Following are application dates for student contests, scholarships, and internships. Asterisks (*) denote new entries.
*December 1 ENGINEERING
The National Society of Professional Engineers offers scholarships for high school seniors who plan to study engineering at a college or university accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. The Auxiliary Scholarship provides $1,000 per year for two years to a young woman. The Virginia D. Henry Memorial Scholarship is a $1,000 award for a young woman’s freshman year. The Maureen L. and Howard N. Blitman PE Scholarship To Promote Diversity in Engineering is awarded to a high school senior from an ethnic minority; the $5,000 award, given in the college freshman year, has been endowed to encourage students from ethnic minorities underrepresented in engineering to pursue a career in the field. Proof of acceptance to a college or university engineering program must be provided before the award will be disbursed. More information about award criteria and the application process is available on the Web site. For more information, contact: NSPE, Education Services, (703) 684-2800; e-mail education@nspe.org; www.nspe.org/scholarships/sc-home.asp.
*December 1 LITERATURE
The Library of Congress’ Center for the Book and Target Stores sponsor Letters About Literature 2004. Applicants write to an author, living or dead, and explain how that author’s work changed their thinking about the world or themselves. State-level winners receive a cash award and a $50 Target gift card and advance to the national competition. Six national winners—two each in grades 4-6, 7-8, and 9-12—receive a $500 Target gift card and a trip to Washington, D.C., for the 2006 National Book Festival, where they will read their letters. Complete guidelines and an entry form are available on the Web site. For more information, contact: Center for the Book, (202) 707-5221; e-mail lalessay@epix.net; www.loc.gov/letters.
*December 1 PLAYWRITING
Young Playwrights Inc., the nation’s only professional theater devoted solely to writers age 18 or younger, is looking for original, nonmusical plays for off-Broadway production in the Young Playwrights Festival. Playwrights must be younger than 19 on December 1. Ten to 12 writers will be invited to the YPI Writers Conference in New York City for professionally staged readings of their plays; several plays will also receive full productions. Contact: Young Playwrights Festival National Playwriting Competition, 306 W. 38th St., Suite 300, New York, NY 10018; (212) 594-5440; fax (212) 594-5441; e-mail writeaplay@aol.com; www.youngplaywrights.org.
*December 2 MATH AND SCIENCE
FIRST, a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring young people’s interest and participation in science and technology, invites high school teams to register for its 2006 FIRST Robotics Competition. The FIRST Robotics Competition is an annual event that challenges high school students working with professional engineering and business mentors to design and build a robot and compete in high-intensity events that measure the effectiveness of each robot, the power of team strategy and collaboration, and the determination of students. Each year’s kick-off event unveils a new challenge; teams have just six weeks to solve the season’s common problem using the same kit of parts and a standard set of rules. Teams then compete in the spring in more than 30 regional events and the championship, held at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. For more information about registration or starting a team, contact: FIRST, 200 Bedford St., Manchester, NH 03101; (800) 871-8326; e-mail info@usfirst.org; www.usfirst.org.
*December 3 ASTHMA
The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology and the American Academy of Pediatrics invite students to enter the 14th Annual Living with Asthma Poster Contest to encourage children to show how they control their asthma. Students with asthma can enter individually in one category—grades 1-2, 3-5, or 6-8. First-, second-, and third-place individual winners in each category get U.S. savings bonds ($500, $250, and $100, respectively) and gift certificates from a national retailer. The winner’s school also receives free asthma education materials. Entries must be in color on a plain white sheet of 8.5-by-11 paper or larger. Imagination and creativity are encouraged. Additional details and the official entry form are available on the Web site. Contact: Poster Contest, AAAAI Executive Office, 555 E. Wells St., Suite 1100, Milwaukee, WI 53202; (414) 272-6071; e-mail postercontest@aaaai.org; www.aaaai.org/patients/just4kids/postercontest/postercontest.stm.
