There are a number of scholarship for women out there, and as a response to a weak economy, scholarship providers have also taken notice of mothers going back to school to improve their financial opportunities and provide for their families. If you’re a mom returning to college (whether you’re single or not), consider that when you’re looking for scholarships, because there are awards out there based on almost any characteristic.

This week’s Scholarship of the Week, the $1,000 Mommy Goes to College award through MyUSearch, targets moms who wish to go to college to not only broaden their own horizons, but inspire their children to do the same. The award will be given to one mom who is up to the challenges of balancing the duties of both college and motherhood, and applicants will asked to write an essay on that theme. If you’re a mommy looking for ways to fund your college dreams, you could be eligible for this award, or others like it.

Prize:

$1,000

Eligibility:

All applicants must be mothers who have an annual combined household income of $100,000 or less. Eligible women must be planning to pursue an undergraduate degree at an accredited U.S. college or university, and have not yet enrolled in at their intended college. This scholarship is for first year and transfer students only who will begin their first semesters on or before October of 2010.

Deadline:

December 31, 2009

Required Material:

Applicants must complete an application through the scholarship provider, which includes a written or video essay component on the following topic: “What is your biggest challenge as a mother trying to get a degree? What can colleges and universities do to help you overcome this challenge and encourage other mothers to further their education?”

Further details about the application process can be found by conducting a free college scholarship search on Scholarships.com. Once the search is completed, students eligible for this scholarship award will find it in their search results.

Posted: under Scholarship of the Week, Scholarships.
Tags: scholarship for women, Scholarship of the Week, Scholarships

Comments (0) Nov 16 2009

Art school is expensive and financial prospects for those who receive art degrees are not always certain.  For budding artists at any level of education, art scholarships can make a huge difference, as can gaining exposure for your works of art.

This week’s Scholarship of the Week, the MyArtSpace Art Scholarship Competition, gives art school students at both the undergraduate and graduate level the chance to earn up to $5,000 in scholarship money.  Students compile an online portfolio, complete with artist’s statement and CV, and post it to MyArtSpace for judging.  Winning entries will exhibit artistic excellence in a visual arts medium, contemporary or traditional, including photography and video.

Prize:

Undergraduate and graduate entries will be judged separately, with the following awards for each:

• First prize: $5,000
• Second prize: $2,000
• Third prize: $1,000

Eligibility:

Current or prospective undergraduate or graduate students pursuing a BFA, MFA, or other approved degree program in an accredited art school.  Applicants can enter either the undergraduate or graduate category of judging, but not both.

Deadline:

December 16, 2009

Required Material:

Completed online registration and high-resolution samples of work.  To enter, artsists create a free portfolio on MyArtSpace.com or NYAXE.com and upload up to 20 images.  Including an artist statement and a CV or résumé is also encouraged.

Further details about the application process can be found by conducting a free college scholarship search on Scholarships.com. Once the search is completed, students eligible for this scholarship award will find it in their search results.

Posted: under Scholarship of the Week, Scholarships.
Tags: art scholarship, graduate student scholarships, Scholarship of the Week, Scholarships, undergraduate scholarships

Comments (0) Nov 09 2009

Returning students have many options available to them when it comes to finding money for college. Soroptimist International is one organization that wants to help women better their job prospects. The group has local clubs across the country that fund Women’s Opportunity Awards for women who are the primary providers of their families and wish to return to school for undergraduate degrees or vocational skills training programs. If you fit that category and are someone who wants to not only better your life through additional skills but have come across financial hurdles to do so, consider applying for an award through Soroptimist International, this week’s Scholarship of the Week.

Soroptimist International is a volunteer service organization for business and professional women. Those who win their local chapters’ awards are then eligible to compete in regional and international competitions. The $2,000 award can be earmarked for not only tuition and fees, but any costs associated with returning to school, including childcare and transportation.

Prize:

$2,000

Eligibility:

Eligible women are the primary providers for their families, have financial need, and are looking for funding to pay for an undergraduate degree program or vocational skills training program. Applicants must be residents of one of Soroptimist International of the Americas’ member countries/territories: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guam, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Taiwan, United States of America, or Venezuela. Applicants must not have been a previous recipient of a Soroptimist Women’s Opportunity Award, and are not a Soroptimist member, employee or immediate family of either.

