Shelby County Tourism and Visitors Bureau creates Shizuoka Sister City scholarship

Shelby County Tourism and Visitors Bureau has created a scholarship opportunity for any Shelby County student, grades 7 through 12, who would like to be a part of the student delegation for the Sister City, Shizuoka/Kambara, Japan in the summer of 2026.

This scholarship does not involve a written paper. Instead, Shelby County Tourism and Visitors Bureau wants your best video of Shelby County. “Our Shelby County students are continually on the cutting edge of today’s technology. This, combined with their creativity and video prowess, can only produce some fantastic Shelby County centric videos. This affords a student the unique opportunity to tell viewers what is so special about Shelby County... the people, places, and events that make our communities exceptional.

Our Shelby County Tourism and Visitors Bureau tagline is ‘Find Your Place in Shelby County’ - and we encourage students to use this vision tag to help enlighten and educate, creating a fun and inviting video that tells viewers why they should visit Shelby County. Plus, we’re seeing this from a demographic that is so valuable to our communities overall, students!” remarks Rachael Ackley, Executive Director of Shelby County Tourism and
Visitors Bureau.

Since July of 1998, Shelbyville has been sending students and adults to Shizuoka City for a cultural exchange. “The students stay with a host family and learn about life in a typical Japanese household. During the day, the students tour various locations in Shizuoka City and Shizuoka Prefecture. They often meet the Mayor of Shizuoka and test their skills at introducing themselves in Japanese. They also visit the local schools and eat traditional Japanese Cuisine,” states Shelby County International Relations Council member Linda Sanders. “These cultural exchanges have positively impacted and changed lives and have opened our students’ eyes to a much larger world. The relationships they create on this trip truly
last a lifetime, and students will often visit their host families repeatedly.”

The cost of this trip can be more than some students can afford. “In the spirit of hospitality, travel, and destination management, Shelby County Tourism and Visitors Bureau has created a scholarship opportunity for students considering this trip,” remarks Executive Director, Rachael Ackley.
The trip scholarship form will be posted online at www.visitshelbycounty.com/shizuokascholarship on September 3, 2025 with required information to be submitted along with complete details on submitted video requirements. A link will be included for downloading the video component of the scholarship program on October 24, 2025. A student application must also be filled out with the City of Shelbyville website at www.shelbyville.in.gov/265/Japanese-Sister- City that also includes additional trip information and passport requirements.

Shelby County Tourism and Visitors Bureau Commission will notify the winner on December 10.