The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE), with sponsorship from SPE Sections and Divisions, presents the 14th annual "Wonders of Plastics" essay contest.  Open to all middle and high school students, the essay must be sponsored by a teacher and must meet certain requirements (see second page).

Some suggested topics to consider

 Plastics in the environment
Creative use of recycled plastics
What plastics have done for me
How plastics improve our lifestyle

                      Plastics usefulness in society
                      How plastics benefit humankind
                      Why the bad reputation of plastics is wrong
                      Advantages of plastics in packaging

All essay submissions must be received at the SPE Section address, listed below, along with the entry form, by the accounced deadline.

Essays will be judged by the South Texas Section and a winning entry and several runners-up will be selected.  The authors of the winning and runner-up entries will each receive a cash prize of $250 and a $250 honorarium for their teachers.

The winning entry at the Section level will be published and publicized in the Section Newsletter and forwarded to the Society's headquarters to compete with winning essays from Sections around the world.  The international first prize consists of a $1,000 honorarium and plaque for the student and a $1,000 honorarium for the school.  The winning essay will be printed in SPE's official magazine, Plastics Engineering.  Entry forms may be copies, but each essay must be attached to a form; essays will not be returned and become the property of SPE.  Essays may be co-authored; in such cases, awards will be shared by the co-authors.

SUBMIT ESSAY TO:  Carlos de la Rosa                                 DEADLINE:  February 20, 2008
                                      South Texas Section                                     

                                                                   
AND E-MAIL                eas2008spe@gmail.com