Greetings and, on behalf of the Board of Directors and staff of the United States Institute of Peace, I am pleased to congratulate you on having one of your students selected as a first-place state winner in the Institute's 2001-2002 National Peace Essay Contest.

As a first-place state winner your student will receive a $1,000 scholarship and an all-expense-paid trip to the June Awards Program in Washington, D.C. In addition, the Institute's Board of Directors is reviewing all the essays for this year's national first-, second-, and third-place awards which will be announced at the end of the awards week.

Over the years we have found that you--as a contest coordinator--play a crucial role in the success of the program, and we would like to extend a special thanks for participating in this year's contest. The selection of your student as a first-place state winner is an honor that reflects upon your creativity and support as well as the initiative and insight of the student.

Over the next several days, your winner will receive an award packet in the mail. It will describe the state award and all expenses-paid trip to Washington D.C. You will also find on our website a complete list of all of this year's state winners as well as more information about the next steps in the essay contest and activities from past Awards Programs at the Institute. To learn more about activities being planned for your student during the Awards Week, please click on one of the icons below to watch a special video welcome we have created for the state winners and their parents. We are also prepared to help answer any other questions you or your student may have about the awards program.

We would also appreciate your assistance in spreading the word about your student's accomplishment as a first-place state winner. To assist you in this, a copy of your student's individual press release will be available soon for downloading from the Institute's website. We encourage you to forward information about your student's award to any colleagues, local media outlets, or other organizations that may be interested. Other resources, including bios and photos of this year's winners and day-to-day coverage of their week in Washington DC, will be posted on our website in the weeks ahead, so please continue to check back.

Once again, on behalf of the United States Institute of Peace, I want to thank you for your participation in this year's National Peace Essay Contest. Here at the Institute, we believe that promoting serious discussion among high school students, teachers, and national leaders about issues of international peace and conflict resolution is vital to our country's future. I hope you will continue to work with us to meet this goal, and that you will be actively involved in future Institute activities.