Hamilton Students Earns Top Award in Statewide Art Contest

A Hamilton student has won third place in a statewide art competition and will receive $1,000 in a college savings account at a State House ceremony on Wednesday.

Alexander Kohler illustrated an architect in his winning submission to the 9th Annual College Savings Art Competition, sponsored by the Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority, the state’s authority on college financing.

The nine student winners, who submitted artwork depicting the theme “What do I want to be when I graduate from college?” will share a total of $24,000 in prize money distributed to each in a U.Fund College Investing Plan account, the Massachusetts 529 college savings plan offered by MEFA and managed by Fidelity Investments.  To see all the winning artwork, visit go to the MEFA website.

“Celebrating 529 Day with a State House ceremony honoring the achievement of these students gives us the opportunity to talk to parents across Massachusetts about the importance of saving for college. It is easy to set up a U.Fund account and start saving even a little bit each month. In addition to saving toward a goal, opening a 529 College Savings account helps parents build hope and aspiration for the child’s dream of college,” said Thomas Graf, executive director of MEFA.

The College Savings Art Competition is open to all Massachusetts students in grades K-5, from public, charter, private and home-based schools.  Second- and third-place winners will receive $2,000 and $1,000 respectively, which will be deposited in the student’s name in a U.Fund College Investing Plan account.

Across the nation, states are recognizing May 29th as 529 Day highlighting for families the importance of saving for college in 529 college savings plans. In Massachusetts, MEFA is sponsoring a number of events for residents statewide to discuss and get information on college savings and 529 plans. MEFA will lead a Twitter chat on college savings with the hashtag #MA529day.  In addition, MEFA’s staff will conduct free college savings seminars at its Boston office.