• May 15, 2009

Dickies, Ft. Worth, Texas-based workwear brand, is initiating its 17th annual American Worker of the Year search.

Workers can enter the contest by submitting a photo and brief essay to illustrate how they represent "the ideals of a true, hard working American." Stories from workers across the country will appear online for weekly voting.

The contest will name weekly winners and six finalists before a grand prize winner is named this fall.

Contestants receiving the highest number of votes in a given week will be named Worker of the Week and receive customized Dickies garments. Six finalists will be selected by a panel of judges and will each receive $10,000 and a trip for two to the Professional Bull Riders World Finals, where the contest winner will be revealed on Oct. 30. The grand prize winner will be selected from the pool of six finalists to receive $50,000 and a trip for two to the Dickies 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Race. At that race, the American Worker of the Year will have a chance to win $1,000,000 by randomly selecting one of the top 12 Race for the Chase drivers to win the Dickies 500.--Karl Greenberg