Mother of the Year contest

OXFORD HILLS — The Advertiser Democrat is on a mission to find it annual Mother of the Year among its Oxford Hills moms.

Children in fourth grade may enter the Mother of the Year contest by writing a short essay – one page only – telling us: Why My Mother Should be Mother of the Year.

Essays should be thoughtful and honest. They need to be in the child's words with no adult input. Essays will be published in the paper.

The essays will be judged independently by a panel of three: Ann Siekman, retired director of the Norway Memorial Library; The Reverend Anne Stanley and Toni Hamlin, retired fourth grade teacher.

There will be three winners. Winners and their mothers will have their photo taken and published in a special section.

Children in area schools will submit their essays through the school. Homeschooled children may submit their essays directly to the newspaper. The child's full name, mother's full name and town of residence should be clearly printed on the back of the one-page essay.

All homeschooler essays must be received by the Advertiser Democrat no later than 2 p.m., Friday, April 12.