First National Bank of Omaha and Nebraska State Treasurer Don Stenberg today announced the seventh annual “Draw Your Dreams” contest for children in kindergarten through eighth grade. The contest will award 12 winners each with a $1,000 contribution to a NEST 529 College Savings Plan account.
To qualify, an applicant must be one of the first 400 entries received between 12:00:00 a.m. CT on April 17, 2018, and 11:59:59 p.m. CT on May 17, 2018. Students must submit their drawings – pictures of what they dream they will be when they grow up – as 9- by 12-inch landscapes, using pencil, crayon, paint, watercolor or paper collage. The submission must be the entrant’s original creation.
Members of the Nebraska Art Teachers Association will judge the entries and select the 12 winners on or about June 15, 2018. The contest is open to children in kindergarten through eighth grade in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
“The Draw Your Dreams scholarship contest is a fun way to encourage young artists to dream about their future careers and set important goals,” said Nebraska Treasurer Stenberg. "The contest provides a creative outlet to inspire big dreams and helps families across the country learn more about how to finance higher education through our excellent NEST College Savings Plan. The contest provides a jump start to college savings for 12 lucky winners.”
“Each year, the children’s artwork showcases their creativity and talent,” said Deborah Goodkin, Managing Director, Savings Plans, First National Bank of Omaha. “It is a privilege to play a role in helping 12 children’s dreams become a reality, and we are eager to see the visual representations of those aspirations in this year’s submissions.”
Entries may be submitted as digital images at planartsnetwork.org or by mailing copies of the artwork to First National Bank, ATTN: Draw Your Dreams Scholarship, 1620 Dodge Street, Stop 1105, Omaha, NE 68197-1105. All entries must be postmarked between April 17 and May 17, 2018, to be considered. Multiple entries per child will be disqualified.
For complete scholarship contest rules, visit NEST529.com/scholarships. Contest rules also are available at treasurer.nebraska.gov/csp/scholarships.
About NEST 529
NEST 529 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 297,000 accounts, including over 97,000 Nebraskans. Visit NEST529.com and treasurer.nebraska.gov for more information.
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.
