Hillstriders Graphic Design scholarship

Graphic Art Application

Hillstriders Graphic Art Scholarship Past Recipients
Total Scholarship Money Awarded ($ 3,500)

2020

Nicole Lieber (Penn State) McHenry East HS $500

Emily Young (University of Wisconsin LaCrosse) Crystal Lake South $500

Design Archive

The Hillstriders board of directors is proud to announce a new addition of a Graphic Design Scholarship to McHenry county area High School Seniors. The Graphic Design Scholarship was designed to help define the design for the March Madness Half Marathon. Up to Two design winners will be awarded a $500 scholarship to be paid to a university of college of their choice.

Purpose:
The Hillstriders Graphic Arts Scholarship is available to all college-bound students in McHenry County The scholarship is not based on academic or athletic accomplishments but for those who have a deep passion for creativity. .

Eligibility – A graduating senior from a McHenry County, IL resident and/or graduating senior from a McHenry County, IL High School in good standing, Applicants must have been applied and been accepted at a college or university, and enrolling in the fall. Receiving an award does not preclude the applicant from applying for and receiving other scholarships, loans, grants or other aid. However, applicants receiving fully paid tuition through a university scholarship (academic or athletic), Military Academy (Air Force, Naval, etc) corporate sponsorships or any other means will not qualify for the award. Should the scholarship be announced and awarded prior to notice on any of the above, the achievement of their place within the scholarship judging will remain recognized in our records, however, the financial award will be redistributed.

Requirements – as according to the Hillstrider Board direction for “theme”, any candidate will submit a design by the first Friday in April of each year. All designs must be ORIGINAL in vector format (ai), not copied from other artwork The designer should keep in mind the simplicity as the design will likely be printed on a Tech shirt or race metal. The artwork should limit the amount of colors to 4 and have legible writing. All designs shall have a maximum of 5 colors. All submitted designs will be the fully owned property of the Hillstriders Running Club and can be edited for printing

The completed application and graphic design must be emailed to hrcscholarship@gmail.com by Friday April 4, 2025.

The Hillstriders treasurer will send the recipient a check payable to the school the student will be attending.

Scholarship Acceptance:

The Hillstriders Board of Directors will review each design and determine the winners, based on how they meet the needs of the club for a premium and/or medal. The identity of the applicant will be withheld from the Selection Committee to assure complete objectivity. The scholarships will be awarded each May.

Design Challenge

The March Madness Half Marathon Race is held in March every year. The race is known for its challenging hills and un-predicted weather. The race provides shirts and medals to all finishers. We are looking for creative help to design the shirt logo and medal for the 2025 race. The link provided shows some of the recent designs in the past few years.

The 2026 Race is planned to be around March 15th 2026 The race is held in Cary IL, submissions could include anything that brings the rich history of the town or McHenry county. Other submission ideas will also be accepted, this could include any number of design ideas such as ,a runner, running shoes, hills, road, etc. Good Luck!

Note: Shamrocks will only be used when the event is held on March 17th

2024 Winners

2022

Addisyn Donfris Cary Grove $500
Tyler Braun Johnsburg $500

2024

Emma Swiersz Huntley $500

Ryan Soli Cary Grove $500

2021

Elizabeth Hying (University of MN) McHenry West $500