Deadline:

December 31, 2009

Required Material:

An online application which will include a personal statement about why you would be a deserving recipient, and two letters of recommendation. Applicants will be asked questions about their financial need.

Further details about the application process can be found by conducting a free college scholarship search on Scholarships.com. Once the search is completed, students eligible for this scholarship award will find it in their search results.

Posted: under Scholarship Applications, Scholarships.
Tags: returning students, Scholarship of the Week, undergraduate scholarships

Comments (0) Nov 02 2009

So, you’re a science nerd.  Lab coats and ambitious experiments aren’t so much elements of monster movies and Halloween costumes as they are part of your daily life and career ambitions.  Being so immersed in science, it’s only natural you’ve gotten a jump on it as a high school student, getting all you can out of each science class and science fair.  If you’re a high school senior who’s been conducting independent research this year, you should be sure to check out this week’s Scholarship of the Week, the Intel Science Talent Search.  It carries a top prize of $100,000, along with a chance to present your research at a national conference and meet leaders in your area of research.

To be eligible for this scholarship opportunity, you must have conducted an independent research project in a field of science, medicine, mathematics, or engineering.  Your research project must have been your work alone, not a group or team project.  You must complete a detailed research report describing your project and results to compete.  Semifinalists and finalists will be selected primarily based on the strength of the research report.

Prize:

• Grand prize: $100,000
• Nine other winners receive awards of $20,000 to $75,000
• 40 finalists: $7,500 and a new laptop computer
• 300 semifinalists: $1,000

Eligibility:

High school seniors (or any student attending their last year of high school) who are enrolled in a secondary institute in the United States or its territories, or are U.S. citizens currently studying abroad.

Deadline:

November 18, 2009

Required Material:

A completed research report describing your project, a contest entry form (available on the Intel Science Talent Search website), letters of recommendation from up to three teachers, an official high school transcript, and any supplemental materials required by the project.

Further details about the application process can be found by conducting a free college scholarship search on Scholarships.com. Once the search is completed, students eligible for this scholarship award will find it in their search results.

Posted: under Scholarship of the Week, Scholarships.
Tags: high school student scholarships, Scholarship of the Week, Scholarships, Science Scholarship

Comments (0) Oct 26 2009

For those of you who know you want to be educators and have a strong opinion on unions, the National Institute for Labor Relations Research has an award that you could be eligible for, whether you’re an undergraduate or pursuing an advanced degree. The institute’s $1,000 Applegate/Jackson/Parks Future Teacher Scholarship and this week’s Scholarship of the Week is available to any undergraduate or graduate pursuing a degree in education at any school in the United States. The award is named after three Michigan public school teachers who were fired for their refusal to pay union dues.

Much of the weight for this prize will be placed on the no more than 500-word essay you come up with demonstrating an interest in and knowledge of the Right to Work principle as it applies to educators. As with many career-specific scholarship opportunities, applicants must also show the potential to successfully complete a college-level program in education, as the award will be helping you become a future teacher, after all.

Prize:

$1,000

Eligibility:

Undergraduate and graduate pursuing a degree in education at a college in the United States. Officers, directors, and employees of the National Institute for Labor Relations Research, the National Right to Work Committee, Members of the Selection Review Committee, and their families are not eligible.

Deadline:

Applications will be accepted now through Dec. 31. Requests for applications will be sent via regular mail until December 15 and cannot be requested after that date.

Required Material:

An online application, which includes an essay, and current transcript. The scholarship will be paid to the institution of higher learning which the recipient plans to attend, and the recipient will be required to provide a copy of his/her transcript from that institution at the end of the academic year.

Further details about the application process can be found by conducting a free college scholarship search on Scholarships.com. Once the search is completed, students eligible for this scholarship award will find it in their search results.

