Entries are due August 5 for the NEST on the Farm Scholarship contest for children of Nebraska farmers. The winners will be recognized September 3 at the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island.

The NEST on the Farm Scholarship contest is sponsored by First National Bank of Omaha and Nebraska State Treasurer Don Stenberg. Three winners will each receive a $5,000 NEST (Nebraska Educational Savings Trust) scholarship sponsored by First National Bank of Omaha. Treasurer Stenberg is trustee of the Nebraska Educational Savings Trust.

Each contestant is asked to write and submit an essay describing how growing up as part of a farming family influences his or her goals for higher education. The typed essay must be no more than 750 words and may be submitted one of two ways:

• Email to NEST@fnni.com no later than 11:59 p.m. August 5, 2011. The subject line should read: NEST on the Farm Scholarship.
• Mail to First National Bank of Omaha, ATTN: NEST on the Farm Scholarship, 1620 Dodge Street, Stop 1105, Omaha, NE 68197 (postmarked no later than August 5, 2011).

Entries will be divided into three age groups: 7-9 years of age; 10-11 years of age; and 12-13 years of age. Additional qualifications include:

• The children must live on a farm, or a parent or guardian must work on a Nebraska farm. Winners will need to provide proof of age, proof of living on a farm and/or proof that a parent or guardian works on a Nebraska farm.
• The children must have valid social security numbers and Nebraska residential street addresses.
• The children must fall within their respective age groups on the day the award is announced.
• The scholarship will be awarded to the child and deposited into an account owned by the Nebraska Educational Savings Trust, held on behalf of the winner. Winnings and earnings, if any, can only be used to pay for qualified higher education expenses at an eligible educational institution, which includes colleges, universities, community colleges and technical schools in the United States and some abroad. The winnings do not have to be used at a Nebraska school.
• If the child cannot use the scholarship, the money will be forfeited.

For complete scholarship contest rules and regulations, visit the NEST Direct College Savings Plan at www.NEST529direct.com, the State Treasurer’s Office at www.treasurer.org, or the Department of Agriculture at www.agr.ne.gov