The New England Outdoor Writers Association has announcing its first youth writing contest.

Participating schools must select one winner from grades 6-8 and another from 9-12, sending those essays to the NEOWA state chairperson by Feb. 15. State winners will be selected in each category and forwarded for the New England competition.

Teachers may have students write for the contest or submit work written for an assignment. Contestants must write essays of not more than 500 words on the outdoor topic of the student’s choosing.

Appropriate topics include hunting, fishing, boating, archery, shooting, field trials, sporting dogs, camping, woodcraft, skin diving, scuba diving, hiking, rock climbing, cross-country skiing, trapping, snowshoeing, wildlife watching, natural history, conservation, ecology and “similar activities, which add to the knowledge and enjoyment of nature and natural resources.”

NEOWA reserves the right to publish any work submitted. However, students submitting work also retain the right to publish it themselves.

All entries should be sent to Dennis Jensen, Vermont chairman, at 289 Pencil Mill Road, Castleton, VT 05735.

Contact Jensen at d.jensen62@yahoo.com for additional information.