Nebraska State Treasurer Don Stenberg is reminding seventh and eighth graders that entries for the 2015 “Why I Want to Go to College” writing contest must be submitted on or before March 27. The 13th annual contest is sponsored by the Nebraska State Treasurer’s Office and the Omaha Storm Chasers.
Twelve winners will be recognized at the May 10 Storm Chasers game at Werner Park in Papillion, Neb. Three winners will be chosen in each of Nebraska’s three U.S. Congressional districts, and three winners will be selected from outside Nebraska.
First-place winners will each receive a $2,000 contribution to a Nebraska Educational Savings Trust (NEST) college savings plan. Second-place winners will each receive a $1,000 contribution to a NEST plan, and third-place winners will each receive a $500 contribution to a NEST plan. First-place winners from Nebraska will receive a one-night hotel stay in Omaha, and all Nebraska winners will receive tickets to the May 10 game.
The Nebraska Educational Savings Trust, Nebraska’s 529 college savings program, is a division of the Nebraska State Treasurer’s Office.
“Each year, I look forward to reading what these seventh and eighth graders from Nebraska and across the United States write about their educational goals, the people who inspire them, and the contributions they want to make to their families, their communities, and their nation. Their words inspire us at NEST to work hard to provide the best college savings program possible so parents and grandparents can help these young people achieve their goals for higher education at a four-year college, a two-year community college, or a technical school,” Stenberg said.
Entries are due March 27.
The following rules apply to contest entries:
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.
