Essay /Writing Scholarships
Scholarship
Brief description /
requirements
October
Website
Amount
Deadline
AES Essay Contest
Not just engineers- general
essay prompt
500-1000 words
www.aesengineers.com
$500
10/4/2013
Grade 12
2013 prompt:
Reflecting on your personal
experiences and/or circumstances, tell
us something about yourself that
distinguishes you as a potential
scholarship candidate.
November
Elks National Foundation
2013 Most Valuable Student
Scholarship
VFW Voice of Democracy
3-5 min audio essay
Grades 9-12
www.elks.org/enf/scholars/
mvsfaq.cfm
www.vfw.org/Community/
Voice of Democracy
$1000-15,000
$1000 –
30,000
Nov.
2013,
check back in
fall for details
11/1/ 2013
2013-14 Theme: “ Why I’m Optimistic
About our Nation’s Future
Bennington Young Writers
Competition
Poetry, fiction ( short story, 1
act play ) , nonfiction
Grades 10-12
We The Students Scholarship
Contest
Bill of Rights Institute
Grades 9-12
Free Speech Essay Contest
FIRE- Foundation for Individual
Rights in Education
800-1000 words
Grades 11-12
bennington.edu/youngwriters
competition.aspx
http://billofrightsinstitute.org/prog
rams-events/students-programsevents/scholarship/
Must answer 3 essay questions
related to the principles of the
Constitution and the relevance of
the Constitution today
www.thefire.org
Prompt:
Why is free speech important at our
nation's colleges and universities?
Scholarship List November 13, 2012
College and Career Center
U.S. Grant High School 2245 NE 36th Avenue, Portland, OR 97212 503-916-5160
Ist $500
2nd $250
11/1/ 2013
$500-4000
Nov. 2013,
check back in
Sept. for
contest details
$100010,000
1/1/14
First Freedom Student Essay
Competition
Essay: 750-1450 words
Video : 5-7 mins
( up to 4 teammates )
Grades 9-12
www.firstfreedom.org
$2500
2013 Topic: International Religious
Freedom Act and Universal Declaration
of Human Rights
11/18/ 2013
online
registration
11/25/2013
Essay/video
due
1. Should the advancement of freedom
of religion be a part of U.S. foreign
policy? If so, why? If not, why not? What
challenges might the United States face
in trying to advance religious freedom
internationally? (Please support your
arguments with academically respected
sources that consider differing views.)
2. Does religious oppression half way
around the world affect you and other
citizens? If so, how? If not, why not?
3. How does Eleanor Roosevelt's
statement that universal human rights
begin in "small places, close to home - so
close and so small that they cannot be
seen on any map of the world" apply to
you and the impact that you and your
generation can have on the
advancement of freedom of religion and
conscience now and in the future, at
home and abroad?
December
Healthy Lifestyles
Essay Scholarship
2 essay questions
Grade 12
The Big Dig Scholarship
500-1000 words
Grade 12
www.fitnessexercises.tv/scholarships.
php
Why is a healthy lifestyle important
in school ? ( 1000 words )
Describe your career plans, goals,
and personal ambitions. 500 words
www.antiquetrader.tv/studentschola
rship.php
Prompt: Write about what you
would bury in your backyard to be
discovered in the future.
See websites for more details.
Scholarship List November 13, 2012
College and Career Center
U.S. Grant High School 2245 NE 36th Avenue, Portland, OR 97212 503-916-5160
$5000
Dec. 2013,
check back in
fall for details
$3000
Dec. 2013,
check back in
fall for details
Laws Of Life Essay Contest
Video <= 2mins
Essay 500-1000 words
Grade 12
lawsoflifecontest.com
Having a purpose, a calling, a sense
was one of John Templeton’s original
laws of life. Create a vision for
yourself and world you want to
create.
$5000
Dec. 2013,
check back in
fall for details
Music Student Scholarship
Essay Contest
SBO Magazine
Member of band/orchestra
Essay: 250 words
Grades 9-12
http://www.sbomagazine.com/essaycontest/
2014 Prompt:
TBA
$1000
merchandise
awarded to
schools
Dec. 2013,
check back
Sept. 1st for
details
Better Business Bureau
“Students of Integrity “
Scholarship
Essay : 1000 words
GPA 3.5+
Grades 11-12
alaskaoregonwesternwashington.bbb.
org/
scholarship
Which one of BBB’s standards of trust
do you value most in businesses?