*December 16 OLYMPIC SPIRIT
DHL, the official express delivery and logistics provider for the 2006 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams, is launching the DHL U.S. Olympic Spirit Card Contest to educate students about the ideals and lessons of the Olympic spirit, including inspiration, perseverance, vision, and joy in effort. Children ages 8-12 are invited to create an original, personal expression that illustrates their interpretation of the theme “What does Olympic spirit mean to me?” Spirit cards will be delivered by DHL to the U.S. teams upon their arrival at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy. Four regional grand-prize winners will receive a trip to the Spirit Awards ceremony in May 2006, which is expected to be attended by more than 400 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes, and will also have their work framed and displayed at the U.S. Olympic Committee’s business and hospitality center in Torino throughout the winter games. Teachers who sign up on the Web site or by e-mail will receive, free of charge, prepaid packaging from DHL to submit their students’ spirit cards. Complete rules, judging information, and participation instructions are available on the Web site. For more information, contact: John Gilboy, (212) 714-1280, ext. 298; e-mail spirit.cards@dhl.com; www.dhl-usa.com/olympicspirit/olympics_spiritcard.asp.
*December 16 STEREOTYPES
Teachers Against Prejudice announces its sixth annual essay contest, open to all students in grades 5-12. Essay questions, which relate to issues of bias and stereotype, are posted on TAP’s Web site. Prizes will be awarded in separate categories for middle and high school students. First- and second-place winners receive $150 and $75 U.S. savings bonds, respectively. Winners will be notified by March; winning essays will be posted on the Web site and compiled into booklets, with permission. For more information, contact: Teachers Against Prejudice, 58 Pine St., New Canaan, CT 06840; (203) 801-0257; fax (203) 801-0258; e-mail contest@teachersagainstprejudice.org; www.teachersagainstprejudice.org.
*December 16 STUDY ABROAD
Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program, through AFS Intercultural Programs, a learning exchange program, provides 50 full scholarships to high school students studying in Germany for one year. Students must be residents of Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, or Vermont. Contact: AFS Admissions, 506 S.W. Sixth Ave., Second Floor, Portland, OR 97204; (800) AFS-INFO; e-mail congressbundestag@afs.org; www.usa.afs.org.
*December 30 PHOTOGRAPHY
Olympus and Tool Factory are sponsoring a student photo contest for students ages 4-18 in the United States, U.S. territories, or Canada. Two winners in the Best Overall Photograph category will be selected for composition and arrangement; color and lighting; and creativity and emotion. One winner for Best Photo Manipulation will be selected based on style, effective use of color, and composition. Winners receive an Olympus digital camera, $200 in Tool Factory software, and a digital photography instruction book. Photographs and captions must be submitted online; all entries will be posted on www.clipartstation.com. Contact: Tool Factory Inc., 3336 Sunderland Hill Rd., Sunderland, VT 05250; (802) 375-6549; e-mail info@toolfactory.com; www.toolfactory.com/olympus.
*January 6 SCIENCE
The Young Naturalist Awards Program from the American Museum of Natural History invites students in grades 7-12 to conduct original research in biology, earth science, or astronomy. Students work independently and document their research in a written essay or field journal. The 12 finalists (two per grade) receive $500 to $2,500 in scholarships and an expenses-paid trip to New York City to meet scientists at the museum, take a behind-the-scenes tour, and attend an awards ceremony. Winners also will have their essays published. Entrants must be U.S. or Canadian citizens or legal residents living in the United States, Canada, or U.S. territories. Contact: American Museum of Natural History, NCSLET, Young Naturalist Awards, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024; e-mail yna@amnh.org; www.amnh.org/youngnaturalistawards.
*January 13 ALL-AROUND ACHIEVEMENT
The Elks National Foundation encourages high school seniors nationwide to apply for one of 500 Most Valuable Student scholarships, including two top prizes of $60,000 each, given over four years to one male and one female winner. Second- and third-place prizes of $40,000 and $20,000, also over four years, are each given to one male and one female student. An additional 494 four-year, $4,000 scholarships are also provided. Students are judged on scholarship, leadership, and financial need. Applications are available at local Elks lodges, on the Web site, or by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the foundation. Contact: Elks National Foundation, 2750 N. Lakeview Ave., Chicago, IL 60614; (773) 755-4732; e-mail scholarship@elks.org; www.elks.org/enf/scholars/mvs.cfm.
—Ashtar Analeed Marcus and Marianne D. Hurst
