Get ready for the 7th Annual DNA Day Essay Contest sponsored by the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG). This contest is open to high school students from across the United States and around the world to commemorate the anniversary of the publication of Watson and Crick’s seminal paper proposing a double-helical structure for DNA. ASHG has substantially increased the value of the awards for 2012. Students are eligible for cash prizes of $1,000, $600, and $400 for first-, second-, and third-place, respectively, and $100 for honorable mention (10 awards). Teachers of winning students will receive lab equipment grants of equivalent value. You are invited to submit up to six of the best essays your students write. Also, because ASHG has always emphasized the importance of writing quality in the essays in addition to the accuracy of the genetics content, please consider promoting this contest with your colleagues in the language arts. It is an excellent vehicle for implementing writing across the curriculum. Please visit http://www.ashg.org/education/dnaday.shtml for the essay question, rules, and deadlines for the 2012 contest. The essay submission site will open later this month, and submissions must be received by 5:00pm EST on March 12, 2012. All winners will be announced April 20th.