Are you a student in grade 6, 7, or 8 in the United States or Canada?

If so, you're invited to enter the Batter UP! AAGPBL Writers' Contest.

Write a short essay that answers one of these three questions:

1. Why was the AAGPBL important to the history of girls and women in the United States and Canada?
2. Why do you think it's important that people remember the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League years from now?
3. Which All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player (living or dead) do you wish you could meet, and why?

You could win an ALL-EXPENSES-PAID TRIP to the 2012 AAGPBL REUNION in Syracuse and Cooperstown, New York (for you and a parent or guardian), or an AAGPBL PRIZE PACK.

Click on RULES to read all of the contest rules. Then write your 500 to 750 word essay and type it into the ENTRY FORM that you find on this site. Make sure you answer all the questions on the entry form, and include the SOURCES for all the direct quotes in your essay. Send it electronically. No paper entries will be accepted.

If you enter this contest through your school, be sure to include the name and contact information for your teacher on your entry form. The teachers of the winners will receive books and DVDs about the AAGPBL for their school libraries.

Note that you must have your parent or guardian fill out the Authenticity/Eligibility Statement on the Entry Form. No entries will be accepted without this information.

DEADLINE: Make sure that you submit your essay on or before March 18, 2012. One Grand Prize Winner and four Runners-Up will be announced on this Website on or about May 30, 2012. The 2012 AAGPBL reunion will be September 19-23, 2012.

One More Thing: If you are a child or grandchild of any member of the AAGPBL Players Association, you are not eligible to enter this contest.