Posted: under Scholarship of the Week, Scholarships.
Tags: Scholarship of the Week, Scholarship Search, teachers

Comments (0) Oct 19 2009

Are you an aspiring politician, skilled speech-writer, or an excellent orator?  Perhaps you just want to learn more about the United States Constitution and share what you’ve learned.  If you’re passionate about government or public speaking, or if you’re looking to improve your knowledge of each while potentially winning scholarships, this week’s Scholarship of the Week is worth checking out.

The American Legion National Oratorical Contest is an annual scholarship for high school students.  It’s divided into local, state, and national speech competitions, with scholarship opportunities existing at the state and national levels, and potentially the local level, as well.  The top scholarship prize is $18,000 and the contest is open to students in grades 9-12.  The goal of the contest is to develop a deeper knowledge and appreciation of the Constitution of the United States on the part of high school students.

Prize:

State/department winners will receive $1,500 and go on to compete in the national finals.

National prizes are as follows:

• 1st place - $18,000
• 2nd place - $16,000
• 3rd place - $14,000

Eligibility:

Currently enrolled high school students, grades 9-12, who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents.  Contestants must either live or attend school in the state where they enter the competition.  Students can only compete in one state.

Deadline:

Varies.  Local contests occur during fall/winter, with state-level competitions concluding before March 8, 2010.  The national finals will take place April 9-11, 2010.

Required Material:

To be eligible for department and national finals, students must enter through their local American Legion.  Dates, locations, and contact information for local contests can be accessed through the American Legion website.  The contest will have two parts: a Prepared Oration and an Assigned Topic Discourse.  The Prepared Oration must be on some aspect of the Constitution of the United States with emphasis on the duties and obligations of a citizen to our government.  The same oration must be used in both the department and national contests.  The possible topics for the Assigned Topic discourse are available on the American Legion website.

Further details about the application process can be found by conducting a free college scholarship search on Scholarships.com. Once the search is completed, students eligible for this scholarship award will find it in their search results.

Posted: under Scholarship of the Week, Scholarships.
Tags: high school student scholarships, Scholarship of the Week, Scholarship Search, Scholarships

Comments (0) Oct 12 2009

Chicago didn’t win the Olympics, but something good has come out of the effort. This week’s Scholarship of the Week comes from World Sport Chicago, which was created as the lasting legacy of Chicago’s 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Bid to support the city’s student athletes as they prepare to go to college. As part of the scholarship program, 56 students will be chosen to become World Sport Chicago Scholars and participate in Kaplan ACT Tutoring and a Chicago Scholars mentoring initiative. Of those 56, 16 student athletes will be chosen to receive renewable college scholarships worth up $10,000 annually.

World Sport Chicago was launched in September to help high school student athletes not only pay for college but be more prepared for the transition. The chosen scholars will get ACT prep help for the spring 2010 testing dates. The award is a good example of athletic scholarships that look at more than your abilities in your chosen sport.

Prize:

16 renewable college scholarships worth up to $10,000 annually.

Eligibility:

High school juniors who live and study in Chicago and have participated in an Olympic/Paralympic sport for two seasons in the past three years. Athletes of all levels are encouraged to apply; the judges just want to see that you’re committed to your sport, on whatever level you may be. Commitment to the Olympic values of Excellence, Friendship and Respect on the playing field in school and in the community will be considered during the evaluation process. Applicants must have a 2.5 GPA or better and be willing to perform the duties of World Sport Chicago scholars, which includes promoting Olympic values in the community.

Deadline:

November 30, 2009

Required Material:

An online application from World Sport Chicago, which includes three short essays, two recommendations and an unofficial high school transcript. Scholarships must be applied to accredited four-year institutions. Preference may be given to student athletes with high financial need.

Further details about the application process can be found by conducting a free college scholarship search on Scholarships.com. Once the search is completed, students eligible for this scholarship award will find it in their search results.

Posted: under Scholarship of the Week.
Tags: Scholarship of the Week, Scholarships, Sports, sports scholarships

Comments (0) Oct 05 2009

Many college scholarships focus on high school seniors, but there are scholarship opportunities for younger students as well.  This week’s Scholarship of the Week is one such opportunity, the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program.  These scholarships are awarded to students in grades 5-12 who have served their communities in a significant way in the last 12 months.

