The Best Scholarships for Juniors in High School

The Best Scholarships for Juniors in High School SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Many students think that they shouldbegin looking at college scholarships once they actually start applying to college- so some time early in their senior year. Although it’s true that many big-name scholarships require applicants to be high school seniors, there are some great awards out there for younger students as well. So why not get a head start in applying for scholarship awards? You could win money for college, sure, but you’ll also get experience in the scholarship application process before submitting even more applications during your senior year. I’ve compiled a list of scholarships for high school juniors. This list will be a great place to start, but you might also want to search for more targeted awards (e.g., by geographic area). You can browse the scholarships below based on whether they're competitions or merit-based scholarships. Read to the end for tips and strategies on getting the most scholarship money possible! Are you ready for a little (friendly) competition? It's a win-win! You can get application practice, scholarship funding, or both! Essay- and Project-Based Scholarships for Juniors If you have a competitiveside, these scholarship programs might be just the thing to get you motivated! Whether you're a debate pro or a science nerd, you're sure to find a competition right up your alley. Voice of Democracy Scholarship Competition To compete for this scholarship, applicants write and record an audio essay on an annual patriotic theme. The theme for 2019-20 is "What Makes America Great." The first-place winner walks away with a $30,000 scholarship,but runners-up also receive awards. A total of $2.1 million in funding is given out annually. Winners also receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC. Eligibility:Students in grades 9-12 Deadline:October 31, 2019 American Legion National High School Oratorical Contest Similar to the Voice of Democracy Scholarship Competition, students compete for this scholarship by writing and performing a three- to five-minute oration on some aspect of the US Constitution. First place takes home $18,000, second place $16,000, and third place $14,000. You can learn more about this year's assigned topics here. Eligibility:High school students under 20 years of age Deadline: Varies by state; check with your local American Legion Department The Fountainhead Essay Contest Are you an Ayn Rand fan? Or have you readThe Fountainhead for school? Then you've already done the lion's share of the work for this scholarship competition! Students compete for this award by writing an essay on one of three topics related toThe Fountainhead(you can check out this year's topics here). The first-place winner is awarded a grand prize of $10,000, although runners-up also receive prizes. In total, this program gives out $22,500 annually. (This is a cash prize, so you'll receive the money personally.) Eligibility: Students in grades 11-12 Deadline:April 25, 2019 Gen and Kelly Tanabe Scholarship This is a smaller scholarship, but it's also pretty easy to compete for- all you have to do is write a 250-word personal statement. You can even reuse an essay you wrote for class, another scholarship, or a college application.The applicant who submits the highest-quality essay wins a $1,000 scholarship. Eligibility: US students in grades 9-12 Deadline: July 31, 2019 (for the spring 2019 cycle) John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest Do you follow US politics? Then this competition might be the one for you. Students compete by writing an essay that demonstrates their understanding of JFK's description of political courage. You can get more detailed information on this year's essay topic hereand evenread past winning essays to get an idea of what's expected of applicants. Award amounts range from $100 all the way up to $10,000. Eligibility:US students in grades 9-12 Deadline:Likely January 2020 Do you fancy yourself a bit of a bookworm? Merit-Based Scholarships for Juniors These scholarships are still competitions in that you and a bunch of other applicants are vying for a limited amount of funds. But instead of being evaluated on your oratorical or scientific acumen, you'll be evaluated on personal qualities. Some of these scholarships heavily value scholarship, whereas others value leadership or community service (or even a combination of both!). William Randolph Hearst Foundation US Senate Youth Program This is a bit of a specialty scholarship program- it's meant for students who are serving in student government and plan on taking government courses in college. Applicants are judged on their leadership abilities, academics, clear speech, logical thought, community involvement, and extracurriculars. A total of 104 award winners receive $10,000 each as well asan all-expenses-paid trip to a conference in Washington, DC, from March 7 to March 14, 2020. Eligibility: Students in grades 11-12 Deadline:Varies by statebut usuallyin October each year Carson Scholars Program To be a competitive applicant for this scholarship, you must