High school and college students in the Lehigh Pocono area are eligible to win scholarships of $300 to $1,000 in the 2012 Mensa Scholarship Competition.

This annual scholarship contest is sponsored by MERF (Mensa Education and Research Foundation) and Lehigh Pocono Mensa. Lehigh Pocono Mensa will award a $300 scholarship to the best local essay received. Approximately 5 of the best essays received will be forwarded to the regional and national contests.

The only requirement for the competition is that the applicant be enrolled in a degree program at an accredited American institution of post-secondary education for the 2012 Fall/Winter term. The scholarships will be judged and awarded solely on the basis of an essay of fewer than 550 words describing the applicant's academic or career goal. Applicants need not be members of Mensa.

Scholarship entries must be postmarked on or before January 15, 2012. A scholarship application with full contest details can be obtained in PDF format here, or by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope before December 31, 2011 to:

Scholarship Committee
Lehigh Pocono Mensa
1998 Harold Ave.
Allentown, PA 18104-1550