Bicentennial contest celebrates Illinois, provides scholarship opportunities

SPRINGFIELD — Twenty-three Illinois high school students will have the chance to win a total of $12,000 in scholarship money in an essay contest celebrating Illinois’ 200th birthday in 2018.

Illinois Realtors is sponsoring the contest which seeks essays written on a theme of “Home Is Where the Heart Is.”

Participants can enter the contest through Feb. 15, 2018. There will be 11 scholarships awarded for $250, 11 for $750 and a top award for $1,000.

“We thought a great way to celebrate the state’s bicentennial was to have students share personal stories about what makes Illinois such a great place to live,” said Dixon Realtor Vicky Turner, chair of the Illinois Realtors Bicentennial Task Force.

The essay contest is open to any Illinois student in the ninth through 12th grades, and essays must be between 500 and 700 words. The contest winners will be notified April 1, and they will be recognized by the Illinois Bicentennial Commission as well as Illinois Realtors.

For contest rules and information on how to enter, go to www.illinoisrealtor.org/bicentennial.

Illinois Realtors represents more than 47,000 members engaged in all aspects of the real estate business.

— The Illinois Business Journal