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B’nai B’rith International is pleased to announce USA Network’s Characters Unite public service campaign will serve as co-sponsor of this year’s B’nai B’rith International Diverse Minds Youth Writing Challenge in New York City.

USA Network’s Characters Unite initiative is dedicated to promoting diversity, tolerance and acceptance, themes B’nai B’rith aims to relay to youth via this writing challenge. Characters Unite includes original programming and PSAs, digital content and community and school events across the country to help combat prejudice, hate and discrimination.

The Diverse Minds contest is an education and awareness initiative that charges teens with writing and illustrating children’s books that explain diversity and tolerance to elementary school-aged children. The first-place winner receives a $5,000 college scholarship and will have his/her book professionally published.

The program was created in conjunction with other B’nai B’rith programs that promote tolerance and communicate a message of equality among all citizens. The contest aims to enlighten, inspire and educate America’s youth and their families in an effort to destroy prejudices and strengthen their future.

This annual contest is also made possible by the continued support of the NYSE Euronext Foundation. NYSE has sponsored the contest since 2007. The writing challenge would not be possible without the generous support of these two foundations.

Since the program’s inception in 2006, B’nai B’rith has distributed more than 22,000 books to schools and libraries in contest cities including New York, Los Angeles, San Antonio, Memphis, Minneapolis, Washington, D.C. and Colorado Springs, Colo. In 2011, B’nai B’rith staff also donated copies of the New York winning book, “The Mystery Gift,” on live television to the TODAY Show’s 18th Annual Holiday Toy and Gift Drive, which benefitted participating agencies in Detroit and New York.

The deadline for contest submissions is Friday, March 23, 2012. Additional program information can be found at www.bnaibrith.org/diverseminds.