The Riverside County Fair & National Date Festival has opened applications for its 2024 Date Festival Scholarship Program. The annual initiative will grant ten high school students a $2,000 scholarship each.
According to a post on X by the Riverside County Fair & National Date Festival, the scholarship program is financed through a $20,000 donation from Butler Amusements and Pickering Events. The program invites high school seniors residing in Riverside County to apply before the deadline of January 22 at 11:59 p.m.
As per the Riverside County Fair & National Date Festival website, eligibility criteria for applicants include being a Riverside County high school senior in the Class of 2024 and having an unweighted cumulative high school GPA of at least 3.0. Applicants are required to submit a 500-word essay on "The Importance of Community", unofficial grade transcripts (official transcripts will be needed before receiving the award), and a school identification card. Applications can be submitted online along with necessary documents at https://www.datefest.org/p/about/scholarships2024.
The festival's website also mentions that finalists will be selected based on their submitted documents, including their essays. It cautions against using artificial intelligence-generated essays and confirms that all submissions will be checked. Winners will be chosen from these finalists after a Zoom interview with the judging panel scheduled for either February 3 or February 4. Interview questions will revolve around their essays, school transcripts, aspirations, and basic knowledge about the Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival. Finalists will receive notification via email by January 26, while winners' names will be published on the festival's website on February 7.