SCHOLARSHIPS FOR 8TH & 9TH GRADE STUDENTS

Angela Award
The Angela Award recognizes a female student in grades 5-8 who is involved in science. It is open to U.S. and Canadian students. The award is a $1,000 U.S. EE Savings Bond or Canadian Savings Bond. The award was established in honor of Gerry Wheeler, Executive Director Emeritus of the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA).

Ayn Rand Essay Contest
Grades 8-12: $30-$2,000. Students are to complete an essay about one of Ayn Rand’s novels. See website for details and deadlines.

Christopher Columbus Awards

The Christopher Columbus Community Service Awards are open to teams of students in grades 6-8. The competition focuses on using science and technology to solve real-world community problems. Each member of the winning teams receives a $2,000 U.S. Savings Bond. Winners also receive a trip to the National Championship Week at Walt Disney World. The competition is sponsored by the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation in cooperation with the National Science Foundation. The deadline is the second Monday in February. For more information, call 1-800-291-6020, write to Christopher Columbus Awards, 105 Terry Drive, Suite 120, Newtown, PA 18940-3425, or send an email to success@edumedia.com.

Courageous Persuaders Scholarship
Grades 9-12: $500-$3,000. Students are to create a 30-second TV commercial to warn students against underage drinking. See website for deadlines.

Create a Greeting Card Scholarship Contest
Ages 14+: $10,000 Scholarship + $1,000 for your school. Students must submit original artwork, photo or computer graphics for the front of a greeting card. See site for deadlines.

Davidson Fellows
Davidson Fellowships are awarded by the Davidson Institute for Talent Development to U.S. students under the age of 18 who have completed a significant piece of work in the fields of Mathematics, Science, Technology, Music, Literature, Philosophy or Outside the Box. The significant piece of work should have the potential to benefit society. The focus of the program is on gifted and talented students. There is no minimum age for eligibility. Four $50,000 scholarships, seven $25,000 scholarships, and five $10,000 scholarships are awarded each year. The deadline is March 31 (receipt); there are earlier deadlines for some forms. For more information, write to The Davidson Institute for Talent Development, Attn: Davidson Fellows Coordinators, 9665 Gateway Drive, Suite B, Reno, NV 89521 or send an email to davidsonfellows@ditd.org.

The Do Something Awards
The BRICK Awards by Do Something provide community grants and scholarships to “change-makers” age 25 and under who work with Do Something to improve their communities. The competition is open to U.S. and Canadian citizens and permanent residents. Five Do Something Award nominees will receive at least $10,000 in community grants and scholarships. Of the five winners, one grand prize winner will receive a total of $100,000 in community grants. The nominees also participate in a live VH1 TV show and will receive continued support from DoSomething.org. (The community grants are paid to the nominee’s organization or a not-for-profit organization of the nominee’s choice. All winners have the option of receiving $5,000 of the total award in the form of a college scholarship.) The deadline is March 1. For more information, send an email to dsawards@dosomething.org.

Doodle 4 Google
Google is famous for the doodles that occasionally replace the Google logo. The Doodle 4 Google competition challenges children in grades K-12 to create their own play on Google’s logo. Doodles are judged in four grade groups: K-3, 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12. There is one national finalist in each grade group. One national winner receives a $15,000 college scholarship, a trip to the Google New York office, a laptop computer, a digital tablet, and a t-shirt with his or her doodle. The winner’s school or after-school program also receives a $25,000 technology grant. The other three national finalists receive a $5,000 scholarship, a trip to the Google New York office, a digital tablet, and a t-shirt with his or her doodle. The registration deadline is in early March and the doodle entry deadline is in mid-March.

DuPont Challenge Science Essay Competition
The DuPont Challenge Science Essay Competition is sponsored by the DuPont Center for Collaborative Research & Education in cooperation with General Learning Communications. The competition is open to U.S. and Canadian students in grades 7-12. The competition involves writing a 700-1,000 word essay about a scientific or technological development, event, or theory chosen by the student. Topic areas include chemical sciences, life sciences, physical sciences, earth sciences, environmental sciences and space technology.

