Florida Realtors® Offers Seniors a Chance to Win Up to $6,000 in College Scholarship Awards

ORLANDO, Fla., Jan. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Attention Florida high school seniors: Time is running out for you to win up to $6,000 to help pay for college tuition next year. Better start writing – only a few weeks remain until the Feb. 9, 2011, deadline to enter Florida Realtors® 2010-2011 Scholarship/Essay Contest for High School Seniors, which offers a total of $28,000 in scholarship funding.

Students must write a typed, double-spaced essay, 500 words or less, on the topic, "How Does a Realtor® Professional Benefit the Community?" This topic gives students a wide range of real estate professional fields to write about, including residential brokerage, commercial brokerage, industrial and office brokerage, farm and land brokerage, real estate appraising, property management, land development and real estate counseling, to name just a few of the specialties.

Florida Realtors' scholarship program benefits students from across the state, with $1,000 in prize money going to the top essays in each of the state association's 13 districts in the state. Students with the 13 district-winning essays then compete to win three $5,000 Florida Realtors' scholarships on the statewide level, for a total of $28,000 in scholarship awards. All essays, along with an official Essay Cover Form, must be postmarked no later than Feb. 9, 2011, and mailed to Florida Realtors®, 7025 Augusta National Drive, P.O. Box 725025, Orlando, FL, 32872-5025.

"Investing in our children is a great way to build a better future," says 2011 Florida Realtors President Patricia "Patti" Fitzgerald, broker-manager with Illustrated Properties in Hobe Sound and Mariner Sands Country Club in Stuart. "Our successful scholarship essay contest helps deserving young people go to college. Realtors across Florida are proud to support this program, which gives students the opportunity to achieve their dreams."

Florida Realtors' statewide scholarship awards program is open only to high school seniors who reside in the state of Florida and plan on continuing their education at a college, university, technical school or other institution of higher learning. The college or institution of higher learning does not have to be located within the state of Florida. Children whose parents are licensed real estate practitioners are not eligible for contest entry; nor are children whose parents are employed by any local Realtor board/association or by the state association.

Scholarship contest rules and the official essay cover form are available at public and private senior high school guidance offices throughout the state. Or students, parents, teachers – anyone – can go to Florida Realtors' Media Center website (http://media.floridarealtors.org/scholarshipinfo.htm) to download the required essay cover form, list of Florida Realtors' District Vice Presidents and other scholarship/essay contest materials.

Florida Realtors®, formerly known as the Florida Association of Realtors®, serves as the voice for real estate in Florida. It provides programs, services, continuing education, research and legislative representation to its 115,000 members in 65 boards/associations. Florida Realtors® Media Center website is available at http://media.floridarealtors.org.

SOURCE Florida Realtors