ORLANDO, Fla., Nov. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- The deadline is quickly approaching for Olive Garden's 14th-annual Pasta Tales essay writing contest, which asks students to "Describe a teacher who has inspired you in school and how they have impacted your life."

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From now through Friday, Dec. 11, 2009, Olive Garden's Pasta Tales contest gives young writers in first- through 12th-grade throughout U.S. and Canada the opportunity to share stories about the most influential teachers in their lives. Essays should be 50 to 250 words in length.

Olive Garden's Pasta Tales entry forms and complete rules are available at www.olivegarden.com/company/community/pasta_tales.asp and in local Olive Garden restaurants.

The contest grand prize is a three-day trip to New York City, including dinner at the Olive Garden in Times Square and a $2,500 savings bond. Winners also will be chosen in each grade category and will receive a $500 savings bond and a family dinner at their local Olive Garden restaurant.

Pasta Tales entries must include the writer's name, complete address, phone number with area code, grade, date of birth (including year) and a statement that the work is his or her own. Entries must be submitted either online or postmarked by Dec. 11 and sent to Pasta Tales, PMB 2000, 6278 N. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale, FL, 33308-1916.

Submissions will be judged based on creativity, adherence to theme, organization, grammar, punctuation and spelling by the Quill and Scroll Society of the College of Journalism and Communications at the University of Iowa, with finalists selected by Olive Garden.

Since its inception, Olive Garden's Pasta Tales has provided young people in the communities it serves a way to creatively express the influences, experiences and stories that have shaped their lives. For more information about Pasta Tales, call Katie Lennon at (954) 776-1999, ext. 240 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST.

Olive Garden is the leading restaurant in the Italian dining segment with nearly 700 restaurants, more than 87,000 employees and $3.3 billion in annual sales. Olive Garden is a division of Darden Restaurants Inc. (NYSE: DRI - News), the world's largest company-owned and operated full-service restaurant company. For more information, visit Olive Garden's Web site at www.OliveGarden.com.