PHOENIX — With nearly 100 dairy farms in Arizona and 1.5 million gallons of milk produced every day, there is no question that Arizona has a thriving agriculture industry and a commitment to producing high-quality milk. With the launch of Arizona Milk Producers annual scholarship program, their commitment extends beyond cows to our community where students have the chance to earn $30,000 worth of scholarship money.
Arizona high school seniors and college students can win one of three scholarships simply by taking a milk mustache photo and uploading it to Instagram or the Arizona Milk Producers website. The first-place winner will receive a $12,000 scholarship, the second-place winner will receive $10,000 and the third-place winner will receive $8,000. Throughout the program students will be awarded tickets to ASU, NAU and UofA football games. Students can start entering Monday, Aug. 3, 2015.
"The Kerr family has been providing nutritious milk to Arizonans for four generations," said Bill Kerr, owner of Kerr Family Dairy. "Our roots are here so our commitment to community goes beyond producing high quality, farm-fresh milk and I'm thrilled to be part of a program helping students earn an education."
To enter, students need to upload a photo of their best milk mustache to Instagram while tagging @azmilkproducers and using the hashtag #ampscholarshipcontest. The photo must feature a dairy product, such as milk, yogurt or cheese, and the student must also specify which college football tickets they want by using the following hashtags: #asu, #uofa or #nau. Applicants are encouraged to be creative with their photos, showing how dairy plays a role in their day-to-day lives.
Last year's first-place winner was a senior at Youngker High School in Buckeye. Meaggan's winning image depicted her donning a milk mustache while enjoying vanilla milk and standing next to a baby calf. Meaggan is currently attending Northern Arizona University (NAU).
"I am defined most by my ability to set goals and commit to them. My family and faith are truly what guides me and have allowed me to work hard in gaining an education," said Meaggan. "Thanks to Arizona Dairy Farmers, I was able to pay one semester of tuition with leftover funds and am so grateful to be studying at NAU."
Starting Aug. 24 and continuing throughout the 2015 college football season, each week three contestants will win a pair of tickets to the next ASU, NAU or UofA home football game. From this group of weekly winners, 15 finalists will be selected based on their entry and will receive a pair of seats to the Fiesta Bowl football game on Jan. 1, 2016. At the Fiesta Bowl game, the top three scholarship winners will be announced.
Scholarship nominees must be Arizona residents eligible for the 2016 term or currently enrolled with a minimum of 12 credit hours at an Arizona university. Official rules, details and drawing dates are posted on the official sweepstakes at www.dairycouncilofaz.org.
About Arizona Milk Producers
For more than 40 years, The Dairy Council of Arizona has been promoting good health and nutrition in the classroom and the community. The Dairy Council of Arizona's mission is to encourage all Arizonans to get their three daily servings of dairy. We do this by promoting school wellness, Dietary Guidelines, sharing recipes and providing a vast collection of nutritional and educational resources we hope you'll milk for all they're worth.
Source: Arizona Milk Producers
