After years of declining market share, sales of manual transmission cars are oddly on the rise. Take Chevy’s compact Sonic, for example: something like one-in-five leave the dealer’s showroom with a manual transmission.

Just a few decades back, learning to drive a manual transmission was an all-but-essential skill for anyone who took driving seriously. Back then, it was easy to find a family friend or neighbor who’d teach you to row your own gears, without the pressure of learning from a parent, brother or sister.

Today, finding someone who’s ready, willing and able to teach you the joys of manual gearbox driving may not be so easy. After all, most cars don’t even offer manual transmissions anymore, and those that do tend to be sporting (and expensive) in nature.

Tracking down a neighbor to help you master the clutch in a 1967 VW Beetle was one thing, but finding a neighbor who’ll loan you his Z06 Corvette Centennial Edition for the same purpose is more than a little unlikely.

Thankfully, Chevy wants to do something about this. Via the Chevy Sonic Facebook page, the automaker is giving away trips for four to the Stay Clutch driving school, where you’ll master the art of shifting under the tutelage of an unnamed “celebrity instructor.”

Winners also get tickets to the 2012 State Farm Home Run Derby and MLB All-Star Game, although we have no idea how they relate to learning to shift your own gears.

To get complete details on the Chevy Sonic Challenge, you’ll need to join CampusLIVE or log in under an existing account. Interested? Head on over to the Chevy Sonic Challenge Facebook page to enter.