TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) -- The National Park Service is planning a student art contest to commemorate the 150th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation ordering the freeing of slaves.

Park Service director Jonathan Jarvis says the contest encourages young people to reflect on their personal meanings of freedom and express those thoughts creatively.

Students 13 to 18 years old may enter photography, poetry and digital short films. The first-place winner in each category will receive a $2,500 academic scholarship and the second-place winner will receive a $1,000 academic scholarship.

Entries are due by Oct. 15, 2012. The Emancipation Proclamation was issued on Jan. 1, 1863.

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Online:

http://www.nps.gov/freedom