Marina resident and Stevenson School graduate wins national competition

Abigail "Abby" Hoffman, now a freshman at UC Berkeley, tweeted her way to a $5,000 scholarship for her message about the First Amendment.

On Dec. 15, Bill of Rights Day 2011, more than 17,000 contestant tweeted their praises to the first 10 amendments to the Constitution. Hoffman's was one of only eight entries to be chosen in the Tweet category. There were 22 scholarship winners total in the graphics, video, essays, blogs and poetry categories.

"The 45 words remain the same, but they've certainly caused a lot of change. #FreeToTweet"

The winning entries were announced this week.

"The "Free to Tweet" competition saw students nationwide reaffirming the value of the First Amendment and expressing themselves creatively through social media," said Ken Paulson, founder of 1 for All and president of the First Amendment Center and American Society of News Editors. "We're pleased to recognize Abigail Hoffman for her thought-provoking entry in an extraordinarily competitive field."

Other winners range from 15- to 22-years-old and hail from 15 states: California, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Virginia . A total of $110,000 in scholarships is being awarded.

Click here to see all the winning messages.