USA TODAY Accepting Nominations for 22nd Annual USA TODAY All-USA College Academic Team

MCLEAN, Va., Nov. 29, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- USA TODAY is now accepting nominations for the twenty-second annual USA TODAY All-USA College Academic Team. The annual program honors full-time undergraduates who not only excel academically but also extend their intellectual abilities beyond the classroom to benefit society. Students named to the USA TODAY All-USA College Academic First Team will be featured in USA TODAY in Spring 2011 and will receive cash awards of $2,500.

The USA TODAY All-USA College Academic Team program is open to full-time undergraduates of at least junior standing at four-year institutions in the United States or its territories.  Students must be nominated by their schools and be willing to be presented in USA TODAY as a representative of all outstanding students.  Schools may nominate as many students as they consider appropriate candidates for this award.

Criteria include grades, academic rigor, leadership, activities and most important, the student's essay describing his or her most outstanding intellectual endeavor done while in college.  The USA TODAY All-USA College Academic Team is an award honoring students for what they have accomplished as undergraduates.

Criteria for the USA TODAY All-USA College Academic Team were developed in consultation with USA TODAY's education co-sponsors: the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU), Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE), the American Council on Education (ACE) and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).

For more information or to download a nomination form, log on to www.allusanomination.com (only electronic nomination forms will be accepted).  All nominations must be received by 11:59 pm E.T. February 18, 2011.

USA TODAY is a multi-platform news and information media company. Founded in 1982, USA TODAY's mission is to serve as a forum for better understanding and unity to help make the USA truly one nation. Today, through its newspaper, website and mobile platforms, USA TODAY connects readers and engages the national conversation. USA TODAY, the nation's number one newspaper in print circulation with an average of more than 1.8 million daily, and USATODAY.com, an award-winning newspaper website  launched in 1995, reach a combined 5.9 million readers daily. USA TODAY is a leader in mobile applications with more than six million downloads on mobile devices.  The USA TODAY brand also includes USA TODAY Education and USA TODAY Sports Weekly. USA TODAY is owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI).

SOURCE USA TODAY