The Meridian Council for the Arts is conducting a Community Youth Arts Competition, including a literary arts or book review competition and a visual arts competition built around Harper Lee's "To Kill A Mockingbird".

Winning entries will be recognized and displayed the week of the performance. Area students have chance to win cash prizes and ticket vouchers to MSU Riley Center for submitting a book review or original work of art inspired by Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.

The book review entries must be between 375 and 750 words and include basic information about the book, its author and main ideas, as well as a discussion of the book’s cultural significance and continued popularity.

The visual arts entries must be inspired by the story of "To Kill a Mockingbird" and may include pencil drawings, illustrations, sketches, water color, oil or acrylic no larger than 16” x 20”.

"Anything from pencil drawings to sketches, acrylics, oils. And we're excited about being able to do this," said Anne B. McKee of the Meridian Council for the Arts.

All ninth through twelfth grade students living in Meridian and Lauderdale County, public, private, or home-schooled, are invited to participate in either or both aspects of the competition.

Three winners from each category will be awarded cash prizes and their entries will be displayed at the MSU Riley Center and The Temple Theater. Deadline for submitting entries is Friday, Oct. 16.

First Place: $100.00 + one ticket voucher to a MSU Riley Center performance Second Place: $50.00 + one ticket voucher to a MSU Riley Center
performance
Third Place: $25.00 + one ticket voucher to a MSU Riley Center performance Three Honorable Mentions: Certificates of Recognition

All entries should be mailed or delivered to the City of Meridian Cultural Affairs office, located below the Arts District Parking Garage.

For more information, contact one of the Meridian Council for the Arts project chairpersons, Connie Royal, (601) 485-1944, Debbie Martin, (601) 917-4664, or Anne McKee, (601) 681-8525.

Montana Repertory Theater presents "To Kill a Mockingbird" at the MSU Riley Center Tuesday, Oct. 20 at 7:30 p.m. A pre-show discussion will be held in the center’s Grand Lobby at 6 p.m. All ticket holders are invited to attend. Tickets to the performance are $39 and $33 and are available at the MSU Riley Center box office at 2200 Fifth Street, by calling 601-696-2200 or online at www.msurileycenter.com. A school performance specifically for area students to attend is being held at 12 noon.

The Temple Theater will air the movie, "To Kill a Mockingbird", Tuesday,
Oct. 27. There will be a daytime showing at 10 a.m. for students in grades 9-12 to attend as a class outing or field trip, and an evening show for the public at large at 7 p.m. The daytime school show is priced at $3.00 per student/chaperone and the evening performance is $5.00 per person.

"We're continually doing things, the Riley Center, the Temple Theater, the arts council. And we're just trying to draw the people out and to draw the kids to be more active in the arts and participate in this," said Roger Smith, owner of the Temple Theater.

This will be a unique experience for students and families to view the film on a big screen in a beautiful historic theater, as it was originally intended. Tickets are available at the Temple Theater box office Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call 601-693-5353 for more information.

Students are encouraged to check out the book from their school library or Meridian Public Library. They may also purchase a paperback book for $7.99 plus tax at the MSU Meridian Bookstore located on Highway 19 North across from MCC.