ARLINGTON, VA -- High school seniors who include promotions for U.S.-grown rice in their back-to-school plans could earn up to $4,000 in the USA Rice Federation's National Rice Month Scholarship Contest, sponsored by Dow AgroSciences. High school seniors in the 2012/2013 school year from rice-growing counties in the six major rice-growing states of Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Texas are eligible to apply. For more information on eligibility and an entry form, visit the USA Rice website.

Three scholarship prizes totaling $8,500 are available. The grand prize is a $4,000 scholarship and a trip for the winner and a chaperone to attend the 2012 USA Rice Outlook Conference, to be held Dec. 9-11, in Coronado, CA, for the award presentation. The second-place winner will receive a $3,000 scholarship and the third-place winner a $1,500 award.

Entries must be submitted by Oct. 12 and will be judged on creativity as well as effectiveness in promoting U.S.-grown rice, National Rice Month and the importance of rice in the entrant's state.