Despite 2013 still being a few months off, North County Churches Uniting for Racial Harmony and Justice (NCCU) has gotten a jump-start on the year with its announcement of its annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Oratorical Contest.

Between now and Nov. 16, applications and essays will be accepted by the organization before finalists and eventually winners are selected to be presented at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration in January at St. Louis Community College, Florissant Valley.

NCCU is accepting essays for all of its age categories, which range from youth (grades 1-12), adult and seniors. The length of each speech depends on the age category, with grades 1-5 being 2-3 minutes, grades 6-12 being 3-5 minutes and adults and seniors having 7-10 minutes.

This year’s theme is, “Advancing the Dream: Healing our Divisions.” According to the rules, “The word ‘Divisions’ in this topic means anything that keeps people or groups of people apart. These divisions may include racial divisions, socio-economic divisions, religious divisions, and political divisions, to name a few.”

Each category winner will receive prizes valued at $100.

For more information on the contest and its rules, call Barbara Thompson at 314-567-7016 or Rance Thomas at 314-921-7364.