As the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania prepares to celebrate its 300th anniversary, students across the state are invited to participate in the historic occasion by participating in an essay and coloring contest.

Both contests are free and open to Pennsylvania students including those in public, private, charter, cyber-charter or home school.

The deadline for entries is May 6.

The coloring contest is open to all students ages 5-11 and will give young students the opportunity to create their own judge.

After printing the cartoon judge cutouts, students can choose which judge they want to color and design using their creativity as their guide.

Students and parents are encouraged to submit photo entries on Twitter by tagging @PACourts and using #Supreme300, or by mail following the instructions outlined below.

The essay contest is open to all students in grades three through 12, with essays being judged on creativity, overall quality and adherence to the questions:

· Question (grades three to fifth) – Why is the Pennsylvania Supreme Court important?

· Question (grades six to 12) – Which Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice inspires you and why?

Essay entries can be submitted by email to CommunicationsOffice@pacourts.us or by mail to: AOPC Communications c/o Stacey Witalec 601 Commonwealth Ave., Harrisburg, Pa 17106.

If submitting by mail, entrants should include the following information on a separate piece of paper: full name, school name, city, state, phone number, email (if applicable), teacher name and teacher email (if applicable).

Entries in both contests will be judged by Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices, along with members of the Supreme Court 300th Celebration Committee.

Winners will be announced and recognized by the Court during its 300th anniversary celebration in May.