Gardiner chose to create a script that earned her $10,000.

The Ball State University junior took first place in the competition for Letterman Telecommunications Scholarships with her project "Austentation."

Second place went to Joshua Scales, Monon, for "Justify the Thrill," a dark political thriller.

Third place was awarded to Christine DeJoy, Noblesville, for "Never Say Never," a relationships script.

David Letterman, a 1970 graduate of Ball State, established the scholarships in 1985 to provide financial assistance to Department of Telecommunications students.

The awards are made on the primary basis of creativity. Projects may include a written work, a research effort, audio or video projects, graphics projects, a film or presentation.

For the first time, all three winners were scriptwriters.

Gardiner's first-place entry is a literary adaptation of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice."

"I wanted to show that Austen was more than wearing bonnets and riding in carriages," Gardiner said. "It's different--it's a modern-day adaption with teen-agers and all the people you know set in Hollywood in the film industry. But it's also still a satire like Jane would do."

The telecommunications major from Muncie is already at work on her next project, an original script with "elements of Shakespeare."

By Lori Rader, Communications Manager

(Note to Editors: For more information about this story contact Lori Rader at 765-285-1560 or lrader@bsu.edu.)