Newton Citizen

ACT recently kicked off its annual high school student poster design contest.

The special event encourages creativity on the part of students as they make plans to attend college and to take the ACT college entrance exam.

The ACT is a curriculum-based achievement exam designed to measure the academic skills that are taught in schools and deemed important for success in first-year college courses. ACT scores are accepted by all four-year colleges and universities across the country. ACT scores are also used to make appropriate course placement decisions by the majority of four-year schools in the U.S. The ACT is administered in all 50 states and is taken by a majority of high school graduates in 27 states.

Students may design and submit posters using visual designs, artwork and tag lines that promote the value of college and the ACT test. Participants must be U.S. high school students who plan to apply for 2010 or 2011 admission to a U.S. two-year or four-year institution.

The student with the winning design will receive a $5,000 scholarship to the college of their choice. In addition, his or her design will be used on the poster printed to display ACT test dates during the 2010 -2011 school year. This winning poster will be distributed to high schools nationwide.

Second and third place winners will receive $2,500 and $1,000 scholarships, respectively.

Winners will be selected based on creativity, visual appeal and overall impact.

The official entry form and poster must be postmarked between October 19, 2009 and January 30, 2010. Winners will be announced in February 2010.

For more information, visit actstudent.org/postercontest.