of appreciation for entering the contest along with a notification of the winner.

While most entries to the national level will come through their respective state ready mixed concrete associations, we recognize that some students live in non-participating states, or states without their own association.  We therefore created an “other” category of entries.  We will judge all of the entries in this “other” category and select one essay, which will then be entered into the national contest with the winners from the participating state association.

Contact your state association to see if they participate in the contest (click here for contact information), and if so, request materials to enter.  If it does not, then use this letter and form as the materials to enter through the “other” category.

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