The Texas Department of Transportation is looking for students with innovative ideas about litterbags.
TxDOT has upped the ante for college-bound students by introducing a new scholarship award to their existing Don’t Mess with Texas Scholarship program.
For this new Don’t Mess with Texas Scholarship, TxDOT wants students to write an essay about how to get a litterbag in every car. The essay should focus on a creative and sustainable solution that would encourage Texans to use litterbags and get them in their hands. The winner earns a $1,000 scholarship.
TxDOT will also continue its traditional scholarship, which consists of a $3,000 grand prize scholarship and a $1,000 second-prize scholarship. To qualify for that scholarship money, students must write an essay identifying a specific litter problem at their own school or in their community and the action they took to address it.
As sponsor, Raytheon has provided the funds for this year’s scholarship program.
The scholarships are intended for high-school seniors planning to pursue a two- or four-year degree at a Texas university or college. Essays must be 300 to 350 words. Along with their essay(s), students are required to submit a completed application and two letters of recommendation. Students may apply for both the traditional scholarship and the litterbag scholarship, but must complete two separate essays.
To download an application and for complete rules, visit www.DontMessWithTexas.org.
A completed application, letters and essays must be addressed as follows and postmarked by April 4: Don’t Mess with Texas Scholarship Program, c/o EnviroMedia Social Marketing, 1717 West 6th Street, Suite 400, Austin, TX 78703.
The Texas Department of Transportation established the Don’t Mess with Texas Scholarship program in 2003 to reward high-school seniors who have worked to improve litter problems in their communities.
Research shows Texans ages 16 to 24 are the most likely to litter, and the scholarship is designed to help motivate and raise awareness among this peer group.
Don't Mess with Texas has been educating Texans about litter prevention since 1986. TxDOT’s litter prevention program includes Adopt-a-Highway and a grassroots partnership with Keep Texas Beautiful. TxDOT’s goals are to reduce congestion, enhance safety, expand economic opportunity, improve air quality and increase the value of transportation assets. For more information, visit www.dot.gov.
