High school and college students in the Lehigh Valley, and some near-by areas of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, are eligible to win scholarships of $300 to $1,000 in the 2009/2010 Mensa scholarship competition. This annual scholarship contest is sponsored by American Mensa, the high-IQ society, through the Mensa Education and Research Foundation and Lehigh-Pocono Mensa.

The only requirements for the contest are that the applicant be enrolled in a degree program at an accredited American institution of post-secondary education for the 2010 Fall/Winter term and be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. The scholarships will be judged and awarded solely on the basis of an essay of fewer than 550 words describing the applicant's academic or career goal. Applicants need not be members of Mensa.Scholarship entries must be postmarked on or before January 15, 2010. Scholarship applications, with full contest details, can be obtained from guidance counselors or financial aid advisers, or by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Scholarship Committee, Lehigh-Pocono Mensa, 1998 Harold Ave., Allentown, Pa., before Dec. 31, 2009.Mensa is an international society with over 50,000 members nationwide. The only requirement for membership in Mensa is a score, on any standardized IQ test, higher than 98 percent of the general population. For information on Mensa in general, contact: American Mensa LTD, 1229 Corporate Dr. W. Arlington, TX 76006-6103, phone (817) 607-0060.