The Maryland Retailers Association (MRA) and Comptroller Peter Franchot recently announced the winners of the social media scholarship contest that coincided with Shop Maryland Tax-Free Week.
Grant Handley of Elkton was selected for the $2,500 first-place scholarship for his contest entry on Twitter. Handley is attending Cecil College in the fall with plans to transfer to the University of Maryland in the spring, where he will major in Public Policy with a pre-law concentration.
Melanie Countee, of Prince George’s County, was chosen for the $1,000 second-place award for her entry on Twitter. A graduate of Texas Southern University with a degree in Psychology, Countee is a Mental Health Counseling graduate student at Bowie State University.
“We’re thrilled to once again help promote shopping local and Tax-Free Week by providing scholarships to two students with promising futures,” said Cailey Locklair Tolle, MRA president. “Congratulations to Grant and Melanie, and thank you to everyone who participated.”
“Presenting these scholarships is one of the highlights of my year and I thank the Maryland Retailers Association for providing these funds,” said Comptroller Franchot. “Shop Maryland Tax-Free Week has proven over the years to be a popular end-of-summer tradition that boosts sales for brick-and-mortar retailers and saves shoppers money on back-to-school purchases and other items.”
Shop Maryland Tax-Free Week took place August 12 to 18. Shoppers were encouraged to follow the official social media pages on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and post a picture or video that incorporated the theme of “Maryland” and using #shopmdtaxfree to submit an entry on any or all of the social media platforms.
For more information on Shop Maryland Tax-Free Week, visit marylandtaxes.gov.
