Winning a $20,000 scholarship toward a college education would be a nice surprise for any parent. Gerber Life Insurance Company has made that a possibility with the first-ever Gerber Life College Scholarship Contest. In order to qualify parents simply need to submit their child’s drawing of what they want to be when they grow up. The contest begins August 1 through August 31, 2012 and is open to children three through eight years old.

No matter where children’s dreams lead them, a college education can be the foundation for making those dreams a reality. Gerber Life aims to inspire children to take the first step toward college by using their crayons, colored pencils and imagination.

To enter the contest, parents need to log onto the Gerber Life Facebook page during August at http://www.facebook.com/gerberlife, to download a custom-designed frame created by renowned author and illustrator Dallas Clayton, best known for his children’s works including An Awesome Book! In the “picture frame,” the child should draw a picture of what he or she wants to be when grown up. Parents then need to scan and upload their child’s drawing to the Gerber Life Facebook page, along with a statement about their child’s aspirations.

Facebook visitors can vote for their favorite drawing, and parents can share their child’s drawing with friends and family, to get votes for a chance to win a $20,000 Gerber Life College Plan (value at 10 year maturity). Facebook voting runs August 1 through September 15, 2012. Drawings with the highest number of votes will qualify for the top 20.

The Grand Prize winner will be selected by a panel of judges including Dallas Clayton. The winner will be announced September 15, 2012.

“We are thrilled to invite parents and children to share this creative experience with us,” says David Fier, Vice President, Gerber Life. “The Gerber Life College Plan strives to help parents start saving for college while children are young, because the more time you allow for saving, the easier it is to reach your goal,” he says. According To Fier, studies have found that 9 out of 10 parents want their child to attend college, yet the majority of parents struggle to start saving.

To enter the contest, log on to http://www.facebook.com/gerberlife.

For more information about the Gerber Life College Plan, parents can visit www.gerberlife.com.