Annual National Contests for Students

Over the years, I've shared some wonderful scholarship opportunities in the form of contests for students. I wanted to put them all together for you to look through, plus add a few more that I've found online that I consider inspirational for families. Most of these provide significant scholarship funds to help college(bound) students. This will be a growing list, so bookmark this page and reference it throughout the year as I discover more contests to add to this list. And if you know of one that's not listed and you think it should be, reach out to me and share it!

This post contains affiliate links.

Scholarship Contests for Aspiring Writers

The Lune Spark Young Writers Short Story Contest has two categories in which students may compete: ages 10 to 13, and ages 13 to 16. They award $2,000 in cash prizes.

The Hispanic Heritage Month Writing Contest doesn't have a logo, but it begins each year on September 15th and is open to middle and high school students. The winner receives $1,500 in scholarship funds.

The Profile in Courage Essay Contest is hosted by the JFK Presidential Library & Museum, this contest is open to high schoolers and runs September through mid-January. Winners receive between $1,000 to $10,000 in scholarship funds.

Scholarship Contests for Aspiring Artists

The Doodle 4 Google contest is entering its 14th year and remains one of my favorite art contests for students. (The $30K scholarship is nothing to sneeze at either!)

This one actually fits into two categories (art & writing), but I'm placing it here for balance. The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are part of the nation's longest running award program for students in 7th through 12th grades.

The Stuck at Prom Scholarship Contest challenges young fashion designers to create their prom outfit completely out of Duct tape. The grand prize winners (tux & dress) each win $10K in scholarship money. (My favorite winner was Larissa with her beautiful dress inspired by the Folklorico dresses with a hint of Chiapas.)

Scholarship Contests for Young STEAMers/Scientists

The 3M Young Scientist Challenge is for students in 5th through 8th grade and nurtures their inner problem solver.

The KidVentor Toy Challenge is for young children ages 6 to 13, who are challenged to come up with the next best toy and a chance for a $2,500 scholarship PLUS have their toy manufactured, marketed, and sold!

More Resources to Help Your Child Get Scholarships

The Ultimate Scholarship Book 2023: Billions of Dollars in Scholarships, Grants and Prizes

How to Write a Winning Scholarship Essay: 30 Essays That Won Over $3 Million in Scholarships

Confessions of a Scholarship Winner:
The Secrets That Helped Me Win $500,000 in Free Money for College- How You Can Too!

Scholarship Strategies: Finding and Winning the Money You Need

Other Posts You May Enjoy

• Hispanic Scholarship Fund Makes College a Reality for Latinos
  
  
• Top Five Reasons Why Latino Children Need to Go to College
  
  
• Design Squad Nation’s Build It Big Contest
  
  
• Scholarships for DREAMers

Barnes & Noble National Children's Short Story Contest

Do you have a budding writer in your home? I would really love to see Hispanics represented among the 15 winners! It's important that our stories be included and published. But that means that we have to write them. Encourage your children to enter!

Barnes & Noble is calling on children ages 6-12 to share their original short stories for a chance to be published in a book as well as receive a signed edition book from bestselling author Gail Carson Levine.

“We believe in the power of stories to inspire and bring joy, particularly in challenging times such as the one we’re living in now,” said Jackie De Leo, Vice President and General Merchandise Manager of Bookstore at Barnes & Noble. “Our Children’s Short Story Contest was created to be a fun and motivating outlet for young writers to share their work. We can’t wait to see the submissions, and although we can’t share all of them, we’re looking forward to publishing some budding authors in a book to be showcased by Barnes & Noble.”

Parents or legal guardians can submit on BN.com. Fifteen select entrants will be published in a book sold exclusively at Barnes & Noble this holiday season, with proceeds going to charity. The fifteen winners and fifteen runners-up will also get a signed book from bestselling author Gail Carson Levine, who will be writing a forward to the published book.

• Parents or legal guardians can submit an original written or graphic short story on behalf of children ages 6 – 12 from April 27 through May 29 on BN.com.
• Entries should include the parent or legal guardian’s name, email, and address. Only the child's first name and age should be provided with your entry.
• The work must be an original written or graphic story.
• Suggested word count is 300 - 800 words or 4 pages of a graphic story (black & white).
• The fifteen winners and fifteen runners-up will get a signed book from bestselling author Gail Carson Levine. Winners and runners-up will also have the chance to be featured on Barnes & Noble's social channels.

