SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES await high school students in rice-growing communities as they head back to school. September is National Rice Month, and the USA Rice Federation is sponsoring a scholarship contest to encourage rice promotion and support education.

High school juniors and seniors whose families are directly involved in the rice industry are eligible for the USA Rice NRM Scholarships. To qualify to win, students must run a promotion in their local community during September with U.S.-grown rice as the central theme.

The contest will be held in the six major rice-growing states: Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Texas. A first and second place winner from each state will be selected and awarded $1,000 and $500 respectively.

A national grand-prize winner will be selected from the first place state winners and will receive a total scholarship award of $2,000. The national winner also wins an expense-paid trip in December with the recipient's chaperone to the USA Rice Outlook Conference in Austin, Texas, for the scholarship presentation.

For more information, tips on planning NRM promotions and a scholarship application, visit: http://www.usarice.com/industry/communication/ricemonth.html.