KETCHUM, Okla. – Printing in the large, straight-line letters that five-year-olds use, Lauren Rossi used the whole page to make her point. But it was a good point, well expressed, and it has earned her first place in her age category in Fujifilm's Fish Photograph & Release (FPR) contest.
"I love to catch fish because it is fun," 5-year-old Rossi of Norton, Mass., wrote. "Fish should be returned to the water to return to their mom and dad."
As grand prizewinner in the 5- to 10-year-old category, Rossi won a $1,000 U.S. Savings Bond in the FPR contest conducted during the 2002 Kids All American Fishing Derbies.
Michelle O'Rourke, 13, of Swanton, Vt., was the other grand prizewinner, earning first place and a $1,000 U.S. Savings Bond in the 11- to 16-year-old category. O'Rourke wrote that she liked to fish because she could spend time with her family and friends. She wrote that fish should be returned to the water "so they can grow and reproduce."
Jessica Fetters, 6, of E. Highgate, Vt., was first runner-up, and Austin Webb, 9, of Goodlettsville, Tenn., was second runner-up in the 5- to 10-year-old category. They won $500 and $250, U.S. Savings Bonds, respectively.
In the 11- to 16-year-old category, the first runner-up was Maribeth Jones, 12, of Ridgeway, Va., and the second runner-up was Tyler Scott, 12, of Highgate Center, Vt. They were awarded a $500 and a $250 U.S. Savings Bond.
Children participating in fishing as a recreational activity were encouraged to submit a photo of a fish they caught along with a written essay of 50 words or less. The topic was "Why I love to fish and why fish should be returned to the water." Hooked on Fishing International (HOFI), which produces fishing derbies, formed a panel of judges to select the winners based on the quality and creativity of the photos and creativity of the essay.
Hooked On Fishing International has been bringing kids and fish together since 1987 through its Kids All-American Fishing Derby program. The events occur annually at over 1,500 venues in all 50 states and have reached more than six million kids and parents.