Why”
$2500 award
to Oregon
student
Dec. 2013,
check back in
fall for details
January
Optimist International
Essay and Oratorical
Contests
Essay: 700-800 words
Speech : 4-5 minutes
Grades 9-12
http://www.optimist.org/e/member/
scholarships3.cfm
Students must first compete at local
club level.
Young Playwrights Inc
National Playwriting
Competition
Grades 9-12
JFK Profile in Courage Essay
Contest
www.youngplaywrights.org/
national-comp.html
1000 words
Grades 9-12
Scholastic Writing and Arts
Awards
11 writing categories
$5 /submission
Grades 9-12
4/15/14
$2500 to
District
winner in
essay and
speech
categories
10 national
winners
1/ 2/2014
Jfklibrary.org/Education/Profile-inCourage-Essay-Contest.aspx
Describe political courage by a U.S.
elected official that occurred during or
after 1956 (publication date of Profiles
in Courage), addressed at the local,
state, or national level.
$50010,000
+ trip to
Kennedy
Library
1/6/2014
www.artandwriting.org
Categories: dramatic script, flash
fiction, humor, journalism, novel
writing, personal essay/memoir,
persuasive writing, poetry, portfolio (
Regional: Key
award;
National:
Metal;
Jan. 2014,
check back in
fall/winter for
details
Scholarship List November 13, 2012
College and Career Center
U.S. Grant High School 2245 NE 36th Avenue, Portland, OR 97212 503-916-5160
seniors only $ 20 )
Letters About Literature
Center for the Book- Library of
Congress
writing contest; Grades 9-10
lettersaboutliterature.org
Readers write a personal letter to an
author, living or dead, how that
author's work changed the student's
way of thinking about the world or
themselves. see web site for
guidelines
State Winners
$50-100
National
Winners:
$1000
12/10/2013
Gulen Institute Youth
Platform Essay Contest
gulenyouthplatform.org
$50-3000+
Trip to DC
12/10/2013
Jan. 2014,
check back in
October for
details
2014 Prompt:
1500-2000 word essay
Referenced
Grades 9-12
What role should state and non-profit
agencies play in the education of
disadvantaged youth who are not
realizing their potential?
NHS Scholarship Program
Grade 12 NHS members
Nominated by NHS
essay: 300 words
www.nhs.us/ScholarshipsandAwards/
NHSScholarshipProgram.aspx
2013 Topic: Describe the value of the
quality and how you have exemplified
it at some point during your high
school career
$1000
Association for Women in
Math Essay Contest
500-1000 words
Grades 9-12
awmath/programs/essay-contest/
contest-rules
Prize + essay
published
Essay should be based primarily on an
interview with a woman currently
working in a mathematical career
online at the
AWM web
site.
Dupont Challenge Science
Essay Award
700-1000 words
Grades 9-12
February
thechallenge.dupont.com
Prompt: TBA
$100-3000
National Peace Essay Contest
Grades 9-12
usip.org/ed/programs/npec
2013 topic: Gender, War and
Peacebuilding
2014 Prompt: How does security
State wins:
$1000 + trip
Wash DC
National:
Scholarship List November 13, 2012
College and Career Center
U.S. Grant High School 2245 NE 36th Avenue, Portland, OR 97212 503-916-5160
1/31/2014
Jan. 2014,
check back in
fall/winter for
details
2/3/2014
sector reform contribute to
sustainable peace?
OSAC –Scholarships
Oregon Student Access
Commission :
1 application
400 scholarships
*Some require essays*
Chinese American Citizens
Alliance National Essay
Contest
Chinese ancestry
Grades 9-12
The Vegetarian Resource
Group College Scholarship
oregonstudentaid.gov/
scholarships.aspx
osac.state.or.us/listscholarships.aspx
$2500-10,000
$500 for
Early Bird
registration
2/15/14
Scholarship
amounts vary
www.cacanational.org/essay-contest
Local : cacaportland.org
Contact Portland host to register- see
web site for details
Timed essay contest- 2 hours to write
500 word essay on day of contest (
March )
$100-1000
( national )
Also local
prizes
Feb. 2014,
check back in
fall/winter for
details
www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htm
Prompt: How did you promote
vegetarianism in high school +
community, in college and beyond.
