October 15, 2008
Scholarship Essay Contest
for High School Juniors and Seniors
Contest encourages students to learn about planning in their community.
CHICAGO — High school juniors and seniors are invited to enter the American Planning Association's (APA) annual high school essay contest. Two $5,000 college scholarships will be awarded.
Students are asked to create a historic preservation plan for their community. The plan should focus on preserving the community's significant historic areas, buildings, elements, or features. Students have three options for the essay:
- If your community is more than 100 years old, bring your community's existing historic preservation plan up to date.
- Consider how to preserve the recent past of your community if it was built after 1945.
- If your community has a significant historic plan that is more than 75 years old, identify the elements of the plan that are still relevant and worth preserving. Consider how the plan may promote sustainability.
Essay submissions are due January 15, 2009. Eligibility and additional information is available at www.planning.org/essay.
The high school essay contest is part of APA's celebration of National Community Planning Month. This year's essay theme coincides with the upcoming Centennial of the Planning Movement in America.
"Preserving the historical character of a community is part of planning for the future," said Carolyn Torma, APA's director of education. "Through the essay contest, we want to encourage students to learn more about their own community and the planning profession."
Two students will each receive a $5,000 scholarship to the college or university he or she attends after graduation and complimentary registration and a travel stipend to attend an APA National Planning Conference. Ten additional essays will receive honorable mentions. Students earning an honorable mention will receive a $100 gift certificate to APA's PlanningBooks.com store.
Essays will be judged by a panel of planning and education professionals on research and analysis, creativity and quality of the plan, and writing quality and organization. Students will be notified of the panel's selections in March 2009.
This is the third year APA has sponsored the high school essay contest. Previous winners wrote about affordable housing and green neighborhoods. To read the previous winning essays or for more information on the contest, visit www.planning.org/essay.
Contact
Roberta Rewers, APA, 312-786-6395; rrewers@planning.org
