First National Bank of Omaha and Nebraska State Treasurer Don Stenberg today announced this year’s Draw Your Dreams scholarship winners, each of whom will take home a $1,000 contribution to a NEST 529 College Savings account.
The winners’ artwork will be displayed in the Nebraska State Capitol from September 17 through September 28, 2018. The Draw Your Dreams contest, which is held each September in celebration of College Savings Month, encourages students to envision their dreams for the future.
“Draw Your Dreams encourages young people to express their creativity and shows them that planning ahead can be fun and empowering,” said Treasurer Stenberg, Trustee of NEST 529. “This contest is a catalyst for important conversations about the future, and we hope families and students will be inspired to begin talking about their educational and vocational dreams. We are proud to offer the scholarship money that will provide a foundation for these goals.”
Contest participants—ranging in age from kindergarten to 8th grade—used a variety of artistic styles and techniques to represent their hopes for the future. Members of the Nebraska Art Teachers Association judged the entries and selected the 12 winners. A total of 83 entries were received. The winners’ grade levels and hometowns follow:
“At NEST 529, we strive to make the road to higher education as simple and affordable as possible for families,” said Deborah Goodkin, Managing Director, Savings Plans, First National Bank of Omaha. “Each year, Draw Your Dreams helps us work towards that ambition and allows families to begin discussions of children’s academic futures in artistic and unconventional ways. Motivating students to plan ahead is essential, and it’s a joy to witness their inspiration through these drawings.
“We want to congratulate all the winners and especially take note that six of the 12 winners are from the same small Nebraska school, Litchfield Public Schools. Since neither names nor hometowns are included with the artwork during judging, these pieces stood out all on their own. Congratulations to all 12 winners.”
More information is available at NEST529.com & NEST529Advisor.com.
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.
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.
