Following are application dates for student contests, scholarships, and internships. Asterisks (*) denote new entries.
Weekly Reader, publisher of classroom periodicals, invites students to participate in a contest exploring political issues. Students in grades 1-6 create artwork, multimedia displays, and audio/videotapes about issues affecting their communities. The entries will be delivered to the president at the time of the inauguration. Two winning classrooms—one from grades 1-3 and one from grades 4-6—receive $500 for class materials; 10 winning classrooms— from grades 1- 3 and five from grades 4-6—receive $100 for class materials. Contact: Weekly Reader Corp., 200 First Stamford Pl., P.O. Box 120023, Stamford, CT 06912- 0023; www.weeklyreader.com.
November 29 SCIENCE SCHOLARSHIPS
Intel Corp. invites high school seniors to compete for up to $1.2 million in scholarships and awards in its Science Talent Search. Students submit reports of science research projects. Forty finalists receive a laptop computer and go on a weeklong, expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., to participate in the Science Talent Institute. The first-place finalist earns a $100,000, four-year scholarship; second- and third-place finalists win scholarships of $75,000 and $50,000, respectively. For more information, contact: Intel Science Talent Search, c/o Science Service, 1719 N St. N.W., Washington, DC 20036; (202) 785-2255; e-mail sciedu@sciserv.org; www.sciserv.org.
December 1 ANIMAL PROTECTION
The Fund for Animals, a national animal protection organization, announces two essay contests for students. Elementary and middle school students describe what it feels like to be a deer in hunting season in essays of 200 words or fewer (grades 4-5) or 500 words or fewer (grades 6-8). High school students write essays of 750 words or fewer and answer the question, “Why should animal cruelty laws protect dogs and cats but not animals who live in the wild?” In each age group, first-prize winners receive a $100 U.S. savings bond, and second-prize winners receive a $50 U.S. savings bond. Contact: Project Respect, Fund for Animals, 8121 Georgia Ave., Suite 301, Silver Spring, MD 20910; (301) 585-2591; fax (301) 585-2595; e-mail lmiller@fund.org.
December 1 ART
Puffs facial tissue, a product of Procter and Gamble, sponsors the Puffs Back-to-School Design the Box Contest, inviting K-6 kids to create a design with the theme, “What I like best about school.” Entries, which may be done in crayon, marker, pencil, pen, chalk, or paint, are judged based on the appropriateness of the design, originality, and charm. The grand-prize winner receives a $25,000 savings bond for college and a Gateway personal computer, along with a digital camera for the classroom. Three first-place winners receive Gateway personal computers, and all winners get a year’s supply of Puffs. Contact Puffs at (800) 77-PUFFS or visit www.puffs.com.
December 1 FIRE PREVENTION
High school seniors nationwide are invited to write an essay for the American Fire Sprinkler Association Scholarship Contest. Essays should be 700 to 1,000 words and include a bibliography and letter of recommendation. Students describe fire sprinkler systems and tell why they are important to their community. Scholarships of $1,000 are given to seven regional winners. The first-place winner receives an additional $3,000 scholarship; one second-place winner and one third-place winner get additional scholarships of $2,000 and $1,000, respectively. Applications, guidelines, and past essays are available on the Web site. Contact: Scholarship Contest, American Fire Sprinkler Association, 12959 Jupiter Rd., Suite 142, Dallas, TX 75238; (214) 349-5965; fax (214) 343-8898; www.sprinklernet.org.
December 1 LITERATURE
The Library of Congress’ Center for the Book and the Weekly Reader Corp. invite students to enter Letters About Literature 2001, an essay contest. Students write a letter to an author-living or dead-explaining how the author’s work changed their thinking about the world. The contest has two categories: grades 4-7 and 8-12. A national winner from each category receives $500. In addition, participating affiliates present cash awards to top essayists in their state. Contact: Weekly Reader Corp., 200 First Stamford Pl., Stamford, CT 06912-0023; (203) 705-3500; lcweb.loc.gov/loc/cfbook/letters.ht ml.
December 1 PEACE POSTER
Lions Clubs International invites students ages 11-13 to participate in its 2000-2001 Peace Poster Contest. Contestants submit a poster-created in pencil, crayon, pen, marker, paint, or chalk-depicting this year’s theme, “United in Peace.” The grand-prize winner receives $2,500, plus an expenses-paid trip with two family members to the awards ceremony at the Lions Club International convention in Indianapolis. Participating schools must be sponsored by a Lions Club, and poster kits must be purchased by December 1. Contact: Lions Clubs International, (800) 288-8846; e-mail peaceposter@lionsclub.org; www.lionsclubs.org.