There are two divisions: grades 7-9 and grades 10-12. Within each division there is one first place prize of a $5,000 U.S. Savings Bond, one second place prize of a $3,000 U.S. Savings Bond, one third place prize of a $2,000 U.S. Savings Bond, and several honorable mention prizes of a $200 U.S. Savings Bond. The first through third place winners also receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Space Center Houston with a parent and the sponsoring Science and English teachers. The deadline is in mid-January. For more information, call 1-847-205-3000 or write to The DuPont Challenge, Science Essay Awards Program, c/o General Learning Communications, 900 Skokie Blvd., Suite 200, Northbrook, IL 60062-4028.

Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes
The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes is awarded annually to 10 U.S. and Canadian students (age 8-18) who have developed an extraordinary service project that helped people and the planet. Half of the winners are focused on helping their communities and people, and half are focused on protecting the environment. Winners receive a $2,500 scholarship. For more information, write to The Barron Prize, PO Box 17, Boulder, CO 80306-0017.

Humane Education Network's "A Voice for Animals" Contest
Grades 9-12: $400-$600. Students are to submit an original essay, photo journal, or video examining either the mistreatment of one animal species, or one cause of animal suffering, and ways to reduce it. See website for details and deadlines.

Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award
Ages 8-18: $10,000 financial support for music training. Students with exceptional musical talent (classical instrumentalists, vocalists, and composers) with an unmet financial need. While there is no formal cut-off, 90% of recipients come from families with an annual adjusted gross income of less than $60,000. See website for application information, deadlines, etc.

John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest

Grades 9-12: $500-$10,000 award. Students are to write an original essay of up to 1,000 words about an elected official who has demonstrated political courage. See website (under the "Education" tab) for deadlines.

Kohl’s Kids Who Care Program
The Kohl’s Kids Who Care Program honors students age 6-18 who are involved in community service. Candidates are nominated by an adult age 21 years or older. Nominees are considered in two age groups, 6-12 and 13-18, with three prize levels within each group. More than 2,000 children will receive a total of more than $350,000 in scholarships and prizes. More than 2,000 store winners each receive a $50 Kohl’s gift card, 194 regional winners each receive a $1,000 scholarship, and 10 national winners each receive a $5,000 scholarship. The deadline is March 15.

Letters About Literature
Letters About Literature is a national reading/writing contest sponsored by the Center for the Book in the U.S. Library of Congress in partnership with Target Stores. The contest is open to U.S. students in grades 4-12. Entries consist of a personal letter to an author, living or dead, from any genre, explaining how the author’s work changed the student’s way of thinking about the world or themselves. There are three competition levels: grades 4-6 (100-250 words), grades 7-8 (250-500 words), and grades 9-12 (500-750 words). Two winners are selected from each level and awarded a $500 gift card from Target. The contest opens in September and the deadline is December 1 (postmarked). State winners are announced in March and national winners in April. For more information, send email to lettersaboutlit@epix.net.

Make Your Mark Bookmark Contest
Utah students in kindergarten through 12th grade are invited to design a bookmark to be submitted to the Utah Educational Savings Plan (UESP) 2014 “Make Your Mark” Bookmark contest. UESP and Zions Bank will award a total of eight $1,000 college savings scholarship accounts.
Winners will include:

Two kindergarten through 3rd grade students
Two 4th through 6th grade students
Two 7th and 8th grade students
Two 9th through 12th grade students

The bookmark designs must be submitted on the official UESP and Zions Bank entry form. Entries not on the official entry form will not be considered. The winning designs will be printed and used by UESP and Zions Bank. UESP will retain ownership and copyrights for all submitted entries.

MATHCOUNTS

MATHCOUNTS is a national math competition for middle school students (grades 6-8). Individuals and teams of four mathletes from each school compete on a local, state, and national level. All 228 national competitors and their coaches receive all-expenses-paid trips to the MATHCOUNTS National Competition.

