SPANISH FORK — Sharisa Nay of Spanish Fork High School has won a $1,000 scholarship for writing the best essay from Utah on the relationship between natural resources and international conflict in the National Peace Essay Contest sponsored by the United States Institute of Peace.

She has been invited to join other winning contest essayists from around the country in an all-expenses paid weeklong seminar in Washington, D.C., this June.

Nay's essay is titled "Overcoming Conflict Over Natural Resources."

The National Peace Essay Contest is in its 21st year. Every year, American high school students write analytical essays on a topic chosen by the Institute's board of directors. An independent panel of experts judge each essay, and a winner is chosen from every state, along with U.S. territories and one from among American students living abroad.

Nay will join fellow winners in Washington June 22-27 for a week of briefings at embassies, conflict resolution simulations and meetings with officials from Congress, federal agencies, and experts and practitioners from various organizations.

On June 26, the three best essays selected by the institute's board will be awarded the national first-, second- and third-place prizes. These winners will receive scholarships for $10,000, $5,000 and $2,500, respectively.