View 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winning essays below.

1st place - $2,500 scholarship
Patrick Renner
Novi, Mich.

2nd place - $1,000 scholarship
Kaylee Biba
Waupaca, Wis.

3rd place - $500 scholarship
Nicole Grube
Lakeland, Fla.

4th place - $100 scholarship
Sarah Leung
Newark, Del.

5th place - $100 scholarship
Madelyn Johnston
Reading, Pa.

6th place - $100 scholarship
Brandon Schwenk
Broomfield, Colo.

7th place - $100 scholarship
Nathan Heuser
Morgantown, W.Va.

8th place - $100 scholarship
Tristan Alfred
Manteca, Calif.

9th place - $100 scholarship
Hayley Adkison
Florissant, Mo.

10th place - $100 scholarship
Daniel Palmer
Hastings, Neb.

11th place - $100 scholarship
Caleb Proctor
Bosque Farms, N.M.

1st place - $2,500 scholarship
Nina LoSchiavo
Staten Island, N.Y. 10306

2nd place - $1,000 scholarship
Natasha Doty
Lincoln, Neb.

3rd place - $500 scholarship
Alora Moore
Antioch, Ill.

4th place - $100 scholarship
Taylor Maharaj
Patchogue, N.Y.

5th place - $100 scholarship
Christopher Uptmor
Lewiston, Idaho

6th place - $100 scholarship
Colleen Damerell
Rochester, N.Y.

7th place - $100 scholarship
Magie Annab
Pasadena, Texas

8th place - $100 scholarship
David Mullinax
Pelham, Ala.

9th place - $100 scholarship
Kaila Swain
Pleasant Hope, Mo.

10th place - $100 scholarship
LaShea Wangelin
New London, Wis.

11th place - $100 scholarship
Eryn Swain
Pleasant Hope, Mo.

1st place - $2,500
Ryan Shelbrack
Green Bay, Wis.

2nd place - $1,000
Tina Pizl
Antigo, Wis.

3rd place (tie) - $300
Douglas Kelly
Grand Rapids, Mich.

Darnel Alexander
Rossville, Tenn.

5th place - $100
Melinda Vickers
McAlester, Okla.

6th place - $100
Gary Yamasaki
Portland, Ore.

7th place - $100
Pam Blake
Quartz Hill, Calif.

8th place - $100
Glen Palmer
Hastings, Neb.

9th place - $100
Bob Foreman
Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

10th place - $100
Deborah Dacenzo
Levittown, PA

11th place - $100
Shelly Olson
Coos Bay, Ore.