WASHINGTON – Applications from Maine high school students for nominations to the United States service academies are being accepted by U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins.

Interested students should apply for a nomination in the spring and summer of their junior year. Sens. Snowe and Collins are currently accepting applications from students for admission to the academies in 2008. The deadline for completed applications is Nov. 1, 2007.

The academies are the following: the Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, Colo.; the Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, N.Y.; the Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.; and the Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md.

“We are always proud to have the honor to nominate our outstanding Maine students to our nation’s distinguished service academies,” said Snowe and Collins in a joint statement. “The young people we will nominate have earned this honor through a commitment to strong scholarship, leadership, and character.”

For an application, visit the senators’ Web sites or contact their academy coordinators:

. Sen. Olympia J. Snowe, Cheryl Leeman, Three Canal Plaza, Suite 601, Portland 04101; call (207) 874-0883 or visit http://snowe.senate.gov.

. Sen. Susan Collins, Sara Holmbom Lund, One City Center, Stop 23, Portland 04101; call (207) 780-3575 or visit http://collins.senate.gov.