Couple Giving Away 35-Acre Virginia Farm in Essay Contest

A talented wordsmith with a passion for farm life will write his or her way into owning a 35-acre Virginia horse farm.

Rock Spring Farm in Essex County, Va., has been owned by Randy Silvers, his late wife, Margie, and his second wife, Carolyn Berry, for more than two decades.

However, that’s about to change. And although the farm is worth an estimated $600,000, it will be sold for a nominal fee of $200.

That’s because Silver and Berry aren’t selling the farm at all, but rather giving it away to the winner of an essay contest that began in March of this year. The winner and two runners-up will be chosen from 25 finalists in late-November.

The $200 is the entry fee to enter the essay contest. The winner will ultimately receive ownership of the farm, should they want it, free of charge.

The Price of Selling

Randy Silvers acquired the farm in 1995 and built his home on the property in 1996, while also restoring the farm to what it looks like today.

After briefly talking to a real estate agent about selling the farm, the couple realized they’d try a different route that found the best stewards for the farm.

“The thought of strangers traipsing through the house, wandering about the farm, and nitpicking every flaw was too much for him to consider,” Berry wrote. “Beloved horses and dogs that have crossed the Rainbow Bridge are buried on the farm; his wife’s ashes are buried here, and Randy had expected that he, too, would die and be buried here.”

That’s why the farm’s next owner meant more to Silvers and his wife than the value of the farm, and that’s where the essay contest comes into play.

Each essay, limited to 1,000 words apiece, should explain to the couple exactly what the farm means to them, what they love about it, and how they’d care for the farm as its next owners.

“I saw it almost immediately — a sparkle in his eye, a brisker pace — an acceptance that life would go on without Rock Spring Farm,” Berry said of her husband’s reaction to the idea of the essay contest.

The couple set the entry fee at $200, not only to limit entries to only those truly interested in the farm, but to ensure they could afford of the remainder of the mortgage on the farm, a new living situation, the chance to “pay Uncle Sam a huge chunk of money,” and the chance to establish college funds for their four grandkids.

Contest Details

The deadline to submit an essay remains Oct. 1.

The couple vows to read every essay submitted for the contest more than once, and ensures thorough judgment and not a rushed process on the eve of the deadline.

Once the deadline passes, the couple will choose 25 finalists, and will pass those essays along to a panel of three judges tasked with choosing one winner and two runners-up. The judges include a horse enthusiast, an educator and a hobbyist farmer.

Anyone with questions about the essay-grading rubric, how to enter, how to pay the entry fee or how to follow the contest after submitting an entry is encouraged to direct questions to the farm’s Facebook page.

The winner of the Rock Spring Farm Essay Contest will be announced in late November.

The concept of essay contests with enormous grand prizes is actually less rare than you’d think. Rock Spring Farm was among a handful of essay contests to gain national attention in recent months. Among other contests compared to the Rock Spring Farm Essay Contest are a contest to win an Inn in Maine, a 20-acre goat and dairy farm in Alabama and a movie theater in Massachusetts.

Image credit: Rock Spring Farm