Editor’s Note: Media are invited to attend the awards ceremony at 1 p.m., Friday, Jan. 23, at the President’s Mansion and a reception following at the Hoole Special Collections Library, both on The University of Alabama campus.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Winners of the third annual “To Kill a Mockingbird” Essay Contest will be honored Friday, Jan. 23, at The University of Alabama.

High school students from throughout the state -- all winners of the essay competition in their individual schools -- will visit UA Friday for a luncheon at the President’s Mansion at noon, followed by a 1 p.m. awards ceremony.

The contest was created in honor of “To Kill a Mockingbird” author Harper Lee’s induction into the Alabama Academy of Honor in 2001 and is sponsored by the UA Honors Program with the support of the Alabama State Department of Education.

High school students from throughout the state were invited to submit 300-to-500-word essays on Lee’s much-loved book. Essays were to reflect the writer’s perception on how life has changed in the South from the time period depicted in the book to the present.

The statewide winner, Meredith Hoffman of Bayside Academy in Daphne, will be awarded a $500 prize at the awards ceremony and a $500 donation will be made to her school. The runner-up is Shakendra McDaniel of Frisco City High School in Frisco City. She will receive a $250 prize. More than 50 essays were submitted from throughout the state.

Contest winners will have lunch with UA President Robert E. Witt and his wife, Anne Witt. A reception will follow the awards ceremony at the W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library in Mary Harmon Bryant Hall on the UA campus.