The first annual National Thank You Day launches this month with a contest to search for one small deed that deserves one big thank you. Sponsored by merci® European Chocolates, in collaboration with the celebrity etiquette expert, Peggy Post, the Thank You Day contest hopes to encourage people to remember and recognize everyday acts of kindness by nominating someone whose good deed deserves a grand prize valued up to $20,000.

"The simple words, thank you, have the power to make our world a more civil place," says Post, spokesperson for National Thank You Day. "When you express appreciation, you can't help but notice its positive impact. These words, when sincerely expressed in any form, can bring happiness, change attitudes and influence people."

Post will present a deluxe thank you in person with a prize valued at up to $20,000 to the winner on Monday, September 24, 2007, the debut of National Thank You Day.

To enter someone in the contest, nominators are asked to write an essay of up to 150 words about who they would like to nominate and why, and submit it by August 24. The grand prize winner will be selected by Peggy Post, among other judges.

National Thank You Day, to be held annually on the last Monday of September, was inspired by the findings of a recent survey* conducted by merci and The Emily Post Institute that found that while 87.3 percent of Americans said they are bothered when people don't say thank you, 90.2 percent feel that they don't say thank you enough. The 1,088 people surveyed believed saying please, thank you and you're welcome are the most important good manners to observe, followed by practicing patience while waiting in lines.

One hundred first prize winners will receive an autographed copy of Post's latest book, Excuse Me, But I Was Next: How to Handle the Top 100 Manners Dilemmas, and a box of merci Finest Assortment of European Chocolates. All nominators who submit an eligible entry will receive two boxes of merci — one to enjoy and one to pass on to the person they would like to thank.

Details and entry forms are available at www.nationalthankyouday.com

*Impulse Research Corporation conducted the Thank You Survey in June 2007 for merci Finest Assortment of European Chocolates in collaboration with the Emily Post Institute through an online survey of a random sample of 1,088 men and women, ages 35 to 54, with an overall sampling error rate of +/- 3 percent.