SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Union County Commissioner Donna Beverage encourages local high school students to consider taking part in a video contest that offers college scholarships as prizes.

The National Special Districts Coalition, based in Sacramento, California, is promoting a scholarship contest designed to encourage young people to engage with local government to enhance their civics education, according to a press release. 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, grades nine to 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 fire districts, water districts, mosquito abatement districts, recreation and park districts, cemetery districts and more.

The top three winners will receive scholarship money of up to $2,000 based on their placement, as well as an additional $500 for their chosen teacher.

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. Videos must be submitted by Friday, March 31, and winners will be announced before June 1. Visit www.districtsmakethedifference.org/video-contest for more information.