Hispanic Heritage Month Writing Contest

Do you have a middle schooler or high schooler in your home or classroom? Are you in a Suddenlink/Optimum service area? If so, be sure to check out the annual Hispanic Heritage Month essay contest from Suddenlink's owner, Altice USA.

Students must write an essay in English of 500 words or less describing "those (of Hispanic heritage) who are making connections in their communities." The grand prize is a $3,000 scholarship. Three finalists will win an iPad.

Essays should be typed and double-spaced. The deadline is October 31st.

Students may enter the contest by submitting one essay here. Or they can mail in their entry with this printable form. 

Other Scholarship Opportunities

• Annual National Contests for Students
  
  
• Hispanic Scholarship Fund Makes College a Reality for Latinos
  
  
• Top Five Reasons Why Latino Children Need to Go to College
  
  
• Design Squad Nation’s Build It Big Contest
  
  
• Scholarships for DREAMers

The 2019 3M Young Scientist Challenge

The 2019 3M Young Scientist Challenge is now accepting entries!

Created for students in Grades 5 – 8, this challenge is designed to help nurture and reward a child's interest in STEM during the time when most young students begin to lose interest.

To enter, students should review the six entry topics presented at the Website, then identify a solution to an everyday problem that aligns with one of the six entry topics and that directly impacts them, their families, their communities, and/or the global population.

For example, the 2017 winner, Gitanjali Rao, created a sensor-based device to detect lead in water faster than other current techniques. (Think Flint, Michigan water crisis!)


Then your child must create a video based on his/her own original idea that addresses the challenge outlined in the contest entry information. The contents of the video are up to your child, but it may contain your child's likeness, image, voice or other identifiable features.

Students are competing for a Grand Prize of $25,000 plus a 3M mentorship.

But you must hurry because the Challenge closes on May 7th.

For information on the other prizes to be awarded and the complete details of the Contest, please see the Official Rules and entry form for the Contest or visit www.youngscientistlab.com.

 

Read Conmigo School Supply Contest

Did you know that your school could win free school supplies and bilingual books from Read Conmigo? FOUR schools will win! Teachers can ALWAYS use extra supplies and books. Especially bilingual ed classrooms. :) Don't wait! Go nominate your school today.

Visit ReadConmigo.com to enter or click here.

KidVentor Toy Challenge

It's time to get your thinking caps on!

Fat Brain Toys is looking for the next best Fat Brain Toy and they're asking kids to invent it. They want a toy that is truly engaging and that promotes real play. No boring activity that other kids will lose interest in after 5 minutes.

Here are the dates you need to remember:

Contest opens: Tuesday, June 27th 

Contest closes: October 17th 

Finalists announced: October 18th 

Fan voting begins: October 24th

Winner announced: November 14th

Winner's toy presented at Toy Faire NY: Feb 17th, 2018

Two experts from Fat Brain Toys, two from MAKE, and two inventors from around the globe will judge the submissions and decide which one’s truly the best. And if they win, they’ll get…

•  a $2,500 scholarship
•  $500 in toys
•  A Prize Package from MAKE
•  Invention presented at the New York City Toy Fair and potentially sold around the world

To get started, visit Fat Brain Toys' KidVentor page to read the short list of a few things your kids should consider as they attempt to flesh out their big idea.

You can also submit your idea on this page.

The Search for STEMnauts Contest

Calling all middle school and high school students!

If you are obsessed with space or enjoy coding, this is a great opportunity for you! NASA has partnered with Texas Instruments to create and host this super fun contest that features the skills astronauts use in space. And they are searching for young STEMnauts to complete their challenges.

To win great prizes, you and your team of up to 5 fellow students must decipher puzzles and brainteasers using the coding and STEM* problem-solving strategies NASA uses to make human life in space possible. You'll have to have an adult sponsor, but they canNOT help you with the challenges. ;)

Teams must be middle or high school students. Homeschoolers are eligible.



The team with the most points will win:

• A new Galaxy Gray TI-84 Plus CE graphing calculator for each team member
• A $500 Amazon gift card for your team
• Passes to choice of NASA visitor center
• An assortment of fun STEM and space-related objects, including:
  - ISS Drawstring Backpack
  - Squishy Astronaut
  - NASA Pins/Decals
  - Foam RocketsS
• A video chat with a NASA subject matter expert

In addition, each of the members of five teams chosen at random will win a Galaxy Gray TI-84 Plus CE graphing calculators.

I think there are only around 150 teams at the moment, so your chances are good! Get in there and start deciphering codes and riddles.

You can enter the contest any time before it ends on May 31st.

My daughter is totally geeked about participating and is lining up a teammate. :)

Good luck!!!

#TeachersAppreciateTeachers Classroom Makeover Contest

It is Teacher Appreciation Week, and you know how much I appreciate all the hard work that homeschool and public/private school teachers do for their students. So when I saw that Carson-Dellosa Publishing is hosting a contest in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, I wanted to share because the grand prize winner and their nominator will receive a classroom makeover from Carson-Dellosa! 

Carson-Dellosa Publishing wants to hear about the exceptional educators who are making a difference in the lives of children—while also supporting their colleagues! Now through April 23 (that's this SUNDAY!), teachers can nominate a fellow teacher who has helped them get to where they are today. 

To nominate them, visit Carson-Dellosa's Facebook or Instagram pages and tag them in the comments, add the #TeachersAppreciateTeachers hashtag, and explain why they should be appreciated.

I looked through the contest rules, and nothing says that homeschool teachers aren't eligible. So I'll be putting in for it, too.

One grand prize winner and their nominator will each receive a $400 Carson-Dellosa gift certificate for a classroom makeover.

Three runner-ups and their nominators will each receive a $50 Carson-Dellosa gift certificate.

I'm sure you're familiar with them, but Carson-Dellosa Publishing is a fantastic educational product company. On their site, you'll find everything from classroom organization to learning centers to guided reading. They have products for homeschoolers and special needs. I really enjoy looking through their products.

Winners will be revealed during #TeacherAppreciationWeek. The grand prize winner and their nominator will receive a classroom makeover from Carson-Dellosa!

There are not a lot of nominations as far as I can see, so your chances are good. I'd love to see some Hispanic, homeschool, or bilingual ed teachers win!

Good luck!!

NOTE: This is not a sponsored post. This is just me sharing info I saw on my FB feed and an opportunity for my educator followers! xo

6th Annual Invent It Challenge

One of my favorite parts of running MommyMaestra is being able to share fun opportunities for your children or students. I especially love it when there are contests that both homeschoolers and students in traditional classrooms are eligible to enter.

The Global Spark!Lab INVENT IT CHALLENGE is a competition that encourages students ages 5 to 21 around the world to find solutions to global problems. This year's Challenge invites kids to think about a real-world environmental issue and design a planet-friendly solution. When asked to identify and solve a global health issue, last year's winners created a wearable warning system that helps prevent frostbite, a massage rope to aid injured athletes, and an ingenious water filtration system.

The Challenge offers eligible children from around the world the opportunity to showcase their creative thinking on a global stage, with the opportunity to win exciting prizes such as:

• a patent consultation from Nelson Mullins, 
• LEGO kit, 
• books from Smithsonian, 
• and subscriptions to Cricket Media's Science Magazines.

Individual students and entire classrooms serving children between the ages of 5-21 are encouraged to participate.

As part of the Invent It Challenge, kids are guided to look at the world around them and think about the environmental challenges facing people and their families, communities and the world. Specifically, the Challenge encourages them to tackle issues such as water scarcity, climate change, air or water pollution, endangered species and natural resource loss.

I would love to see a Latino student win this year! You can find way more information on the Invent It website.

MommyMaestra's 2016 Ofrenda Photo Contest

Last year, we thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the wonderful ofrendas that MommyMaestra readers in classrooms, libraries, and homes all over the country created in honor of Día de los Muertos. You shared your precious photos on MommyMaestra's Facebook page and inspired other families and classrooms to do the same.

We want to do it again!

Share your pictures with us between today, October 27th, and 11:59 pm ET November 3rd. 

A winner will be chosen at random to receive a copy of one of our favorite Día de los Muertos books: "Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras" (aff) by Duncan Tonatiuh.

This year, we're expanding just a bit and are allowing entries on Instagram, too. Just upload a picture of your ofrenda and use the hashtag #MMOfrenda.

This contest is not sponsored. It's just a fun opportunity for families and classes to share their hard work and creativity dedicated to family and friends who have passed away. What a beautiful tradition we have available to us all!

See our Terms and Conditions here. Void where prohibited.
Congratulations to you all on a job well done and best of luck!

Generation Nano: Small Science, Superheroes Contest

So today, I discovered this awesome contest for high schoolers. The National Science Foundation is hosting the Generation Nano: Small Science, Superheroes contest. The concept is creative and challenging; each student must research the field of nanotechnology and invent a superhero whose powers are based on current nanotech advances or that may be possible in the future given the current nano research. My kids aren't old enough, but they would SO be all over this if they were!

The students can win cash prizes: $1500 for 1st place, $1000 for 2nd place, and $500 for 3rd place.

But here's the catch: the deadline is next Tuesday, February 2nd! That's super short notice, I know, but I only found out about it. But I know that if you have a science-loving student or one that is a comic book aficionado, he or she could knock this out over the weekend.

Who: High-school students, individuals between the ages of 13-19 years old. Homeschoolers welcome.

What: A written entry explaining the original superhero and nanotechnology-driven costume, gadget, vehicle, or other gear, with particular emphasis on the research behind the nanotechnology, and a 90-second video OR one-page comic strip introducing the superhero and the student's nanotechnology gear. Entries are scored based on creativity, scientific accuracy and the visual appeal of the comic strip or video.

When: Submissions are due by midnight February 2nd.

Where: The competition's online platform nsf.gov/GenNano, where you can learn more about the challenge, access resources, register and submit your written entry and comic or 90-second video. Three finalists must attend and present their superhero at the 2016 USA Science & Engineering Festival in Washington, D.C., April 16-17, 2016. All expenses will be paid for the student and a parent.


For more details, check out the Entry Guidelines.

The 2015 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge

Do you have America's Top Young Scientist living in your house? I do. I have two of them. There's always an ingenious invention in progress or some sort of experiment in the making. And this year, my eldest child is finally old enough to enter the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge. It's open to kids in 5th through 8th grade - a CRITICAL time in which many children (especially girls!) abandon their interest in science.

We're pretty excited because the Queen of Invention is always excited to share her ideas with anyone who will listen. :) Right now, she's having to sort through her ideas and do research to pick just one. Fortunately, the challenge website has a page with tips to help her narrow down her idea. I've printed the Project Template which takes my daughter through the Scientific Method step by step. She feels like a professional scientist going through the paper.

(The Young Scientists Challenge website even has lesson plans and special videos to help you bring your science studies to life.)

Anyway, in the next few days we'll be working on her video submission. To enter the contest, kids have to submit a 1- to 2-minute video that:

• explains the problem and how it impacts the entrant, their family, their community or the global population;
• describes a new innovation or solution that could solve or impact the problem;
• explains the science, technology, engineering and/or mathematics behind their innovation; and
• illustrates how their innovation could both address the everyday problem they’ve identified and have a broader impact locally or globally.

If your child is eager to enter, definitely check out these Entry Video Tips so that their video rocks! Check out some of last year's finalists and winner...



And guess what? You can even enter in Spanish!

But you'll have to hurry because the deadline to enter is next Tuesday, April 21st!! So hurry and print your Project Template, give it to your kids and have them prepare to tape their video this weekend!

In June/July, 10 finalists will be announced and have an exclusive opportunity to work directly with a 3M scientist during a summer mentorship program, during which they will be challenged to create an innovation which solves a problem in society. State Merit Winners are also announced at this time. 

And then in October, finalists will demonstrate their scientific innovation and creativity in a series of challenges at the 3M Innovation Center in St. Paul, MN.

The most exciting part for my daughter is that the ten challenge finalists will each be paired with a 3M scientist mentor. The mentors will help guide finalists to create an innovation that will be presented to a panel of judges at the final competition at the 3M Innovation Center in October.

And here's the best news: The winner will receive $25,000 and the title of “America’s Top Young Scientist.”

