Centre News

In Centre's “Golden Ticket” Contest, each of nine winners will
receive a $500 book voucher for the Centre Bookstore, while one
grand-prize winner will receive both a $500 book voucher and
an Apple iPad.

The Centre Admission Office based their "Golden Ticket" Contest
on that created by Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory.

Many a visitor to Centre College has pondered the school’s old-fashioned spelling. Why the “—re” rather than the modern American spelling? The answer, of course, is that when the College was founded in 1819, British spelling was commonly used (and the founders' choice of “Centre” reflects the College’s location in the geographic center of Kentucky).

To celebrate Centre’s unique spelling, the Admission Office has created a “Golden Ticket” Contest, which gives students admitted to the Class of 2014 the opportunity to win a $500 book voucher for the Centre Bookstore and, for the grand-prize winner, an Apple iPad.

“The ‘Golden Ticket’ Contest is a reference to the contest sponsored by Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” says digital recruitment specialist Adam Brown. “Originally, the prize was going to be travel expenses paid to ‘Centre of Attention’ and a dessert with President Roush. Suddenly, we realized that while that prize was great, $500 worth of books and an Apple iPad was way better.”

The contest has but one objective for contestants: to find a business, sign, billboard or anything else that reads “centre” and photograph themselves beside it.

“We wanted a way for students to keep us on their mind,” Brown says. “What better way than to have them look for us wherever they are? Now, when they see centre spelled ‘–re,’ hopefully they’ll be reminded of that little school in Danville, Ky., that’s offering a nationally recognized education.”

Once this step has been accomplished, admitted students should post the photos (along with a brief description of the image) on the Facebook wall of The Admission Centre. Only one submission per student is allowed, and submissions must be posted by Thursday, April 15.

The Centre admission staff will judge the entries and will award the grand prize based on creativity, composition and the uniqueness of the “centre” find. That winner will receive an Apple iPad and a $500 book voucher to the Centre Bookstore. From the remaining submissions, nine other winners will be randomly chosen to receive a $500 book voucher to the Centre Bookstore.

All 10 winning entries will be announced at “Centre of Attention” on April 17, although students do not have to be in attendance to win. To claim their prize, winners must ultimately enroll at Centre in the fall of 2010.

Complete rules of eligibility:

1. The “Golden Ticket” contest is open only to students admitted to the Centre College Class of 2014.

2. Only one submission per student.

3. Photo submissions should not feature Centre College memorabilia (i.e. brochures, posters, pennants, bumper stickers, campus signs) as the main subject, but Centre memorabilia is allowed in the picture.

4. While the announcement of prizewinners will be made on April 17, recipients will not receive their prizes until they enroll in the fall.

5. Grand Prize Apple iPad is a 16GB WiFi-only model.

To see where students have already spotted “centre,” click here.

So, admitted students, keep a keen eye out for “centre” everywhere you go. Who knows where Centre’s old-fashioned spelling might proudly be displayed?