The Whidbey Island Writers Association and the Sno-Isle Friends of the Library announce the 2012 Celebrate Writing contest for students.

This contest is open to all students, grades three through 12, who are enrolled in public or private schools or who are home-schooled on Whidbey Island. Entrants will be judged in three divisions: grades 3-5, grades 6-8 and grades 9-12.

Entries may be submitted in the categories of fiction/memoir, non-fiction and poetry. New for 2012, submissions on nature, birds or the environment may also be considered for an additional prize in conjunction with the library’s Whidbey Reads “The Crow Planet” events.

Winners will receive cash prizes or gift packages and have their work printed in an anthology which will be on display at the libraries.

Winners will participate in a public awards ceremony and reading of their manuscripts in April.

The grand prize winner in the high school division will be published in Soundings Review, the nationally-circulated literary magazine of the Northwest Institute of Literary Arts.

All entries will be returned with comments written by practicing writers and all contestants will receive certificates of recognition.

Students may submit their entries to their school office or to any of the five Sno-Isle libraries on Whidbey Island.

The deadline for submissions is before the close of the entrant’s school or library on Monday, March 5. Rules and entry forms can be obtained at any of the libraries, from teachers or at www.writeonwhidbey.org.