Alaska High School Students Invited to Apply for Fair Scholarships
Contributed by Melissa Keefe
“Educate” is a key part of the Alaska State Fair mission, and as part of this focus area, the Fair is pleased to award annual scholarships to Alaska high school students. This year, the Fair will award $8,000 in scholarships. Scholarships are open to all Alaska junior and senior high school students who plan to attend college or vocational school. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, March 26, 2025, by 4:30 p.m. AKDT.
The 2025 scholarship awards include:
- $3,000 first-place award
- $2,000 second-place award
- $1,500 third-place award
- $1,000 4-H/FFA/Vendor/Dependent of Fair Member award
- One $500 honorable mention award
Every student who submits a completed application will receive two free admissions to the 2025 Fair, which is scheduled for August 15 – September 1 at the fairgrounds in Palmer.
To apply, students should submit:
- Cover letter; explain why you think you’re a good candidate and include your name, address, phone and email, school name and phone, counselor’s name, and the name of the college or vocational school he or she plans to attend
- Extracurricular resume including interests, clubs, community service and/or employment
- One letter of recommendation
- A photo that may be used for publicity purposes
- Written essay (1,000 words or less) or creative project (audio, video, performance or visual arts, business plan, social media campaign, arts and crafts, photography, etc.). Please note that DVDs will not be accepted. Students can submit videos online by uploading to their personal YouTube, Instagram or other video account, then entering the video URL on the submission page.
All other application materials should be submitted to: Alaska State Fair, Attn: Kelly Larson, 2075 Glenn Hwy., Palmer, Alaska 99645.
The written essay or creative project should address one of the following topics:
Interview a community elder or farmer and share their story through an essay or video.
Alaska is number one in the nation for new farmers. We have the youngest population of farmers, and the largest percentage of women involved in agriculture.
What can the Fair do to keep this trend growing?
(continued alaskastatefair.org)