National Champion receives the $8,000 Donald G. Weinert Scholarship
Second-place individual winner receives a $6,000 college scholarship
Third and Fourth-place winners (countdown round semi-finalists) receive $4,000 scholarships
Masters Round Champion receives a $2,000 scholarship
Written Round Winner receives a $8,000 scholarship
Written Round Runner-up receives a $6,000 scholarship
Members of the first place team each receive a $2,000 scholarship

Additional prizes include trips to U.S. Space Camp, notebook computers, PDAs, and TI calculators. The registration deadline is in early December. Local and chapter competitions take place in February, state competitions in March, and the national competition in May. For more information:

Call 1-703-684-2828
Fax 1-703-836-4875
Write to MATHCOUNTS Foundation, 1420 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22314
Email toinfo@mathcounts.org

National Marbles Tournament Scholarships

The annual National Marbles Tournament awards $5,000 in scholarships to mibsters (marble shooters) aged 8 to 14. The tournament is held in June each year. The children crowned King and Queen of Marbles each receive a $2,000 scholarship. A $1,000 scholarship is awarded to the boy and girl who win the spontsmanship award. For more information, write to National Marbles Tournament, 811 Roeth Avenue, Cumberland, MD 21502.

National Geography Bee
The National Geography Bee is sponsored by the National Geographic Society. It is open to U.S. students in grades 4-8 who are age 15 or younger by the date of the national competition. The National Geography Bee is a three-stage competition, starting at the school level (competitions from mid-November through mid-January), followed by state competitions in April and the national competition in May. The 10 finalists compete for college scholarships.

First-Place winner receives a $25,000 scholarship
Second-Place winner receives a $15,000 scholarship
Third-Place winner receives a $10,000 scholarship

The school registration deadline is October 15. (There is a $50 school registration fee.) For more information, call 1-202-828-6659 or write to National Geographic Bee, National Geographic Society, 1145 17th Street N.W., Washington, DC 20036-4688.

National High School Oratorical Contest
The National High School Oratorical Contest is sponsored by the American Legion. It is open to U.S. students in junior high school or high school (grades 7-12) who are under age 20 as of the date of the national contest. State contests are held no later than mid-March, and the national contest finals are held in April. The American Legion pays for the travel and lodging expenses of the state winners and their chaperones.

First-Place winner receives an $18,000 scholarship
Second-Place winner receives a $16,000 scholarship
Third-Place winner receives a $14,000 scholarship

Each state winner who participates in the first round of the national contest receives a $1,500 scholarship. For more information, call 1-317-630-1249, write to National Americanism and Children & Youth Division, The American Legion National Headquarters, PO Box 1055, Indianapolis, IN 46206, or send an email to acy@legion.org

National History Day Contest
The National History Day Contest is open to students in grades 6-12 in the junior (grades 6-8) and senior (grades 9-12) divisions. The projects relate to a specific historical topic or theme. There are seven categories, including individual papers, individual exhibits, group exhibits, individual performance, group performance, individual documentary, and group documentation. Within each category, the first-place winner receives $1,000, the second-place winner receives $500, and the third-place winner receives $250. The national contest is held in June.

National Spelling Bee
The National Spelling Bee is sponsored by the E.W. Scripps Company. It is open to students in grades 1-8 as of their school finals (February 1) and who are under age 16 as of the date of the national finals (June 1).

Champion wins a total of $28,000 in cash prizes and scholarships
Second-Place finisher wins a cash prize of $6,000
Third-Place finisher receives $3,500
Fourth-Place finisher receives $2,000
Fifth-Place finisher receives $1,250
Sixth-Place finisher receives $1,000
Seventh-Place finisher receives $750

There are also other assorted prizes ranging from $50 to $600 for students who are eliminated in earlier rounds. For more information, call 1-513-977-3040, fax 1-513-977-3800, or send an email to bee@scripps.com.

