The IDA (In Defense of Animals) Education Department loves this time of year because we get to find out how students really see animals. Every winter, we are touched and enlightened by the essays that flow in at the closing of our annual Guardians For Life Essay Contest. Will we hear from more of you than ever this year? Only time will tell. We know you've got a lot to say, so click here to get started right away!

First prize for essays in each of the categories (grades 4 through 6, grades 7 and 8, grades 9 through 12) is a $100 cash award. Second prize in each grade-level category is $75 in cash, and third prize is an IDA tank top or tee shirt, just in time for the spring thaw!

Jennifer Forrest, IDA's Education Director