Computer, $1,000 prize up for grabs in essay contest.

High school juniors and seniors can win an Apple MacBook Air and $1,000 for their school in the second annual Strong Men & Women in S.C. History essay contest.

The contest, an extension of the S.C. Department of Education's South Carolina African American History Calendar, is a partnership between the education department and Dominion Energy. Students are invited to submit a 500-word essay about an African American with ties to the Palmetto State who has been inspirational in their lives.

"Over the past 33 years, the South Carolina African American History Calendar has had a profound impact on our students in the classroom," S.C. Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman said in a news release. "The South Carolina Department of Education is excited to once again join hands with Dominion Energy to offer this writing contest and challenge these juniors and seniors to reflect thoroughly on an important figure in their lives."

The contest entry deadline is March 1. Judging will conclude April 3, and winners will be notified in late April.

Entrants must be a junior or senior at a public or private high school in South Carolina. Home-schoolers with an active, dues-paying membership to a home schooling association are also eligible.

Winners will be invited to participate...