28 January 2004 Scholarships for District Final Entrants Again on Offer

A winning opportunity for eligible Young Farmer Contest District Final entrants to take up study at Lincoln University is on the prize list again this year.

Seven study scholarships, each with a potential value up to $3880 and covering full tuition fees for one year of undergraduate or postgraduate study, will be awarded to a District Final entrant in each Region.

The announcement and presentation will be made at each of the seven Regional Finals of this year's The National Bank Young Farmer Contest.

First offered as a "grass roots" level prize in the 2002 contest, the awards are known as The National Bank Young Farmer Contest Scholarships for Excellence. An application form and full details are given as part of the official Young Farmer Contest Entry Form.

The scholarships can be used for one year of undergraduate or postgraduate study in relation to the full range of Lincoln qualifications, certificates, diplomas and degrees.

To hold the scholarship, applicants must be eligible to enter university and be normally resident in the region in which they are competing as a finalist. The regions are – Northern; Waikato/Bay of Plenty; East Coast; Taranaki/Manawatu; Tasman; Aorangi; Otago/Southland.

Criteria for the scholarships include potential for academic success at university level, leadership ability or potential and community service. Judging is on merit as indicated in the application form and being awarded a scholarship is not necessarily linked to winning the skills and other competitive events in the main part of the Young Farmer Contest.

If you haven't got a Young Farmer Contest Entry Form handy and you want to enter and apply for one of the scholarships then you can contact the Scholarships Officer, PO Box 94, Lincoln University, Canterbury, or check out the contest website – www.youngfarmercontest.co.nz .

Ian Collins, Journalist, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand