And If It Includes a Defense of Blogs, You Have My Thanks

Vernacular Press has announced "the debut of its annual Independent Voice Award, a program designed to encourage the development of original voices." High school and college students interested in the award should "e-mail a piece of writing (essay, poetry, journal entries, creative non-fiction, etc.) concerning the importance of maintaining an original voice in the contemporary media marketplace," along with another writing sample on any subject. The entry with the most "purity of tone and clarity of position" gets $250, and will be published along with the two runners-up in Vernacular's online magazine; they might even make it into print. The deadline is March 15, and the winners will be announced on April 4. For more information, visit the Vernacular site, or drop them a line.

I realize, of course, that most of my readership is ineligible, but perhaps you can pass the word along to your children or your interns.