The 16th Annual Buster Keaton Celebration, to be held September 26th &
27th, 2008 in Iola, Kansas, would like to announce its first annual
Student Presentation Competition.  The winner will receive a spot on
the schedule of respected film and cultural authorities who are asked
to take part in the celebration each year and will receive a travel
grant of $500 to facilitate his/her attendance.  The student presenter
will be expected to present a 30- to 40-minute presentation to the
Celebration audience in PowerPoint format (with images--either still or
moving) and so must be able to attend the conference as scheduled.

Eligibility:  Full-time matriculated Undergraduate and Masters
students at any point in their academic career, not affiliated with
any employee or volunteer of the Buster Keaton Celebration, the Kansas
Humanities Council or the Bowlus Fine Arts Center.

Required:
1.      Applicants must complete an application to Frank Scheide
<frank.sche...@gmail.com> or by sending a letter to Susan Raines,
Bowlus Fine Arts Center, 205 East Madison, Iola, KS  66749-0705).
Proof of current matriculation will be required as part of this
application.

2.      Applicants must submit their complete 30- to 40- minute
presentation script for committee review, along with the above
application, by the due date of May 1, 2008 along with images to be
used in the final PowerPoint document.  The applicant must also
present evidence that images he or she wishes to use are available and
in the applicant's possession.  Scripts must be typed and double-
spaced (they may be in essay format, marked with indications as to
what images will be utilized where in the presentation).  Please do
not submit the final PowerPoint demonstration.

To learn more about this year's topic, please read the essay "Buster
Keaton and Will Rogers: American Comic Heroes", which can be found by
visiting the Buster Keaton Celebration web site at http://iolakeatoncelebration.org/
. Committee members will be looking for original approaches to this
topic and are especially interested in papers linking the two
performers in some manner.

The Celebration Student Presenter committee will choose one winner and
one runner-up, who will serve as an alternate.  An announcement of the
winner will be made by June 1st.   The winner will have until June
30th to accept or decline the award.  He or she will then have until
July 31st to make his/her travel arrangements (assistance with this
task will be provided by a committee volunteer).  The winner will
receive a spot on the schedule and a stipend of $200 and travel
expenses up to $300 (airfare or mileage) to facilitate his/her
attendance.  Lodging and a daily food allowance will be provided by
the Buster Keaton Celebration from Thursday evening, September 25th,
through breakfast on Sunday, September 28th.

The chosen Student Presenter will be assigned a Celebration volunteer
to assist with any and all parts of the actual presentation process,
during the two days of the festival, in order to make the experience a
successful and rewarding one for the student--and for the Celebration
attendees!