Scholarship Offered For 'Coolest Technology' Essay Winner

Think you know what the "Coolest Technology of The Next 25 Years" will be? Then you could be the scholarship winner through an essay contest sponsored by CompTIA

The IT Scholarship Essay Contest, announced Wednesday, coincides with the computer trade association's 25th Anniversary, and is open to high school seniors and college students.

High school seniors are eligible to compete for scholarships if they have CompTIA certification or are enrolled in a class preparing them for the certification. College students are eligible if they attend institutions that are members of the CompTIA Education to Careers Program in the U.S. or Canada, are pursuing a technology-related degree and have received certification or are taking a class that prepares them for certification.

Contestants are encouraged to look at the release of the first version of Microsoft Windows (1985) and the launch of the first Apple iPod (2001) and explain, in 1,000 words or less, what will be the "coolest new technology of the next 25 years." They will be judged in five categories: creativity, comprehension, organization, conclusion and writing.

John Venator, president and chief executive officer, CompTIA, said that he could think of no better way to celebrate CompTIA's 25 years of service than by fostering the career development of the next generation of industry leaders who will impact the next 25 years.

Participants must enter their essays by May 15, either through traditional mail or electronically.

Five winners will receive $5,000 each, be recognized during an awards ceremony in Las Vegas and have their entries posted on a CompTIA Web site. Winners must use the scholarships for tuition, books, or other expenses incurred in pursuit of a technology-related degree.

CompTIA has a charitable foundation that gives out separate IT Merit Awards, or smaller scholarships, to high school and college students, as well as adult learners, twice a year, Steven Ostrowski, director of corporate communications for CompTIA, said.