demonstrate academic excellence in addition to a dedication to serving your community. The minimum GPA eligibility requirement is 3.75/4.00. If you'd like to be considered for this award, you must be nominated by an educator at your school, and only one nomination per school is allowed. Winners receive a $1,000 prize. Schools can request an applicationhere. Eligibility: Students in grades 4-11 Deadline:N/A (students do not enter the program but are nominated by their school) National Merit Scholarship If you're a junior in high school, chances are you've already taken the PSAT. But did you know that by just taking that test, you've already started the process of entering yourself into this scholarship competition? Students compete for this award by striving to get a top PSAT score (depending on your state, you'll need a Selection Index scoreof 212 or higher to qualify). You must then submit an application with other standard scholarship information. The competition gives out$2,500awards to about 7,500students every year (with corporate and institutional sponsors giving outadditional awards). For more info, check outour guide to winning the National Merit Scholarship. Eligibility: 11th graders who have taken the PSAT (10th graders may take the PSAT but are ineligible for the scholarship) Deadline: N/A (you are automatically entered upon taking the PSAT in 11th grade) Want to build the best possible college application? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. Like most things in life, you'll be most successful with your scholarship applications if you employ some solid long-term strategies. 3 Tips for Getting the Most Scholarship Money Possible If you're starting the scholarship application process in 11th grade, you've got a long road ahead of you. This is a good thing! Scholarship programs have varying requirements, deadlines, and expectations, so the earlier you get started, the better chance you'll have of getting money. Below are our top tips to help youwin the most scholarship money you can as a junior. #1: Do Your Own Research It's great to get started with larger national scholarships, but as you might imagine, the competition gets pretty fierce when you're dealing with these noteworthy scholarship programs. Even if you're a very strong applicant for a particular award, chances are that you could be a very strong applicant for a particular scholarship and still not win award money if the program is particularly competitive. The more independent research you do into smaller, tailored scholarship programs, the better your chances will be of getting funding for school. That isn't to say you shouldn't apply to the big scholarships- you definitely should!- but you should also have some smaller "safety" awards.The more niche a scholarship program is, the better chances you'll have of winning an award (assuming you're a qualified applicant, that is). So do your own research on scholarship programs that operate in your area or are offered to students with your particular interests and passions. The easiest way is toGoogle scholarships in your area.If you have a particular talent, skill, interest, or identity, search for scholarships that are offered to students based on those criteria. You can also talk with your guidance counselor who should have more information about local scholarships and how to apply for them. #2: Apply Broadly This is another strategy designed to increase your odds of coming out of the process with some extra college money in your pocket. Basically, apply to as many scholarships as possible. Many scholarship applications ask similar questions and require similar information, soif you apply to one program, you might as well apply to several.It's free to apply for most scholarships, so all it takes from you is a few hours of your time. For example, the Gen and Kelly Tanabe Scholarship listed above will let you use a personal statement from class or even another application, meaning you can kill two birds with one stone! #3: Make Note of Deadlines Many scholarships are due before college applications.As such, it's better to start your scholarship search earlier rather than later so you don't miss out on any great opportunities. This is especially true for scholarships geared toward high school seniors. If you're looking into scholarships now, this is the perfect time to get a jump-start on some of the bigger scholarships for 12th graders. You can keep track of application deadlines by keeping a spreadsheet that you update regularly. This is helpful if applications require you to ask for letters of recommendation. In that case, be sure togive your teachers and mentors plenty of advance notice to write you a letter. What's Next? If you want to get a head start on scoping out scholarships, check out our comprehensive guides to winning some of the most competitivenational scholarships available. Learn more about theCoca-Cola Scholarship, theGates Scholarship, theWalmart Scholarships, and theMcDonald's Scholarships. Got a super high SAT or ACT score? Then you might be interested in learning how to apply for college scholarships based on your SAT/ACT scores. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: