Patrick County residents are invited to enter a writing contest to say – by original song, poem, or essay – “What the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution means to me.” Entries are due by midnight February 1.

The competition is open to the people of Carroll, Floyd, and Patrick counties, with $100 prizes offered for each of the three categories and in two age groups: under 18 and 18 or older.

Winners will be announced at a public celebration of American values on February 18 – the Saturday of President’s Day weekend.

“The fundamental values contained in the First Amendment, which include freedom of speech and religion, are essential to what really makes America great,” said Alan Graf, the Floyd lawyer and musician who sparked the contest and pulled together a handful of area residents to plan the celebration.

“We hope that by having this contest and celebrating the First Amendment, it will remind us all that we, as Americans, are in this together,” Graf continued.

Contestants may mail entries to Alan Graf, Attorney at Law, 208 Pine St., Floyd, Va., 24091, or email them to firstamendmentcelebration@gmail.com.

The essays should be 500 to 1,000 words, the poems 50 to 250 words, and the songs of two to five minutes’ duration. Each entry must include the author’s age group, home address, and contact information. The songs should be submitted in MP3 format along with printed lyrics.

The contest and celebration are sponsored by Partnership for Floyd and the Floyd County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.