News

KFC brings back Twitter scholarship promotion

December 1, 2011

KFC has brought back its Twitter scholarship promotion for the second year, awarding $20,000 to the high school senior who sends the winning message via the popular social media site.

This year's KFC Colonel's Scholars program application process requires a photo entry, instead of the 140 character text from last year's contest.

Starting today and through Dec. 8, high school seniors can try to win a $20,000 Colonel's Scholars scholarship by tweeting a single image to @KFC_Colonel and including the hashtag #KFCScholar.

Students who are interested should tweet a photo that illustrates why they exemplify Colonel Sanders' commitment to education and enriching their communities, and why they are deserving of a college scholarship. The scholarship winner, announced Dec. 15, will receive up to $5,000 per year for the next four years to pursue a bachelor's degree at an accredited public university within his or her home state.

"As an extension of Colonel Sanders' vision, the Kentucky Fried Chicken Foundation awards more than 75 scholarships to college hopefuls each year," said John Cywinski, president of KFC. "Last year, KFC broke new ground with the first-ever Twitter scholarship, and now, we're challenging students to snap a photo that literally shows us why they deserve a college education. We're excited to see their creativity."

Last year, California high school senior Amanda Russell won KFC's inaugural Twitter scholarship with this tweet: "#KFCScholar Hey Colonel! Your scholarship's the secret ingredient missing from my recipe for success! Got the grades, drive, just need cash!"

Russell is now a freshman at UCLA.

KFC Colonel's Scholars, now in its sixth year, is an annual program of the Kentucky Fried Chicken Foundation, an independent charity supported by KFC, its employees, franchisees and patrons. The program has awarded more than $5 million in scholarships since its inception.

Read more about social media promotions.