Tell Us About A Time Mom Stood Up For You

Mother's Day is close at hand, and you can take part in a writing competition to honor or remember your mom, or someone you view as one.

The Early Show, writer Mitch Albom, social media site Gather.com, Royal Caribbean International, and Borders are teaming to bring you the competition.

Just write a short essay telling about a time your mom stood up for you, perhaps when nobody else did.

Gather members will narrow entries down to 10 finalists, and Albom will choose the one he thinks is best.

The winner will be announced on The Early Show on Thursday, May 10. In addition to a trip to New York City to appear with Albom on the show, the winner will get a seven-night cruise for two on Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship, Liberty of the Seas.

For much more on the competition, and to enter, click here. You have until April 25 at 11:59 p.m. to enter.

Albom announced the competition on The Early Show Wednesday.

"We'll pick one winner. That's great," he told co-anchor Harry Smith, "but to me, the best part is, people get to do these things, and maybe they get then share them with their mother, or with their family, and realize, 'Hey, I should have said this sometime earlier!' "

He's the author of "For One More Day," a top-selling novel published in September. It explores the idea of having just one more day with someone you love who has died.

"The way my own mother stood up for me was a driving force behind the writing of 'For One More Day'," Albom says. "In my book, the son never gets to express his gratitude. My hope is that this competition will encourage the entrants to express those feelings, and to honor all the mothers who have so lovingly devoted themselves to their children."

Albom prepared a sample contest submission, which you can see by clicking here.