The National Special Districts Coalition is promoting its third annual scholarship contest for high school students designed to encourage young people to engage with local government to enhance their civics education.

The scholarships are designed as awards for a student video contest operated through the coalition’s public awareness campaign “Districts Make The Difference.”

High school students in grades nine through 12 are asked to submit a short video (60 seconds or less) that provides a glimpse into the essential services provided by special districts in the United States.

There are more than 30,000 special districts in the U.S., and they include a wide variety of services specific to their community’s needs.

Examples include some fire districts, water districts, mosquito abatement districts, recreation and park districts, cemetery districts, and more.

At the end of May, Districts Make The Difference will award:

• $2,000 for the first-place winner.

• $1,000 for the second-place winner.

• $500 for the third-place winner.

As a bonus, $500 will be awarded to the student’s chosen teacher for each winning video.

“This scholarship fosters an awareness of local government at a young age to encourage students to gain an understanding of the essential services special districts provide in their communities,” NSDC Board Member Neil McCormick said.

Students can visit the Districts Make the Difference website to watch past years’ video submissions and learn more about the guidelines for this year’s contest.

The video submission period ends March 31.

Visit districtsmakethedifference.org/video-contest for more information.