Nine Duval County students were named winners Friday of the inaugural Mayor Brown Essay Contest.

The essay contest theme -- “With A College Degree I can…” -- prompted 827 entries from elementary, middle and high school students throughout Duval County.

First place winners received iPads; second place winners received Nexus Tablets and third place winners received a $200 Visa gift card. 

READ:  Contest-winning essays

"It was really moving," Brown said. "One person talked about being a doctor because her grandfather had stage-four cancer and she wanted to be able to figure out how to cure cancer.  You had one kid who lived in a poor neighborhood. How could someone in a 'low-grade neighborhood' go to college?"

Prizes were purchased through the Mayor’s Education Trust Fund. The 2012 award recipients are:

Elementary

• Lauren Thomas, 1^st Place, Fort Caroline Elementary, 5^th grade, teacher: Mrs. Shore
  
• Akoi Brown, 2^nd Place, Rufus Payne Elementary, 3^rd grade, teacher: Ms. Alexander
  
• Emily Gnida, 3^rd Place, John N.C. Stockton Elementary, 4^th grade, teacher: Ms. Duva
  

Middle

Brittany Sanders, 1^st Place, James Weldon Johnson, 8^th grade, teacher: Ms. Williams

Sharif D. Hall, 2^nd Place, Highlands Middle, 8^th grade, teacher: Ms. A. Williams

Bailey Williams, 3^rd Place, Alfred I. DuPont  Middle, 7^th grade, teacher: Mr. Couch

Senior High

• Tuongvan Le, 1^st Place, Stanton College Preparatory, 12^th grade, teacher: Mr. Mackey
  
• Mark Ronan, 2^nd Place, River City Science Academy, 11^th grade, teacher: Mr. Cannon
  
• Anthony B. Philpot, 3^rd Place, Englewood High, 12^th grade, teacher: Mrs. Odell