As someone who's gone to college twice, let me just tell you, go to Cupertino for that trip. Even if you have to take out additional student loans for it. Is it financially responsible? Heck no, but its something you'll look back on and be happy you did, plus its a great networking opportunity to both get a feel for the industry you're preparing to enter and to potentially meet people who might help you land a job later on.
I've always had trouble trusting awards and competitions, because it's probably the hardest two groups to differentiate real from scam but also the scams outweigh the real.