The winner of the 11th Annual Tom Pettit Thanksgiving Essay Competition will be announced at an awards reception today at Camden.

The event will be hosted by Premier Dr. Ewart Brown and the student finalists, their families and teachers will gather for the event to hear the seven finalists' essays before the winner is announced.

New awards will be granted this year for more than $8,000 in prizes. The winner and all finalist will have their grant matched with one to their school and a new US Consul Prize will be awarded to the student making the best presentation.

Open to all senior school students, a total of 267 essays were entered for consideration. This years finalists are: Brian Amaro, Matthew Sinclair, Michelle Kelly and Michelle Camara from Mount Saint Agnes; Aysha DeSilva and Alexa Lighbourne from Berkeley Institute and Courtney Woodings from Bermuda High School for Girls.

Conducted since 1997, the competition challenges student to write a 500-word essay exploring the topic, "Why I am Thankful".

The contest was created by principal marketing consultant of Pembroke Atlantic Ltd., Patricia Pettit, in honour of her late husband, Tom Pettit, a former Bermuda resident who was an Emmy-award winning NBC TV journalist.

The essay competition is now organised through "The Pettit Grants", a Bermuda-registered charity.