Young writers who live in the High Desert counties of Crook, Deschutes, Harney, Jefferson and Lake are invited to submit essays exploring desert landscapes to the Waterston Student Essay Competition. The free competition is open to public, private or home-schooled students in grades nine through 12, and is part of the Waterston Desert Writing Prize, now administered by the High Desert Museum. Students have till May 1 to submit essays of 750 to 1,000 words of nonfiction prose to waterston@highdesertmuseum.org. Essays will be judged on originality, clarity, accuracy, and their contribution to understanding and appreciating desert regions. âOpening a Waterston Prize to students fosters young writers and helps them grow a new appreciation for this region,â a press release quotes prize founder Ellen Waterston. âWe received some thought-provoking submissions last year, and we canât wait to see what this yearâs young voices will share.â