See website for more details
$5000
American Legion Oratorical
Contest
8-10 min speech+
3-5 min assigned topic
Grades 9-12
www.legion.org
Speech aspect of the U.S.
Constitution, emphasis on the duties
and obligations of citizens to our
government
2013 Assigned topics:
http://www.legion.org/oratorical/
topics
Up to
$18,000
Top 4 state
winners
receive
award
March 2014,
check back in
fall/winter for
details
Engineer Essay Contest
Boys and Girls
Max 1500 words
www.engineergirl.org
$100-500
March 2014,
check back in
fall/winter for
details
Grade 12
2/20/2014
March
2014Prompt:
TBA
Grades 9-12
Scholarship List November 13, 2012
College and Career Center
U.S. Grant High School 2245 NE 36th Avenue, Portland, OR 97212 503-916-5160
Oregon Collectors Association
Hasson-Newman Memorial
Scholarship
1000-1500 words
Grade 12
Annual Kaplun Essay Contest
Level 1: Grade 9
250-1000 words
Level 2: Grades 10-12
250-1500 words
Greenfield Peace
Writing Contest
www.orcascholarshipfund.com
$1000-3000
Prompt: Credit in The 21st Century
www.kaplunfoundation.org/upload/es
say.html
Lever 1 ( Grade 9 ): What person of
importance to the Jewish people
would you like to meet and why?
Level 2 ( Grades 10-12 ) : Are the Ten
Commandments still the cornerstone
of civilization’s moral code? Why or
why not?
www.oregonpsr.org
Oregon Physicians for Social
Responsibility
$750-1800
March 2014,
check back in
fall/winter for
details
$500-1000
March 2014,
check back in
fall/winter for
details
Essays, poems or fiction
Max 600 words
Grades 11-12
Ayn Rand Institute Essay
Contests
Reading- writing contests
600-1200 words
2014 Prompt:
TBA
aynrandnovels. org
See web site deadlines - different each
novel
Anthem – March 20, 2014
Atlas Shrugged – September 17, 2013
The Fountainhead – April 26, 2014
$30-10,000
9/17/2014
www.joefoss.com/programs/scholarsh
ip-program
2014 Prompt: TBA
$250-5000
www.ashg.org/education/
$100-1000
American Society of Human
Genetics
dnadaycontest.shtml
2014 Prompt:
TBA
Scholarship List November 13, 2012
College and Career Center
U.S. Grant High School 2245 NE 36th Avenue, Portland, OR 97212 503-916-5160
2014
Deadlines:
4/20/2014
Hays Kirby Memorial
Scholarship Essay Contest
( Joe Foss Institute )
Minimum of 1500 words;
Grades 9-12
DNA Day Essay Contest
750 word essay
Grades 9-12
3/1/2013
4/26/2014
3/10/2013
March 2014,
check back in
fall/winter for
details
Willamette Writers
Kate Herzog Scholarships
Grade 12
Listen to a Life
Essay Contest
300 word story
Grades 9-12
willamettewriters.com/herzog.php
$100-250
March 2014,
check back in
fall/winter for
details
Prizes:
Computer+
clock
March 2014,
check back in
Sept. 2013 for
details
$500 to
Oregon
student
March 2014,
check back in
fall/winter for
details
$500-1000
March 2014,
check back in
fall/winter for
details
$2000
to senior in
Portland
Metropolitan
area
April 2014,
check back in
fall/winter for
details
Original, unpublished writing sample
of < 1000 words.
Fiction, memoirs, poetry
http://www.legacyproject.org/
contests/ltalform.html
Interview with grandparent or
“grandfriend” 50 years or older
( not parent )
Jiffy Lube Teen Drive
Scholarship Program
500 words
Current licensed high school
drivers
National DDay Museum
Online Essay Contest
Max 1000 words
Accept first 500 entries;
Grades 9-12
April
your turn 2 apply.com
Prompt:
What Drives You?” ( motivates you )
NW EEO Alyce Marcus
Scholarship
Equal Employment
Opportunity/Affirmative
Action Association
GPA 2.75+
Grade 12
www.nweeo.org/
scholarship_application.php
www.ddaymuseum.org
2014 Prompt
TBA
Students with a demonstrated
commitment to diversity that manifests
itself within their families and their
communities.
