Photo entries to the 2017 NEST on the Farm Fun Photo Drawing, sponsored by the Nebraska Educational Savings Trust (NEST), are due Friday, June 30, State Treasurer Don Stenberg reminded Nebraskans today. Stenberg is Trustee of NEST.
Six winners each will receive a $1,000 contribution to a NEST 529 college savings account. The winners will be recognized August 26 at the Family Fun Zone stage at the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island.
NEST on the Farm is intended to highlight Nebraska’s rich tradition of farm and ranch life and to encourage Nebraska families to begin saving for higher education when their children are young. In the drawing, Nebraska residents are asked to submit photos of children age 13 or younger in farm and ranch settings or photos taken by the children themselves in farm or ranch settings.
Entries will be divided into two age groups: newborn to age 5 and ages 6 to 13. One winner will be selected in each age group from each of the three congressional districts in Nebraska for a total of six winners.
“Hosting our NEST on the Farm winners and their families at the Nebraska State Fair is one of the highlights of the year for my office. We are always curious to see what images these young photographers and their parents capture in their pictures of Nebraska farms and ranches. This is a great opportunity to combine Nebraska’s largest industry, agriculture, with a fun and easy-to-enter scholarship opportunity for Nebraska children,” Treasurer Stenberg said.
“We are thrilled to contribute to the growth of six children’s college savings through the Farm Fun Photo Drawing,” said Deborah Goodkin, Managing Director, Savings Plans, First National Bank of Omaha. First National Bank of Omaha is Program Manager of NEST.
“We enjoy making things easy for our account owners. With this scholarship, going outside and having a photoshoot in a farm or ranch setting can lead to a potential $1,000 in college savings. Children, parents, grandparents and other loved ones are encouraged to enter. We look forward to seeing the fun and creative photos,” Goodkin said.
To enter the NEST on the Farm drawing, the beneficiary must be age 13 or younger as of June 30, 2017. Photos may be submitted by email at NEST@fnni.com, following the official guidelines, available at NEST529.com/scholarships and at treasurer.nebraska.gov/csp/scholarships/.
To find out more about NEST College Savings Plans, visit www.nest529.com/ or 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.
