Lakeside Bank "Write On!" Creative Writing Challenge

Overview of Scholarship & Description:
Lakeside Bank is pleased to offer a $2,500 scholarship to deserving CPS HS Seniors in good standing who have been accepted to an accredited two or four-year college in the Fall of 2024 and can demonstrate financial need. Enter our creative writing challenge! Any genre of your choice! A children’s story. Historical fiction. An animal story. A mystery. It could be a social issue. It’s whatever you want to write about. Whatever story you want to tell. The only requirement: weave in something obsessed over, fought over, lied for, stolen, given away, loved, hoarded, thought good, thought evil: MONEY. How you do that is up to you. Essay to be between 750-1,000 words.

Informational Sheet: View Here

CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS MUST LOG-IN & APPLY VIA ACADEMIC WORKS ONLY
Need Help logging-in to Academic Works? Check out the Academic Works User Comprehension Guide for assistance with your application.

Do you attend a CPS Charter School? Click Here to View Instructions & Complete the Electronic Application

Eligibility Requirements:

  • 2024 graduating CPS high school senior in good standing (no GPA requirements)
  • Have financial need, as demonstrated by your FAFSA Expected Family Contribution (EFC) OR by a copy of your Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid (intended for qualifying undocumented and transgender students) OR by your Proof of Household Income, which includes: Parent(s) IRS form 1040 or 1040 EZ, 2022 W-2 Forms, Student 2022 Income Tax Return, signed and dated (if applicable), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Award Letter, Woman Infants and Children (WIC) Award Letter, SSI Award Letter, Statement from CPS Homeless Liaison, or a letter from your employer indicating your parent/guardian annual earnings
    IT IS MANDATORY FOR ALL STUDENTS TO SUBMIT APPLICABLE FINANCIAL RECORDS IN THE SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONS BELOW, WHICH INCLUDES: FAFSA STUDENT AID REPORT (SAR); EFC NUMBER; ALTERNATIVE APPLICATION FOR ILLINOIS FINANCIAL AID; OR PROOF OF HOUSEHOLD INCOME.
  • Applicant must be accepted at an accredited two or four-year college for the fall 2024 term

How will stories be judged? Winners will be selected by the Lakeside Bank Scholarship Committee, based on an objective and non-discriminatory review. Age, gender, race, grades … none of that matters.

The Committee will score all entries on:

  • Your ability to move us. Make us laugh, cry, think.
  • Originality.
  • Story structure. Is the tale well told? Is the language clear? Is the grammar correct?
  • How well you integrate the MONEY theme into your story idea.

A completed application consists of…

  1. Confirmation you are a CPS high school senior, graduating June 2024
  2. Your essay of 750-1,000 words
  3. Proof of fall 2024 acceptance to an accredited 2 or 4 year college or university
  4. FASFA or Student Aid Report (Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid/Proof of Household Income is required for DREAMer Students ONLY)

DREAMer Students: Please complete the “Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid” OR “Proof of Household Income” question below and ignore the FAFSA questions. (A DREAmer is a non-U.S. citizen or permanent resident high school student who qualifies for in-state college tuition under Illinois’ HB-60 State Legislation and who will benefit from the Illinois DREAM Act, a provision that supports children of immigrants in Illinois signed by Illinois Governor Pat Quinn in 2011.)

Renewable: No
Open to DREAMers: Yes
Questions? Contact the CPS Scholarship Manager via email at CollegeScholarships@cps.edu OR the Lakeside Bank Contest Coordinator at CPScontest@lakesidebank.com.

Award
$2,500
Deadline
05/03/2024
Supplemental Questions
  1. Will you be pursuing a full-time undergraduate degree, academic bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in the fall of 2023?
  2. Please upload your college letter of acceptance OR proof of applying. The letter of acceptance or proof must come from a regionally accredited two or four-year institution of higher learning.
  3. REQUIRED for U.S. Citizens: What is your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) Number? It is located on your FAFSA Student Aid Report (SAR)
  4. Please upload a copy of your Student Aid Report (SAR) from the FAFSA (www.fafsa.ed.gov) OR a copy of your Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid (intended for qualifying undocumented and transgender students)
  5. REQUIRED for DREAMer* Students ONLY: Proof of Household Income- Any of the following documents may be uploaded: Parent(s) IRS form 1040 or 1040 EZ, 2022 W-2 Forms, Student 2022 Income Tax Return, signed and dated (if applicable), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Award Letter, Woman Infants and Children (WIC) Award Letter, SSI Award Letter, Statement from CPS Homeless Liaison, or a letter from your employer indicating your parent/guardian annual earnings.
  6. Write an original short story of 750 to 1,000 words. Your ideas may be science fiction, social issues, about history, art, a person, a family ... whatever you want to write! The only requirement: weave Lakeside Bank’s tagline, “It’s about time,” into the story. This does not mean simply using the words. It means incorporating the concept into your story. How you do that is up to you.
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