The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE), with sponsorship from SPE Sections and Divisions, present the 15th annual "Wonders of Plastics" Essay Contest. Open to all junior high and high school students, the essay must be submitted to the local Section, be sponsored by a teacher, and meet certain requirements. The winning entry at the Section level will be published and publicized in the Section newsletter and forwarded to SPE Headquarters for judging at the international level.

Thanks to a donation by the Detroit Section, the student who wins the international competition will receive $1,000 and a plaque. His/her school will also receive $1,000 for their educational programming.

Suggested Topics:

Plastics in the environment	Plastics usefulness in society
Creative use of recycled plastics	How plastics benefit humankind
What plastics has done for me	Why the bad reputation of plastics is wrong
How plastics improve our lifestyle	Advantages of plastics in food packaging

All essay submissions must be received at the SPE Section address, along with entry form, by the Section deadline which is usually December or January.   Check here for your local Section or one nearest your area and contact them directly for deadline information.

Essay Contest Requirements

General
Length: Between 500 and 1000 words
Format: Typewritten in English on 8 1/2 x 11 paper (for North America), title to appear as heading on each page; no name on any page except entry form that must accompany each essay; 1-inch margins minimum on all sides.

Deadline: Decided by the individual SPE Sections (Section Contacts).

Entry forms may be copied, but each essay must be attached to a form; essay will not be returned and will become property of SPE. Essays may be co-authored.

Organization
The organization structure of the essay should be "logical," including the following considerations:
Introduction: (optional)
Thesis paragraph: several sentences
Development (body): this section should be several paragraphs and should discuss the theme, analyze it, feature informal research about the theme, etc.
Conclusion: this section should be at least one paragraph in which the author summarizes the ideas presented in the essay

Mechanics
Spelling should be correct; syntax should be readable; punctuation should be conventional.
Essay should be free of sentence fragments.
Diction (word choice) should be appropriate to the subject and the writer’s understanding of the topic. Point of view should be appropriate to the topic/subject and remain constant and consistent. A mixture of first and third person is acceptable if it is appropriate to the voice of the essay. However, the use of second person ("you" either stated directly or implied) will change the "voice" of the essay in a manner damaging to its effectiveness. Footnotes and references must be included when necessary.

Judging
Essays will be judged by a panel consisting of SPE members, an editor and a teacher. In order to be a finalist, the essay must meet all the conditions as stated in the organization and mechanics above, with only incidental errors in mechanics. It must meet the assigned minimum length and must be submitted following the prescribed format.