Every year, MPA holds its annual Scholarship Fund Auction to raise money that we turn around and give (100 percent!) to selected students enrolled in Maine higher education journalism programs.

The goal is to encourage more young journalists to join the profession, and every autumn, we distribute approximately $2,500 to 4,000 in scholarships.

The exact amount, however, depends on how successful our auction is, and this year, we are going BIG!

After two years of virtual conferences, MPA is banking that we gather together IN PERSON this coming October. That means we have the opportunity to make the MPA Scholarship Auctions — live and silent — one to beat the band.

That’s where you come in. Please put on your MPA auction thinking cap see what you might donate to the cause.

Ideas? Gift cards to shops, restaurants, pet sitting/grooming services and grocery stores; theme-based baskets; overnight stays at your camp (rustic to luxurious!); boat rides and picnics.

It doesn’t have to be fancy (yes, one year a member newspaper donated a box of toilet paper. Considering how lean our office budgets are these days; hell, a roll of toilet paper is gold), but we do want to raise some cash.

Email mainepressmail@gmail.com with ideas and questions, and we will get you the proper donation form. Don’t delay; no one likes the deadline blues!

Learn more about the Scholarship Fund and how it impacts aspiring Maine journalists: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZ7LBQHeHAc