Essay writing may not always be the most popular activity for our students - but the ZfA Essay Contest usually rewards all participants well, so it's worth "writing" the extra mile! This year, the contest information came to us a little delayed, so our student writers have to sharpen their pens and go to work very quickly on the topic of "Mein deutsches Lieblingswort/My favorite German word" or "Mein deutscher Lieblingsausdruck/My favorite German expression" for younger students (ages 6-11). Older students (12-19) write about "Deutsch als Kultursprache/German as a language of culture", "Deutsch als Wissenschaftssprache/German as science language" or "Deutsch als Wirtschaftssprache/German as business language". Prizes include a trip to a German Summer Immersion Program in Minnesota, class Pizza-Parties, books and more surprises.  Submission deadline is March 1 for essays to arrive in Washington. Winners are announced before the end of the school year. The ZfA is Germany's central administration for German Schools abroad.