UNL’s 38th annual Modern Language Fair is set for April 10, and organizers are calling for entries by March 7 into the $1,000 scholarship essay contest.

Junior and senior high school students are invited to compete for four $1,000 scholarships in the essay contest. The competition is open to eligible students who will enroll at UNL and declare a major in French, German or Spanish. To enter, students must submit a 300-word essay written in Spanish, French or German around this year’s theme: “How will a degree in modern languages help me achieve my future goals?” Three finalists from each category will be notified by March 24. The finalists in each category will give a five-minute presentation at the Language Fair where they will read their essay and answer questions from a panel of judges in the target language.

The Modern Language Fair on April 10 in Nebraska Union, 14th and R streets, will give high school students the opportunity to showcase their foreign language skills through competitions, including dramatic readings, musical performances or reciting poetry. Students can also design a colorful and informative poster on the theme of folklore. The event offers competitions in French, German, Spanish, Russian, Chinese or Japanese and against students of similar skill levels. Faculty and graduate students from UNL’s Department of Modern Languages and Literatures serve as judges.

There are also non-competitive opportunities such as language mini-lessons, international folk dancing lessons and campus tours. Registration is scheduled for 8 a.m. and opening ceremonies will kick off the day’s events at 9 a.m. The day wraps up with a 2 p.m. awards ceremony.

There is no registration deadline, though the fee for those who pre-register by March 7 is $9. The registration fee on the day of the event is $12. Any student is welcome, but must be accompanied by a teacher from his or her school.

For more details, go to http://modlang.unl.edu/content/languagefair.shtml or contact Shannon Parry at sparry3@unl.edu or 402-472-7032.