Winners of the 2007 Martin Luther King Jr. poster and essay contest were recognized at the third Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Breakfast on Jan. 21.

Students from Montgomery, Floyd, Giles, and Pulaski Counties and Radford City Public Schools were eligible to participate in the contest that is sponsored by Virginia Tech and the Montgomery County-Radford City-Floyd County NAACP.

Students who wrote a winning essay or created a winning poster were invited to attend the community breakfast where they received a certificate and a framed copy of their work. The purpose of the contest is to encourage students to reflect on King’s legacy. The theme for the contest this year was “Daring to Dream,” and there were 66 posters and 81 essays entered in the contest.

Since the contest began in the fall 2005, 295 posters and 125 essays have been submitted. The entries are collected from each school and are judged by a panel of volunteers. Evaluation criteria include originality, creativity, relevance to the theme, and personal perspective. Essays are rated on the author’s knowledge of King and his work in the civil rights movement, originality of ideas, development of point of view, insight into the essay theme, clarity of expression, organization, and grammar.

First place winners receive a $100 United States Savings Bond, second place winners receive a $75 United States Savings Bond, and third place winners receive a $50 United States Savings Bond. The poster and essay contest are part of Virginia Tech’s annual celebration of the legacy of King.



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