The Hawai'i Academy of Recording Arts, producers of the Na Hoku Hanohano Awards, annually presents two $3,000 Bill Murata Memorial Scholarships to two individuals who demonstrate a keen interest in Hawaiian music and/or Hawaiian poetry and language.

Prospects must be Island residents, attend or planning to enroll in college, maintain good grades and declare, in letters of recommendations that accompany an application, an interest in Hawaiian music traditions along with an eagerness to preserve and perpetuate Hawaiian music. An essay on these goals is also required; songs or mele should accompany the applications.

For full details and an application form, go to www.nahokuhanohano.org. Or visit the HARA offices at 949 Kapi'olani Blvd., Suite 103 (Musicians Association Building). Applications should be sent to the Hawai'i Academy of Recording Arts, P.O. Box 821, Honolulu, HI 96808

Murata was a pioneering producer of Island music and a force in the local recording industry; the award continues his quest to discover and nurture Hawaiian music prospects that uphold his vision.