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards were created in 1995 through a partnership between Prudential Financial and the National Association of Secondary School Principals.  These community service scholarships give young people who show an early commitment to helping others a chance at national recognition, as well as up to $6,000 to pay for school and an additional $5,000 to benefit the charity organization of their choice.

Prize:

Five high school and five middle school National Honorees will receive $5,000 scholarship awards and an additional $5,000 donation to a charity of their choice.

102 State Honorees will receive $1,000 awards and will go on to compete in the national contest and participate in an awards ceremony in Washington, DC.

Eligibility:

Students in grades 5-12 who are legal residents of any US State or the District of Columbia who have engaged in a volunteer activity in the last 12 months.  Applications must be certified by a school principal or the local head of one of several officially designated certifying organizations listed on the contest website.

Posted: under Scholarship of the Week, Scholarships.
Tags: community service scholarships, high school student scholarships, Scholarship of the Week, Scholarship Search, Scholarships

Comments (0) Sep 28 2009

September 15 to October 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month.  This annual event was started in 1968 by President Lyndon Johnson, and was initially known as Hispanic Heritage Week.  It was expanded to a month-long celebration of Hispanic and Latino history in 1988 by President Reagan.  Schools, municipalities, and organizations nationwide take this opportunity to honor the culture and heritage of Hispanics in America and to celebrate the achievements of notable Hispanic Americans.

Hispanics were some of the first residents of what is now the United States of America, with Spanish-speaking settlers arriving in Florida and the Southwest in the 1500s.  Currently, Hispanic Americans make up over 15 percent of the population of the United States, making them the second largest ethnic group in the nation.  Hispanic Americans have played notable roles in events throughout the history of the country and many prominent figures in business, entertainment and government proudly claim Hispanic heritage.

As a result, there is a lot to celebrate in Hispanic Heritage Month.  In addition to the achievements of Hispanic Americans, Hispanic Heritage Month also celebrates the independence of several Latin American countries, as the dates coincide with the anniversaries of independence of Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Chile and Belize.

There are even scholarship awards offered in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, including this week’s Scholarship of the Week, the PRIMERO Hispanic Heritage Scholarship.  This $10,000 award was created in recognition of the achievements of Hispanic families who put their children through college and is meant to help realize the dreams of students who are the first in their families to attend college.  In addition to awards that specifically celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, a number of other Hispanic scholarships are also available to help advance the education and achievements of Hispanic Americans.

To find out more about scholarship opportunities for Hispanic students or more general scholarships for minorities, conduct a free scholarship search on Scholarships.com.

Posted: under College Culture, Scholarships.
Tags: college scholarships, Minority Scholarships, Scholarship of the Week, Scholarships

Comments (0) Sep 21 2009

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Sears Holdings Corporation is sponsoring the PRIMERO Hispanic Heritage Scholarship. The award, our Scholarship of the Week, is open to students of all ethnic backgrounds but was inspired by the efforts of Hispanic families helping their children become the first in the family to attend college. This is the first year the scholarship is being awarded, but Sears hopes to make it annual. Students who will be entering college and those continuing their degrees are encouraged to apply. There are GPA requirements and an online essay and application to fill out, but the grand prize - up to $10,000 to cover college costs - is a generous one. Minority scholarships, including the growing number of Hispanic scholarships, are some of the most common student-specific scholarships out there, so be sure to conduct a free scholarship search to view all of the scholarships you’re eligible for.

Prize:

1 first prize: $10,000

1 second prize: $5,000

2 third prizes: $2,500

10 finalists: Sears-Kmart “Back to Campus” kits, valued at $250 each

Eligibility:

Students between the ages of 16-22 who are enrolled in college seeking a bachelor’s or associate’s degree during the 2010 academic year, and are residents of the 50 states or Washington, D.C., with the exception of Maine. Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale and may not be an employee, officer, director or agent of Sears Holdings Corporation, the sponsor of the award.

Posted: under Scholarship of the Week, Scholarships.
Tags: Minority Scholarships, Scholarship of the Week

Comments (0) Sep 21 2009