I would just really love to see a Latino student win this year's challenge! To learn more, go and visit their website! And follow the Young Scientist Challenge on Facebook and Twitter.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post in collaboration with HunterPr and Discovery Education. All thoughts and opinions are strictly my own. 

Voto Latino Innovator's Challenge Winners Announced

Congratulations to the young winners of the Voto Latino Innovator's Challenge! Did you know about this contest? Latino youth ages 18 - 34 were challenged to think of a way in which technology could be used to make life better for Latinos. 

There were seven winners this year and all but one of them focused on the development of apps to help our community. From using tech to help improve the health of migrant workers to helping young Latinas suffering emotional difficulties to helping DREAMERS find scholarships, I love how the ideas presented solutions to real-world problems. The seven winning teams will split $500,000 in grants.

The judging team included high profile Latino activists Rosario Dawson and Wilmer Valderrama.

If you'd like to learn more about the winners and their amazing ideas, click here. 

Have you ever asked your child to identify problems in the world? Do you challenge your children to think outside the box and find solutions to these problems? I'm putting it on our school schedule. I want my kids to regularly think about how they can contribute to our society and help others be seeing their needs and finding creative solutions. 

MommyMaestra's Ofrenda Photo Contest

Time for some fun!

This year, so many of us are setting up ofrendas to remember our loved ones who have passed away. Betty and I thought it would be a great year to host a little photo contest on our MommyMaestra Facebook page.

If your class, school, library, or group is setting up an ofrenda, we'd love for you to share a photograph of it to inspire other educators.

If your family is putting together an ofrenda at home, send us a picture! Maybe it will motivate another family to remember their own loved ones with this memorial tribute.

We can't wait to see all the beautiful pictures! Your photo can be of the entire ofrenda, or a small part of it, but only one ofrenda picture per person may be submitted between now and November 3rd.

A winner will be chosen at random to receive a copy of one of our favorite Dia de los Muertos books by author-illustrating duo Eric Gonzalez & Erich Haeger. Rosita y Conchita is our hands-down favorite story, but they've also come out with a new title: Paquito y Abuelito. The winner will be notified by tagging him/her in the contest thread on Facebook.

While both Betty and I may post images, we (obviously) are not eligible to win.

This contest is not in any way endorsed by Facebook.

See our Terms and Conditions here. Void where prohibited

Good luck!

Doodle for Google 2014 Contest Now Open for Submissions

The Doodle for Google competition is live! And your child only has a little less than 3 weeks to submit his or her award-winning masterpiece. We download the entry form each year and sometimes actually submit the kids' artwork. They asked me about it already, so I'm happy that we'll be doing it again this year.

The contest is open to students in K-12, and this year's theme is: “If I Could Invent One Thing to Make the World a Better Place...”

To inspire your child, be sure to check out the Classroom Activities page. Created to "warm up" your child's brain before he or she sits down to create a Doodle masterpiece, you can watch short videos by official Google Doodlers and how they go about the process of creating many of the artistic doodles we've seen on Google's home page over the years. You can also choose from 3 classroom activities: "Imagine," "Create," and "Share and Collaborate."

Your child could win a $5,000 - $30,000 scholarship, plus a $50,000 Google for Education grant for her school.

This year's submission form is also much simpler than it has been in the past. In previous years, we've downloaded several pages, but this year, there is only one for you to print and mail in. Google must receive your entry by March 20th.

The last Latino student to win the contest was Matteo Lopez back in 2011, who was at the time a second grader in San Francisco. You can check out the video of him accepting his award here.

¡Buena suerte!

The White House Student Film Festival

Do you have a young future filmmaker in your house? Do you (or your child's school) use technology in your child's education?

Then you may be interested to know that this year, the White House has launched it's first ever Student Film Festival. This video contest is open to K-12 students, and the finalists will have their short films shown at the White House, as well as featured on the White House website.

I would truly love to see some talented Latino students make their filmmaking debut on the White House website!

The short films (no more than 3 minutes long) must be on the topic of technology in education. Specifically, they should focus on one of the following:

1) How you currently use technology in your classroom or school OR
2) The role technology will play in education in the future.

Parents/Guardians are required to submit the video here.

THE DEADLINE TO ENTER IS JANUARY 29TH.

