I receive a LOT of press releases from PR firms asking me to post announcements on my site. Usually I ignore these because I don’t want to waste your time here by turning into a junky blog full of commercials for other people’s stuff!

But THIS contest I found worthy of your attention for two reasons:

1) It involves writing an essay, with a deadline. I’m always in favor of finding ways to motivate kids to see that English grammar and composition actually DO have a purpose in life beyond school. If they (or YOU) can write an essay strong enough to persuade the judges in this contest, it’s a great way to honor someone you love (and there are some mighty fine prizes, as you’ll see below!).

2) This is a contest to honor teachers. I love teachers! I am, on occasion, a teacher!

So here’s the announcement:

Lands’ End is announcing the Teachers Light the Way Contest. The company will recognize outstanding teachers that have made a difference in the life of a student, a school or a community.

Forty-five (45) teachers will receive the coveted Lands’ End Lighthouse Award – representing the company’s 45-year history.

o Three (3) Grand Prize winners that will receive between $4,000-$10,000 for the teachers to split with the winning school.
o Forty-two (42) Honorable Mention winning teachers will receive a $100 Lands End gift card.

But that’s not all – readers who nominate a Grand Prize winning teacher will also receive a $250 Lands’ End gift card. Readers who nominate an Honorable Mention winning teacher will get a $25 Lands End gift card.

If your readers would like to recognize an extraordinary teacher or get more information, they can submit an essay up to 500 words and fill out the online entry form at www.landsend.com/teacheraward.

The contest will end at midnight, April 17, 2008.