As part of the celebration of College Savings Month in September, NEST 529 College Savings and First National Bank of Omaha announced today the fourth annual “Draw Your Dreams” scholarship contest. Twelve winners will each receive a $1,000 scholarship in a NEST 529 College Savings Plan account.
The contest is open to children in first grade through eighth grade in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The first 400 submissions entered between Sept. 1 and Sept. 30 will be considered as entries.
To qualify for the scholarship, students must create and submit 9-inch by 12-inch landscape-oriented pictures of what they dream of becoming when they grow up. Each piece of art must be created using pencil, crayons, paint, or watercolor or paper collage. Members of the Nebraska Art Teachers Association will judge the contest entries.
“An art contest is an ideal opportunity for children and young people to express their dreams and to explore their futures,” Nebraska State Treasurer Don Stenberg said. “Encouraging children and their parents to think about saving for college and making wise career choices is an important part of my work as Trustee of the Nebraska Educational Savings Trust, known as NEST. We see children’s faces light up when we talk about the NEST drawing contest and the opportunity to have their artwork recognized by First National Bank and the Treasurer’s Office. This year, we look forward to seeing a wide variety of artwork from children and young people across the country.”
“As program manager for NEST 529 College Savings, we are delighted to provide scholarship money to the winners of Draw Your Dreams,” said Deborah Goodkin, Managing Director, First National Bank of Omaha. “Seeing children’s dreams for their future come to life through their art is truly inspiring.”
The entry period begins Sept. 1. All entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. Sept. 30. Only scanned or photographed copies of the original drawings are accepted. Entries may be submitted electronically via planartsnetwork.org where a parent or guardian can upload the art and enter contact information. Mailed copies (not originals) of the drawing are also accepted. They may be mailed to First National Bank of Omaha, ATTN: Draw Your Dreams Scholarship, 1620 Dodge St., Stop 1105, Omaha, NE 68197-1105. All entries must include entrant information as explained in the official rules.
For complete scholarship contest rules and regulations, visit the NEST 529 College Savings website at NEST529.com or the Nebraska State Treasurer’s website at treasurer.nebraska.gov.
About First National Bank of Omaha
First National Bank of Omaha is a subsidiary of First National of Nebraska. First National of Nebraska and its affiliates have more than $23 billion in assets and 5,000 employee associates. Primary banking offices are located in Nebraska, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, South Dakota and Texas.
About NEST
NEST is a tax-advantaged 529 college savings plan and provides four plans to help make saving for college simple and affordable: NEST Direct College Savings Plan, the NEST Advisor College Savings Plan, the Bloomwell 529 Education Savings Plan, and the State Farm 529 Savings Plan. The Nebraska State Treasurer serves as Program Trustee. Union Bank & Trust Company serves as Program Manager, and all investments are approved by the Nebraska Investment Council. Families nationwide are saving for college using Nebraska’s 529 College Savings Plans, which have more than 285,000 accounts, including over 94,000 in Nebraska. Visit NEST529.com and treasurer.nebraska.gov for more information.
