The NYS Achievement and Investment in Merit Scholarship (NY-AIMS) provides merit-based scholarships to NYS high school graduates who achieved academic excellence as a high school student, and enroll or plan to enroll in a public or private NYS college immediately after high school.
The NYS STEM Incentive Program provides tuition awards to students who are New York State residents attending a public or private degree-granting college or university located in New York State. Recipients must be in the top 10 percent of students of their high school graduating class, pursue an approved, two or four-year STEM degree program and agree to live in NYS and work in a STEM field in NYS for five years after graduation.
Odyssey of the Mind has been the world’s greatest creative problem-solving program since its beginning in 1978. What started as a project for students in a single industrial design class has grown into a world-wide program that has reached multiple generations, allowing students to learn, develop, and employ skills related to teamwork, resource management, designing and making, divergent thinking, and so much more. Odyssey of the Mind provides students with a place to learn today’s creative problem-solving skills while having fun!
Each year more than 132,000 students in grades 6-8 enter the VFW’s Patriot’s Pen youth essay contest. The national first-place winner wins $5,000 and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. The first-place winner from each state competes for national awards totaling $55,000, with each first-place state winner receiving a minimum of $500 at the national level.
The Paul Tsongas Scholarship is a merit-based program that rewards Massachusetts students with a grade point average of 3.75 and highly competitive SAT scores of at least 1200 (or the ACT equivalent). Eligible students receive a waiver of tuition and mandatory fees at a Massachusetts state university.
Perennial Math has three types of competition for students in grades 3-12 (online, live on-site, and virtual for districts and classrooms). Perennial Math was created by Dr. Sylvia Dean, a gifted specialist and administrator for 26 years in Huntsville, Alabama – the Rocket City (proud home of NASA, Space Camp, Redstone Arsenal, and many Space, Defense, and Technological Companies). Dr. Dean created Perennial Math to offer students more venues to showcase their talents and to help teachers develop math skills in their classroom.
The Conrad Challenge gives students between the ages of 13-18 the chance to become entrepreneurs and apply innovation, science and technology to solve problems with global impact. Guided by teachers and industry experts, the competition becomes a master class in collaboration, creativity, critical thinking and communication. The result – students with the 21st century skills needed to thrive in the workforce and new innovations that have the potential to change life for the better.
The PhysicsBowl is a competition for high school students and schools. Every year in April, students and schools compete by answering 40 multiple choice questions from topics taken in high school physics.
Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering free educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition to high schools across the country. This program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about literary history and contemporary life. Poetry Out Loud is a partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, Poetry Foundation, and the state and jurisdictional arts agencies.
Contact your state’s representative for questions: http://www.poetryoutloud.org/state-contacts
For more than 30 years, Posse has identified and trained young people with extraordinary potential who might be missed by elite schools. Their program places Scholars in supportive, multicultural groups of 10 students — Posses. With mentoring and full-tuition leadership scholarships from partner colleges, Posse Scholars graduate at a rate of 90 percent. As alumni, they are well prepared and positioned for success.
In Profiles in Courage, John F. Kennedy recounted the stories of eight U.S. senators who risked their careers to do what was right for the nation. These leaders demonstrated political courage by taking a stand for the public good in spite of pressure by interest groups, their political party, or even their constituents. The Profile in Courage Essay Contest challenges students to write an original and creative essay that demonstrates an understanding of political courage as described by John F. Kennedy in Profiles in Courage.
There are several Project SEED scholarships available, including renewable and nonrenewable awards. Selection is based on achievement in school, success in the Project SEED program, financial need, and intended chemical-related field of scientific study. The scholarships are intended to assist former SEED participants as they transition from high school to college.
The Purple Comet! Math Meet is a free, on-line, international, team mathematics competition designed for middle and high school students conducted annually since 2003.
The QuestBridge National College Match is a college and scholarship application process that helps outstanding low-income high school seniors gain admission and full four-year scholarships to the nation’s most selective colleges.
Since 2014, the Rachel Carson Landmark Alliance has been directing the Rachel Carson Intergenerational Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Contest and continue to regard it as a worthwhile way to honor this great American’s legacy. Winning entries submitted especially by young team members in the form of poetry or prose have aptly demonstrated these writers’ appreciation for nature’s wonders.
The Recognizing Excellence in Art and Literary Magazines (REALM) Award publicly recognizes excellent literary magazines produced by students with the support of their teachers. REALM is designed to encourage all schools to develop literary magazines that celebrate the art and craft of writing.
