PNC Bank and the QuickChek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning are once again inviting New Jersey students in grades 2 through 12 to take part in the 10th annual PNC Bank American Patriot Essay Contest by writing a short essay on the topic What the American Flag Means to Me.

The Grand Prize winner will receive a visit to his or her school by a gigantic, 75-foot-tall hot air balloon in June and a special VIP package at this years Festival in July: a hot air balloon ride for two, four Blue Sky Club VIP tickets, and the opportunity to meet one of this years concert headliners, which in the past have included the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato.

Second and third place prizes consisting of Festival admission and merchandise will be also awarded.

The winning students immediate classmates will each receive one complimentary general admission ticket to the Festival, July 26-27-28, 2013 at Solberg Airport in Readington, and the winning students teacher and school principal will each receive two Blue Sky Club VIP tickets.

All teachers in the state who submit a group of 15 essays or more on behalf of their students will receive two free general admission tickets to the Festival regardless of whether one of their students submits the winning essay.

Named one of the Top 100 Events in North America for 2013, the 31^st annual QuickChek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning in Association with PNC Bank is the largest summertime hot air balloon and music festival in North America.

The essays must be 100 words or less. They will be judged by a panel of representatives from PNC Bank and the balloon festival. Winning essays will be selected based on creativity, poignancy and clarity with consideration given to the grade level of the contestant. Contestants are not required to be U.S. citizens.

Entries should be submitted by May 3, 2013 to Essay Judges, Quick Chek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning, 363 Route 46 West, Suite 200, Fairfield, NJ, 07004. Students can also enter the contest through the Festival website at www.balloonfestival.com or by emailing their essays to information@balloonfestival.com. Entries should include the students name, home or school address, home or school telephone number, grade, age, school name and the name of their teacher.