DAPHNE, Ala. — The Daphne Public Library announced that its ongoing 2010 Back-to-School Bookmark contest will end Sept. 27 at 5 p.m.

Participating students should include their name, grade, school name and home phone number on the back of a bookmark they create. All bookmarks should be made from poster paper or cardstock if possible, and the theme may incorporate reading, books, the library, favorite book characters or book authors, organizers said.

There will be two divisions of competition: Division one includes kindergarten through fifth grades; division two includes sixth through 12th grades.

“We invite local teachers and librarians to use this contest to inspire creativity and the love of reading,” the library said in a statement.

First, second, and third place will be determined for each school grade. The overall top three award winners in each division will be chosen based on talent and design, independent of the age group, and will have their bookmark entry framed and displayed for two months in the Junior and Young Adult areas of the Daphne Public Library.

All winners will receive ribbons but the three overall winners in each of the two divisions will receive a $10 gift certificate from Barnes and Noble at the Eastern Shore Centre in Spanish Fort. The top overall winner in each division will have his or her bookmark reproduced for distribution in the library – and that, organizers said, is what kids will find really cool.

“One of the biggest thrills is seeing the kid’s bookmark being mass-produced and given out. The other kids just enjoy being able to turn in a nice art work,” said Fanny Barnett, children’s librarian.