Below are some of the best scholarships for high school juniors, the Class of 2026:
Award Amount: $2,500
Participate in the #ScholarshipNow challenge for a chance to win $2,500! To participate, download the Goodwall app and simply share a video telling us how winning this scholarship would help you achieve your educational goals, on the hashtag #ScholarshipNow.
Award Amount: $10,000 - $20,000
The New York Life Financial Empowerment Scholarship is available to high school juniors and seniors. To be eligible for this award, you must: 1. Have your parent register and share an access code with you. 2. Download the Zogo app and register with the access code. 3. Complete at least 25 learning modules in the Zogo app. 4. Submit an essay on the following topic: "What plans have you made to achieve your goals, and what challenges do you expect to encounter along the way? And if there's a financial dimension to this goal, how do you think you'll tackle that aspect of it?"
Award Amount: $500
The Be A Friend Project Scholarship is available to high school students. To be considered, you must write a two - to four - page script of a lunchroom conversation between friends that is related to bullying. You must be following at least one of the sponsor's social media handles to be eligible for this award.
Award Amount: $1,000 - $2,500
The Leaders Save Lives Scholarship Program is open to high school and college students. You must host an American Red Cross blood drive while school is out of session and collect a minimum of 25 pints of blood to be eligible for this award.
Award Amount: Full-Tuition The Cameron Impact Scholarship is available to high school juniors. You must have a minimum 3.7 GPA and be a U.S. citizen to be eligible for this award. You must also excel in a broad variety of extracurricular activities, demonstrate active participation in community service and in civic - minded arenas, and be a motivated leader with a strong work ethic and social acumen. Only the first 3,000 applications will be accepted.
Award Amount: $500 - $1,500 The Sustainability Essay Contest is open to high school juniors and seniors. You must submit an essay on a sustainable construction - related topic and have a minimum 3.0 GPA to be considered for this award.
Award Amount: $35,000 The Voice of Democracy Scholarship Competition is open to high school students. To enter, you must record an original three - to five - minute audio essay on the following topic: "How Are You Showing Patriotism and Support for Our Country?"
Award Amount: $1,000 The Carson Scholars Program is open to students in grades four through eleven. You must have a minimum GPA of 3.75 and display humanitarian qualities through community service to be eligible for this award. Interested students MUST be nominated by an educator at their school. Only one student from each school is able to apply.
Award Amount: $20,000 - $25,000 The American Legion National Oratorical Contest is open to junior high and high school students who are under the age of 20 and are citizens or lawful permanent residents of the United States. To be considered, you must prepare an oration on some aspect of the U.S. Constitution, with emphasis on a citizen's duties and obligations to our government. A complete list of topics are available on the Legion's Web site. Each individual state winner certified into and participating in the first round of the national contest receives a $2,000 scholarship.
Check out these Four Scholarship Tips via this Instagram Reel:
Goodwall #ScholarshipNow Challenge
Deadline: 6/30/25Award Amount: $2,500
Participate in the #ScholarshipNow challenge for a chance to win $2,500! To participate, download the Goodwall app and simply share a video telling us how winning this scholarship would help you achieve your educational goals, on the hashtag #ScholarshipNow.
New York Life Financial Empowerment Scholarship
Deadline: 8/25/25Award Amount: $10,000 - $20,000
The New York Life Financial Empowerment Scholarship is available to high school juniors and seniors. To be eligible for this award, you must: 1. Have your parent register and share an access code with you. 2. Download the Zogo app and register with the access code. 3. Complete at least 25 learning modules in the Zogo app. 4. Submit an essay on the following topic: "What plans have you made to achieve your goals, and what challenges do you expect to encounter along the way? And if there's a financial dimension to this goal, how do you think you'll tackle that aspect of it?"
Be A Friend Project Scholarship
Deadline: 8/31/25Award Amount: $500
The Be A Friend Project Scholarship is available to high school students. To be considered, you must write a two - to four - page script of a lunchroom conversation between friends that is related to bullying. You must be following at least one of the sponsor's social media handles to be eligible for this award.
Leaders Save Lives Scholarship
Deadline: 9/1/25Award Amount: $1,000 - $2,500
The Leaders Save Lives Scholarship Program is open to high school and college students. You must host an American Red Cross blood drive while school is out of session and collect a minimum of 25 pints of blood to be eligible for this award.
Cameron Impact Scholarship
Deadline: 9/3/25Award Amount: Full-Tuition The Cameron Impact Scholarship is available to high school juniors. You must have a minimum 3.7 GPA and be a U.S. citizen to be eligible for this award. You must also excel in a broad variety of extracurricular activities, demonstrate active participation in community service and in civic - minded arenas, and be a motivated leader with a strong work ethic and social acumen. Only the first 3,000 applications will be accepted.
Sustainability Essay Contest
Deadline: 10/17/25Award Amount: $500 - $1,500 The Sustainability Essay Contest is open to high school juniors and seniors. You must submit an essay on a sustainable construction - related topic and have a minimum 3.0 GPA to be considered for this award.
Voice of Democracy Scholarship Competition
Deadline: 10/31/25Award Amount: $35,000 The Voice of Democracy Scholarship Competition is open to high school students. To enter, you must record an original three - to five - minute audio essay on the following topic: "How Are You Showing Patriotism and Support for Our Country?"
Carson Scholars Program
Deadline: VariesAward Amount: $1,000 The Carson Scholars Program is open to students in grades four through eleven. You must have a minimum GPA of 3.75 and display humanitarian qualities through community service to be eligible for this award. Interested students MUST be nominated by an educator at their school. Only one student from each school is able to apply.
American Legion National Oratorical Contest
Deadline: VariesAward Amount: $20,000 - $25,000 The American Legion National Oratorical Contest is open to junior high and high school students who are under the age of 20 and are citizens or lawful permanent residents of the United States. To be considered, you must prepare an oration on some aspect of the U.S. Constitution, with emphasis on a citizen's duties and obligations to our government. A complete list of topics are available on the Legion's Web site. Each individual state winner certified into and participating in the first round of the national contest receives a $2,000 scholarship.
High school seniors can find a scholarship list, too! While it's never too soon to begin your college scholarship search, many United States students begin looking for scholarship opportunities their junior year of high school. Your junior year will be busy, filled with campus visits, college-admissions prep work and deciding what you'd like to go to college for. JUMP TO SCHOLARSHIPS FOR JUNIORS IN HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 2026
How to Find Scholarships for High School Juniors
Instead of wondering how you'll pay for college, do something about it. Students in the 11th grade are generally busy with studying, writing, researching colleges, extracurricular activities and maintaining a social life; it may feel like you don't have time to add applying for scholarships to your schedule. To make the scholarship-application process easier, create a free Fastweb profile. From this you'll be matched to scholarships that fit YOU. You'll also want to establish a weekly scholarship application goal for yourself at the beginning of your junior year of high school. Stick to your scholarship plan; challenge yourself. Stay on top of the scholarship deadlines and keep applying. The more you apply for, the better your odds. Before you know it, it will be your senior year! There are many college scholarships for high school juniors! Scholarships for the Class of 2026 range from small, school-specific awards to national contests and competitions that give away big scholarship money. These scholarships can be competitive and targeted toward student accomplishments, merit scholarships with eligibility requirements, and financial aid for students that demonstrate financial need.You Might Also Like
Shawna Newman
Managing Editor, Contributing Writer
Shawna Newman covers various topics related to post-secondary education, including trade schools, the military, and college. She details strategies for paying for school, such as scholarships, financial ai...
