"Sharpen Your Skills" with X-ACTO® For a Chance to Win One of Three $10,000 Scholarships

COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- X-ACTO^®, the market leader in pencil sharpeners and innovative cutting knives and blades, has launched the Sharpen Your Skills Scholarship™ sweepstakes, giving students a chance to win one of three $10,000 scholarships in return for sharing their aspirations for the upcoming school year.

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"It's important for students of all ages to set goals before their school year begins, so we've launched the Sharpen Your Skills Scholarship as a way for them to share these aspirations and help them become realized," said Ethan Haughawout, senior product manager at X-ACTO. "X-ACTO sharpens millions of pencils in the classroom every year, but this is an even more substantial way we can encourage students and reward them for their efforts to be successful in school."

As a proud sponsor of the Kids In Need Foundation, X-ACTO will also donate one school supply product for every Sharpen Your Skills Scholarship entry received (up to 200,000 items).

Parents or legal guardians must submit on behalf of their child(ren) by completing the "Think/Create/Do Challenge" on www.xacto.com/sharpenyourskills:

1. Think – Think about how you will make this your best school year ever. How will you excel in academics, art, music or sports? What goals will you set for yourself?
2. Create – Create something that represents your goal or plan. You could write an essay or poem, draw a picture, take a photograph, write a song, shoot a video — however you choose to express yourself is fine with us!
3. Do – Describe what you will do to achieve your goal. You may also provide explanation of your CREATE submission.

The sweepstakes runs from July 1 – September 30, 2013, and is open to U.S. residents 18 years of age or older who are submitting on behalf of their child(ren) in the following age brackets: 4-8, 9-12 or 13-18. One $10,000 scholarship winner in each age bracket will be selected at random and announced in mid-October. Visit www.xacto.com/sharpenyourskills to learn more.

About X-ACTO^®
For nearly a century, X-ACTO^® has been producing high-quality precision tools needed to pursue creative livelihoods, indulge passions and bring projects, creations and memories to life. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, X-ACTO offers popular cutting tools, such as its best-selling #1 Precision Hobby Knife, in addition to office supplies, featuring the largest product offering on the market of manual, battery and electric pencil sharpeners. For more information, visit www.xacto.com. Follow X-ACTO at www.facebook.com/XACTO and http://pinterest.com/xactotools.

SOURCE X-ACTO