The PBS 2013 Online Film Festival

The PBS 2013 Online Film Festival runs March 4th through the 22nd. The festival takes place on all PBS digital platforms, You Tube and PBS social media channels. It showcases 25 short films that feature a diversity of subjects, voices, and viewpoints. And people like you and me have the power to determine this year's winner. The film with the most online votes receives the People's Choice Award, and the winner will be announced in early April.

ALL of the films are fantastic. But, OF COURSE, I have my favorites. Embedded below are the ones that I'm voting for. I hope that you'll take a few minutes to watch them if you have the time...and maybe even go and vote?

I'm sure you won't be surprised at my #1 pick, Hoverboard...
 

And running a VERY close second is Sin País...

MommyMaestra's Hispanic Heritage History Quiz! {GIVEAWAY}

Okay, mi gente. It is that time of year again! Time for MommyMaestra's annual Hispanic Heritage History Quiz! How many of you are Latin history buffs?

The last two years, I've given away a set of BrainQuest's Hispanic America. So it's sort of una tradición around here.

THE GIVEAWAY

And once again, one MommyMaestra reader will win a set of BrainQuest's Hispanic America trivia cards. To enter, all you have to do is correctly answer 6 of the 12 (yes, I went up!) Brain Quest questions listed at the end of this post. I tried to pick ones that were a mix of easy and hard...(Mwuah-ha-ha!) AND ones that weren't part of last year's giveaway (Chihuahua, it's getting harder to do that!).

• For an additional entry, follow MommyMaestra on Facebook. Be sure to leave a separate comment letting me know that you did!

• Like last year, anyone able to answer all 12 questions earns the title "Supreme Trivia Master."

The deadline to enter is September 30th, at 11:59 pm EST. The winner will be chosen using Random.org and be notified via email. (Please be sure to provide a valid email address with your entry or some other way to contact you or your entry will be invalid.) The winner must have a valid United States mailing address.

By entering this giveaway, you agree to the Official Sweepstakes Rules. No purchase required. Void where prohibited.
¡Buena suerte!

And now for the questions:
1) Where would a Latina be at home wearing a pollera and dancing the tamborito?

2) If you wanted to have a rest, would you have a fiesta or a siesta? (Everyone better get this right!)

3) What is the oldest surviving European city in all the Americas?

4) Which country's capital city is Managua?

5) Which is the Spanish word for "infinity:" infinidad or infinito?

6) The word sierra can be found on maps of Mexico and the U.S. What does it mean?

7) En español, a student is an estudiante. What is a teacher? (I will be highly offended if any of you miss this one.)

8) Which South American river is the world's second longest river?

9)  What does the title of the song "Guantanamera" mean?

10) What Latin pop singer had her first English-language album, Laundry Service, go triple platinum?

11)  What Arizona-born Hispanic singer's first big American hit was "You're No Good" in 1974?

12) What Spanish American actor played the President of the United States on TV's The West Wing?

Bonus: During America’s war for independence from England, which side did Bernardo de Gálvez fight for?

This giveaway is now closed.

Multilingual Mania's 2nd Annual Hispanic Heritage Month Student Writing Contest

Last year, the contest had many touching and thoughtful submissions. Let's help make this year's even bigger. To learn more about this great contest, visit Multilingual Mania.

Con mucho cariño...

Hispanic Heritage Month Art & Writing Contests

Hispanic Heritage Month starts next week! Are you excited? Does your familia have big plans to celebrate? We're working on a few things here that I hope to share with you soon. In the mean time, if you are looking for something to do in honor of HHM, check out these art and writing contests.

LA students in K-12 can enter the Poster Competition. Contest theme: "Celebrating a Culture of Hope and Progress." Deadline: Sept 16th.

Chicago Public Schools is hosting an essay contest for students in 9th- 12th grades. Topic: Carlos Santana, contemporary Mexican American rock, salsa, and jazz fusion guitarist, once said, "The most valuable possession you can own is an open heart. The most powerful weapon you can be is an instrument of peace." Describe a person of Hispanic descent who, in your opinion, most exemplifies these words. Deadline: October 3rd.

And here are two art and writing contests open to students in Florida. Deadline: Sept 23rd.

Con mucho cariño...