The Butler YMCA’s first essay contest resulted in awards for six students across the county.

The theme for the contest was “Women in History,” which drew nearly 100 entries.

Liam Throm, of Slippery Rock Area Middle School, earned first place among eighth-graders for her essay on Anne Frank, the Jewish teenager and diarist who fell victim to the Nazis during the Holocaust.

Addison Eicher, of Butler Catholic School, took first place among seventh-graders for her essay on Ada Lovelace, a mathematician who was the daughter of the English poet Lord Byron and is widely credited as a tech visionary who created algorithms in 1800.

Second-place winners were Giana Warnic, an eighth-grader at Butler Area Intermediate High School, and Rebecca Springirth, a seventh-grader at Slippery Rock Area Middle School.

Third-place honors went to Bailie Knight, an eighth-grader at Slippery Rock Area Middle School and Ruby Wissinger, a seventh-grader at Butler Catholic.

Each winner will receive a gift card, as will their teachers.

The cards were donated by a local woman business executive who wishes to remain anonymous.

The winning essays will be posted on the YWCA website, ywcabutler.org.

Elizabeth Short, executive director at Butler YWCA, said the essay contest aligns directly with the organization’s mission of empowering women.

“When students have the opportunity to research and write essays about often-overlooked women in history, they see the significant contributions women have made — often in times when women’s votes, rights and power were limited,” Short said.

“It is our hope this contest inspires local students to seek out other outstanding women in history and learn from their stories,” she said.