Sophomore year isn’t too early to think about college scholarships. In fact, it’s a great time to start your scholarship search. If you get started now, you’ll be incredibly organized by the time you’re applying to the major scholarships of junior and senior year. Plus, you’ll wind up with a treasure trove of essays you can repurpose for your college applications.
Have we convinced you yet? Here are 14 scholarships for high school sophomores to apply to now.
1. Rubicam Youth Writing Competition
Deadline: December 15, 2021
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9-12 at the time of submission.
Requirements: Submit a genealogy in a biographical narrative format for one family line, including four generations. See the submission requirements for detailed instructions.
Scholarship Amount: One winner will receive $500 and a one-year NGS membership.
2. Spotless Cleaning Chicago Scholarship
Deadline: December 30, 2021
Eligibility: High school, college, and graduate school students.
Requirements: Create a 2-4 minute video explaining why you think education is the key to a brighter future, and how you can shape society.
Scholarship Amount: One winner will receive $1,000.
3. Cedar Lending Because College Is Expensive Scholarship
Deadline: December 31, 2021*
Eligibility: High school sophomores, juniors, seniors, current college students, and anyone planning to attend college or graduate school within 24 months.
Requirements: No essay needed! Just fill out the registration form. Winners will be drawn randomly.
Scholarship Amount: One winner will receive $500.
*Note: This scholarship is offered four times per year, so if you miss the December deadline, you’ll have more opportunities to apply.
4. Delete Cyberbullying Scholarship
Deadline: December 31, 2021
Eligibility: Current high school or college student.
Requirements: Answer one of the following questions in 500 words or less: “Why is it important to work to delete cyberbullying?” or “How has cyberbullying personally affected you?”
Scholarship Amount: One winner will receive $1,000.
5. Apprentice Ecologist Awards
Deadline: December 31, 2021
Eligibility: Students between the ages of 13 and 21.
Requirements: Conduct your own environmental stewardship project and submit an essay about it (along with photos of the project in action).
Scholarship Amount: One first place winner receives $1,000. Second and third place winners receive $500 and $250, respectively.
6. Gene and Kelly Tanabe Scholarship
Deadline: December 31, 2021
Eligibility: All high school, college, and graduate students.
Requirements: 250 word essay describing why you deserve the scholarship, OR your academic/career goals, OR a topic of your choice.
Scholarship Amount: One first place winner receives $1,000.
7. Profile in Courage Essay Contest
Deadline: January 14, 2022
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9-12.
Requirements: Write a 700-1,000 word essay in response to this prompt: “Describe and analyze an act of political courage by a US elected official who served during or after 1917.” See the contest requirements for detailed instructions.
Scholarship Amount: One first place winner - $10,000. One second place winner: $3,000. Five finalists - $1,000. Eight semi-finalists - $100.
8. Digital Responsibility Technology Addiction Awareness Scholarship
Deadline: January 30, 2022
Eligibility: All high school, college, and graduate students.
Requirements: Submit a 140-character statement in response to the prompt, “Instead of spending time with technology, I’d rather…”. If you’re selected as one of 10 finalists, you’ll be asked to submit a 500-1,000 word essay about technology addiction.
Scholarship Amount: One winner will receive $1,000.
9. National Ag Day Essay & Video Contest
Deadline: January 31, 2022
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9-12 in the 2021-22 school year.
Requirements: Submit either a 450 word written essay or a two minute video essay in response to the theme “American Agriculture: Growing a Climate for Tomorrow.”
Scholarship Amount: One written essay winner and one video essay winner will each receive $1,000.
10. DNA Day Essay Contest
Deadline: Early March 2022*
Eligibility: Students in grades 9-12.
Requirements: Submit an essay up to 750 words in response to a prompt about genetics.
Scholarship Amount: First place (1): $1,000; second place (1): $600; third place (1): $400; honorable mention (10): $100.
*Note: The submission site will open in early January 2022. The exact deadline will be available at that time.
11. Anthem Essay Contest
Deadline: April 28, 2022
Eligibility: Students in 8th-12th grade.
Requirements: Write a 600-1200 word essay in response to one of three prompts about Ayn Rand’s novel Anthem.
Scholarship Amount: First Prize (1): $2,000; Second Prizes (3): $500; Third Prizes (5): $100; Finalist Prizes (25): $50; Semi-finalist Prizes (50): $25
12. Digital Responsibility E-waste Scholarship
Deadline: April 30, 2022
Eligibility: All high school, college, and graduate students.
Requirements: Submit a 140-character statement about why we should care about e-waste. If you’re selected as one of 10 finalists, you’ll be asked to submit a 500-1,000 word essay about e-waste.
Scholarship Amount: One winner will receive $1,000.
13. Jane Austen Society of North America Essay Contest (High School Division)
Deadline: June 2, 2022
Eligibility: All students enrolled at the high school level during the contest year.
Requirements: Submit a 6-8 page essay about family relations in Sense and Sensibility. “Essays can focus on relations between siblings or pairs of siblings, between mothers and their offspring, or perhaps on characteristics (apart from sense and sensibility) embodied by a related or unrelated pair.”
Scholarship Amount: One first place winner will receive $1,000 and free registration/lodging at JASNA’s Annual General Meeting. Second and third place winners will receive $500 and $250 respectively.
14. Student Research Fund Community Contribution Scholarship
Deadline: July 26, 2022
Eligibility: All high school students.
Requirements: Submit an essay of up to 1,000 words describing a project you led in order to solve a problem in your community.
Scholarship Amount: First place (1 winner): $7,000; second place (1 winner): $5,000; third place (1 winner): $3,000; fourth place (7 winners): $1,500.