December 1 YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS
Young Playwrights Inc. invites students ages 18 and under to write original, nonmusical plays for the Young Playwrights Festival. The festival aims to identify, develop, and encourage young playwrights to create new work for the theater. Several plays are accepted for production at the festival, and 10-12 students are invited to the YPI Writers Conference, an intensive playwriting workshop in New York City that culminates in professionally staged readings of the winning plays. For more information, contact: Young Playwrights Festival National Playwright Competition, 321 W. 44th St., Suite 906, New York, NY 10036; (212) 307-1140; fax (212) 307-1454; e-mail writeaplay@aol.com; www.youngplaywrights.org.
December 15 RADIO
Earth and Sky Radio, in conjunction with the National Science Foundation, invites K-12 students to enter its annual Young Producers Contest. Teams of students write and record a 75-second radio show on a science or nature topic of their choice. Five shows are chosen for broadcast on the Earth and Sky Radio series. The winning team shares a $1,000 U.S. savings bond; each runner-up team splits a $500 U.S. savings bond. For more information, contact: Young Producers Contest, P.O. Box 2203, Austin, TX 78768; (512) 480-8773; fax (512) 477-4474; e-mail contest@earthsky.com; www.earthsky.com.
December 31 ESSAYS
Stein Roe Mutual Funds invites students in grades 5-7 to participate in its Young Investor Fund Essay Contest. Essays on the importance of money and investing are judged on content, writing style, and mechanics. First-, second-, and third-place winners are selected for each grade. First-place winners receive $5,000 in Young Investor Fund shares. Second- and third-place winners get $2,500 and $1,000 in shares, respectively. Contact: Young Investor Fund Essay Contest, Stein Roe Mutual Funds, One S. Wacker Dr., Chicago, IL 60606; (800) 403-KIDS.
*January MONETARY POLICY
Citibank and the Federal Reserve Bank System sponsor the 2001 Fed Challenge, a national economics competition for high school students. Teams of five students work with a teacher to recommend a monetary policy for the United States. Teams are judged on formal presentations before Federal Reserve officials. The national winning team receives $5,000 scholarships for each student and teacher, plus a $10,000 grant to set up a school economics laboratory. Three national finalist teams receive $2,000 scholarships for each student and teacher, plus a $3,000 grant for the teams’ schools. Deadlines vary. Contact: Robert Diamant, (877) 333-2454; www.ny.frb.org/pihome/educato r/fedchal.html.
*January 10 LANGUAGE ARTS
The National Council of Teachers of English is accepting nominations for its 2001 Promising Young Writers Program. Eighth grade language arts teachers are encouraged to nominate students and submit examples of their best written work. Winning students receive a certificate of recognition. The council charges a $5 nomination fee per student. Contact: Promising Young Writers Program, National Council of Teachers of English, 1111 W. Kenyon Rd., Urbana, IL 61801-1096.
*January 26 NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY
The National Honor Society and the National Association of Secondary School Principals award 200 scholarships of $1,000 each. Society chapters nominate two senior chapter members who have shown outstanding character, earned good grades, performed community service, and demonstrated strong leadership skills. For more information, contact: National Association of Secondary School Principals, Department of Student Activities, 1904 Association Dr., Reston, VA 20191-1537; (703) 860-0200; fax (703) 476-5432; e-mail dsa@nassp.org; www.nassp.org.
*February 7 WEB PAGES
Advanced Network and Services Inc., a nonprofit organization that promotes technology in education, sponsors ThinkQuest Junior, an international contest challenging students in grades 4-6 to build Web sites that are interactive learning tools. More than $250,000 is awarded to winning students, teachers, and schools. For more information, visit the Advanced Network and Services Inc. Web site at www.thinkquest.org.
*February 15 ART AND POETRY
Former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Hass, the Library of Congress Center for the Book, and International Rivers Network announce the fifth annual River of Words International Environmental Poetry and Art Contest. K-12 students are encouraged to submit poetry or art with watershed themes. The contest is designed to build community awareness and support of watershed protection. Winners are chosen in four age categories in both poetry and art. One international winner and eight national grand-prize winners and their parents are honored at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Contact: IRN, Attn: ROW Contest, P.O. Box 4000-J, Berkeley, CA 94704; (510) 433-7020; fax (510) 848-1008; e-mail row@irn.org; www.irn.org.
*February 15 CHEMISTRY
The American Chemical Society Scholars Program invites African American, Hispanic, and Native American high school seniors and college undergraduates to apply for scholarships of up to $2,500. Candidates must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the United States and demonstrate financial need. They also must be high achievers in chemistry or other chemical sciences, and they must intend to major in chemistry, biochemistry, chemical engineering, or a chemical-related science in preparation for a career in the chemical sciences or chemical technology. Contact: American Chemical Society Scholars Program, Department of Minority Affairs, 1155 16th St. N.W., Washington, DC 20036; (800) 227-5558, ext. 6250; e-mail scholars@acs.org; www.acs.org/minorityaffairs/scho lars.htm.
—Mesha Williams
