Elks from Lodge 380 presented an award and cash prize to Maria Miriuta from the Elks State Association for her first-place Americanism essay.
Miriuta is a seventh-grade student at St. John's Catholic School, and competed against top winners from all 13 Elks Lodges in Arkansas for the award, a news release said.
The contest is held annually by the Elks, with a new topic each year. Information is given to schools in the Hot Springs general area at the end of the summer, with local competition closing in mid-December. Winners locally go on to competition at the state level.
Visit http://www.Elks.org or call the Lodge office at 501-525-1020 for more information.