Patriot’s Pen
Patriot’s Pen (also known as the VFW Youth Essay Contest) is a patriotic-themed essay writing contest sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). It is open to U.S. students in grades 6-8. More than 115,000 students enter the contest each year. The first-place winner receives a $10,000 US Savings Bond. The 28 top national winners receive U.S. Savings Bonds of $1,000 to $10,000. Entries are submitted through local VFW Posts. The deadline is November 1. For more information, call 1-816-968-1117

Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are open to U.S. and Canadian students in grades 7-12. It is sponsored by Scholastic Inc. and administered by the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers, Inc. More than 250,000 students enter the competition each year. Gold Portfolio Award recipients receive $10,000 scholarships (5 for art, 5 for writing, 2 for photography).

For more information:

Call 1-212-343-6493
Write to:

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012

Email A&WGeneralinfo@scholastic.com.

Team America Rocketry Challenge
Team America Rocketry Challenge is a national model rocket competition open to U.S. junior high school and high school students (grades 7-12). It is sponsored by AIA and the National Association of Rocketry. The top 100 teams compete for $60,000 in scholarships. The application deadline is November 15. For more information, send an email to rocketcontest@aia-aerospace.org.

Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision Awards
The Toshiba ExploraVision Awards is a competition for teams of 2-4 U.S. and Canadian students in grades K-12. The goal of the competition is to encourage students to explore a vision of a future technology. The teams research a technology or device and project how it might change in the future. They identify necessary breakthroughs to enable the development of the technology and discuss the positive and negative impact of the technology on society. There are four divisions: grades K-3, grades 4-6, grades 7-9, and grades 10-12. Within each division, there is one first prize and one second prize. The first prize consists of a $10,000 US Savings Bond for each student on the winning team. The second prize consists of a $5,000 US Savings Bond for each student on the winning team. ExploraVision is sponsored by Toshiba and National Science Teachers of America. Materials are available starting in September. The deadline is February 1. For more information, call 1-800-EXPLOR9 (1-800-397-5679), write to ExploraVision, 1840 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22201-3000, or send an email to exploravision@nsta.org.

West Point Bridge Design Contest
The West Point Bridge Design Contest is open to U.S. students age 13 through grade 12 at the time of registration. Students compete individually (team of one) or in teams of two members. This engineering competition involves designing truss bridges. Each member of the first-place team receives a $10,000 scholarship. Each member of the five finalist teams wins a notebook computer. Registration opens in early January and ends on February 28. The final round is held in April.

Young Naturalist Awards
The Young Naturalist Awards is a research-based science essay contest open to U.S. and Canadian students in grades 7-12. It is sponsored by the American Museum of Natural History and the Chase Manhattan Foundation. Two scholarships are awarded to the winning essays at each grade level. The 7th grade winners receive $500. The 8th grade winners receive $750. The 9th grade winners receive $1,000. The 10th grade winners receive $1,500. The 11th grade winners receive $2,000. The 12th grade winners receive $2,500. Award winners and their family members also receive travel and lodging to attend the awards ceremony at the American Museum of Natural History in the spring. There are also 36 finalists who receive a cash award of $50 and a certificate. The deadline is in early March. For more information, call 1-212-496-3498, write to Young Naturalist Awards Administrator, National Center for Science Literacy, Education, and Technology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024-5192 or send an email to yna@amnh.org.

Youth Service America
Youth Service America offers the State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning Grants to U.S. children and young adults ages 5-25 to implement service-learning projects for National Youth Service Day in April. 100-$1,000 grants will be awarded. The application deadline is in mid-October. For more information, send an email to GoodNeighbor@ysa.org. The National Education Association (NEA) sponsors Youth Leaders for Literacy in conjunction with Youth Service America. This program awards 20-$500 grants to student-led initiatives. The program is open to applicants aged 21 and younger. The application deadline is in mid-November.