Jiffy Lube Teen Drive
Scholarship Program
500 words
Students who have taken
Driver’s Ed in current year
your turn 2 apply.com
Prompt:
What Drives You?” ( motivates you )
$250 to Oregon April 2014,
student
check back in
fall/winter for
details
Annual Signet Classics
Student
Scholarship Essay Contest
Essay: 2-3 pages
Submitted by English teacher
Grades 11-12
http://www.us.penguingroup.com
/static/pages/servicesacademic/essayhome.html
2013 book: 1984
See web site for essay questions
Pick one of the 6 topics
2014: Beowulf
$1000
Scholarship List November 13, 2012
College and Career Center
U.S. Grant High School 2245 NE 36th Avenue, Portland, OR 97212 503-916-5160
4/14/14
Harry S. Chandler
Memorial Scholarship
Oregon Southwest
Industry Liaison Group- labor
law
See counselor before applying
Only 3 candidates selected
from each school
Grade 12
www.oswilg.org/scholarship_13.html
OSWILG: committed to working towards
equality in the workplace –OOEC
www.portlandhumanists
The National Student Poetry
Contest ( The America Library
of Poetry )
www.libraryofpoetry.com
$2000
April 2014,
check back in
fall/winter for
details
$500 plus
random
drawings for
laptop
computers
4/30/2014
$500
April 2014,
check back in
fall/winter for
details
“Why I am a Secular Humanist”
poem no longer than 20 lines- any
subject
Grades 9-12
GPA 3.0+
Grade 12
April 2014,
check back in
fall/winter for
details
2 page essay: “How diversity has
influenced my life and the role it will
play in achieving my education goals”
Humanists of Greater
Portland Scholarship Essay
Contest
750- 1000 words
GPA 3.0+ Grade 12
Oregon Dove Scholarship
Zeta Phi Beta SororityPortland chapter
$1000 to
Multnomah
County
senior
http://bufor.org/assets/programsandservices/Zeta_Phi_Beta_Oregon_
Dove_Scholarship_2013.pdf
Essay prompt: Plans for the future
( 500 words )
May
Oregon State Bar OSB
New Lawyers Division Essay
500-750 words
Grades 9-12
osbar.org/onld/essay/essaycontest.ht
ml
Prompt: essay of 500-750 words,
National History Day
Local partner: Oregon
Historical Society
Essay( 1500-2500 words ), web
site design , documentary ( 10
mins limit ) , exhibit perform.
Grades 9-12 senior division
www.nhd.org/Oregonpage.htm
www.nhd.org/About.htm
State coordinator :
Email: denise.brock@ohs.org
$250-500
using information found in packet:
constitutional amendment, case law
2013 Theme: Turning Points in
History: People, Ideas, Events
Scholarship List November 13, 2012
College and Career Center
U.S. Grant High School 2245 NE 36th Avenue, Portland, OR 97212 503-916-5160
National
level:
$250-1000
May 2014,
check back in
fall/winter for
details
May 2014,
check back in
fall/winter for
details
June
The Home Security Scholarship
( formerly America’s Best
Blogging Scholarship )
300-500 word essay
Grade 12
www.yourlocalsecurity.com/
scholarship
$1000
June
2014,
check back in
fall/winter for
details
$500
June 2014,
check back in
fall/winter for
details
How to Improve the safety of our
nation’s cities. Pick a city from the list
on website.
John Gyles Education Center
Awards
1500 word Book Report
GPA 3.5+
College bound senior
johngyleseducationcenter.com
/scholarship
Select book on list or nonfiction book
of choice
Abbott and Fenner Annual
Award Essay
500-100 words
Grades 11-12
Donna Foss Scholarship Essay
Contest ( Joe Foss Institute )
abbottandfenner.com/
scholarship.htm
2014 Prompt: TBA
$1000
6/14/2014
www.joefossinstitute.org
$1000-5000
2014 Prompt: TBA
1500- 2000 words
Grades 9-12
Scholarship List November 13, 2012
College and Career Center
U.S. Grant High School 2245 NE 36th Avenue, Portland, OR 97212 503-916-5160
June 2014,
check back in
fall/winter for
details