DeWITT — Four Michigan schools will receive a total of $10,000 in cash prizes from the Michigan Apple Committee (MAC) for participating in its annual Michigan Apple School Sweepstakes — an initiative to support Michigan Apple growers while encouraging healthy eating habits in children.

According to MAC Executive Director Denise Donohue, the School Sweepstakes is an excellent opportunity for teachers to talk with students about Michigan agriculture and its impact on the local economy, as well as the importance of eating a balanced diet.

“As childhood obesity rates continue to rise, one of our main objectives with the School Sweepstakes is to give Michigan schools another good reason to talk to kids about healthy eating and snacking,” Donohue said Monday. “We also think it’s a great way to infuse a lesson on agriculture and its importance to Michigan.”

Accredited K-12 schools in Michigan are eligible to compete in the school sweepstakes by collecting either proofs of purchase from the bags of Michigan-grown apples, or by creating small cards with drawings of Michigan Apples.

This year’s winners, chosen in a random computerized drawing, are:

Grand Prize (receiving $5,000) — Sister Lakes Elementary School of Dowagiac.

First Place (receiving $3,000) — Bentley Elementary School of Canton.

Second Place (receiving $1,000) — Sacred Heart of Jesus of Grand Rapids.

Challenge Winner (receiving $800) — Countryside Academy of Benton Harbor.

This year 25 schools participated in the MAC-sponsored program, collecting more than 15,500 Michigan Apple proofs of purchase and crafting more than 11,000 hand-drawn Michigan Apple cards.

For each proof of purchase collected and/or apple card created, the name of the school is entered into the drawing.

The top three prizes are chosen by a random computer selection while the “Challenge Winner” is the school that submitted the most entries.

Schools can begin collecting for the next School Sweepstakes at the start of this coming school year and continue through the spring.

Michigan is the third-largest apple-producing state in the United States.

The industry annually contributes an estimated $800 million worth of economic impact on the state.

Michigan Apple Committee is a grower-funded, nonprofit organization devoted to promotion, education and research activities to distinguish the Michigan apple and encourage its consumption in Michigan and around the world.

For more information, visit MichiganApples.com.