PPL Montana is partnering with The Montana Watercourse and Montana Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) to sponsor a River of Words program in the state.

River of Words is an international poetry and art contest focusing on the theme of watersheds, which are those stretches of high land dividing the areas drained by different rivers or river systems. The contest is designed to help students explore the natural and cultural history of the place in which they live, and to express, through poetry and art, what they discover. The contest is open to any child, from 5 to 19 years of age.

PPL Montana will promote the contest at the Montana Educators’ Conference in Helena on Oct. 21 and 22. "We hope we can show teachers the environmental and artistic benefits of having their students participate in the contest," said David Hoffman, PPL Montana’s manager of External Affairs.

The contest will run through the current academic year. The winning entries will be included in a book, copies of which will be distributed to educators and community leaders throughout Montana. "Our goal is to turn River of Words into a statewide traveling exhibit that recognizes the artistic talents of Montana students and the inspirational power of water, nature and watersheds," said Hoffman.

PPL Montana, a subsidiary of PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL), has offices in Billings, Butte and Helena. With about 500 employees, PPL Montana operates the coal-fired Colstrip and Corette power plants and 11 hydroelectric facilities along the Missouri, Flathead, Clark Fork and Madison rivers and Rosebud Creek. PPL EnergyPlus, another PPL subsidiary, operates a trading floor in Butte that markets and sells power in the wholesale energy market. More information is available at www.pplmontana.com.