Scholarships for high school juniors

High school juniors thinking of applying to college will benefit from considering junior scholarships, in addition to the university scholarship option. Scholarships for juniors range from small, school-specific awards to national contests and competitions. These competitions award winners and runners-up a significant sum of scholarship money. However, competition for scholarships for high school juniors is fierce. Therefore, students need to spend quite a significant amount of time perfecting the scholarship applications in order to submit them on time. There are many organizations that award scholarships to high school juniors. Being awarded a scholarship by any one of these organizations will mean financial support for the student’s college education. The following are some of the main junior scholarships which students can apply for.

Voice of Democracy Scholarship Competition

This scholarship competition is available to students in grades 9 through 12. All applicants need to submit a 3 – 5 minute audio essay on a specified topic. The 2011-2012 applicants will have to tape an essay on the theme “Is there pride in serving in our military?” A typed version of the essay, along with the audio CD and a Voice of Democracy entry form, is required for the application. The competition is designed to enable high school students the ability to voice their opinion on their responsibility to their country. Marks for the essay are given on originality, content and delivery. If the essay wins, the applicant will receive a $30,000 college scholarship that can be applied towards a degree.

Official Announcement: http://www.vfw.org/Community/Voice-of-Democracy/

Discover Scholarship Program

The Discover Scholarship Program awards up to $250,000 annually to high school juniors. This is the highest amount paid for scholarships for high school juniors. More than $16 million dollars worth of scholarships has been awarded since 1991 to high school juniors. Any high school junior with a 2.75 cumulative GPA, able to demonstrate accomplishments in community services and leadership, is eligible to apply for the scholarship. The award can be used for any post high school education. Ten junior scholarships will be awarded to deserving students during the year 2012. Deadline for online applications is January 31, 2012.

Official Announcement: http://www.discoverfinancial.com/community/scholarship.shtml

C-SPAN StudentCam

This is a competition sponsored by America’s cable television industry through C-SPAN. All middle school and high school students who are able to produce a 5 – 8 minute video documentary on a given topic, using C-SPAN programming, can take part in the competition. A total of $50,000 cash prizes will be awarded to 75 students taking part in the competition. The competition encourages students to consider issues that affect their communities and country. Students are able to compete individually or as a group. Applicants taking part in this competition need to credit all sources used in the creation of the video documentary. Deadline for 2012 is midnight January 20th.

Official Announcement: http://www.studentcam.org/

Best Buy @15 Scholarships

The Best Buy @15 scholarship program awards $1,000 scholarships to 1,099 students residing in the United States and Puerto Rico. Scholarships are awarded to students in grades 9 through 12 who have excellent academic standards, do voluntary work and have work experience. Best Buy has awarded nearly $19.7 million in scholarship funds since its inception in 1999 to more than 15,438 students. The number of scholarships for juniors awarded to each grade is as follows: Grade 9: 22, Grade 10: 44, Grade 11: 110, Grade 12: 923.

Official Announcement: http://www.bestbuy-communityrelations.com/scholarship.htm

Moody’s Mega Math Challenge

This is a scholarship that focuses on applied mathematics. Maths whizz students will benefit from applying for this scholarship. It is a program that is sponsored by the Moody’s Foundation and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics. The goal of the project is to encourage students to pursue careers in applied mathematics, economic, finance and related fields. Creativity in problem solving, the method and approach are all criteria that will be judged and winners will receive scholarships totalling $100,000 to pursue higher education.

Official Announcement: http://m3challenge.siam.org/

There are many more scholarships for high school juniors. Students interested in applying to any of these competitions should firstly read the eligibility criteria requirements before proceeding with their applications. By tailoring the application and the scholarship essay to suit the requirements of the scholarship, the chances of winning a scholarship increases significantly.