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Prudential Spirit of Community College Scholarships
With the Prudential Spirit of Community College Scholarships, even middle school students can get rewarded for their volunteering!
Important 2023 Update: This award is now called the Emerging Visionaries Scholarship
Winners are chosen from each state as well as 10 national awards.
Here are the scholarship details:
- Open to legal U.S. residents aged 14-18
- Home-Schooled Students may also apply
- Students must have volunteered in their community for at least 12 months prior to applying
- Mandatory certification by school principal or head of an officially designated local organization
- Up to $15,000 awarded to multiple winners, plus a trip to Washington D.C.
- Deadline: November 3
Winning Tips: This scholarship seems much more complicated and involved than the typical application, but it really isn’t. The application is available online OR students can request to have it mailed to them. I recommend physically mailing, as it gives students more power to showcase their achievements and community service project as outlined in my college scholarship guide ebooks.
What makes this scholarship different is the mandatory certification from a school principal or head of a specific charitable organization. Once students have emailed or handed in their applications to get certified, they are finished applying and the certification decision is out of their hands. Students need to have been extremely involved in a community service project to have a chance at winning one of these awards.
Be sure to read: 30 Awesome Activities for Volunteering and College Scholarships
Creating and implementing their own community service project is the best way to impress the judges and more information on how to do this can be found here.
In describing their volunteering and community service, students need to make sure they cover all four of these details: Inspiration, effort, impact, and personal growth.
Initiative: Did the applicant initiate the activity on his/her own, or demonstrate exceptional leadership or motivation in an existing activity?
Effort: How much time and effort did the activity require? Did the applicant have to overcome significant obstacles?
Impact: How much of a difference was made by the activity? Were a significant number of people affected, or were the lives of specific individuals impacted in a major way?
Personal Growth: Did the applicant acquire insights or skills from the experience? Does the application reflect a sound understanding of the importance of serving others?
Go here to apply for this scholarship:
PRUDENTIAL SPIRIT OF COMMUNITY SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS (Emerging Visionaries)

Open to High School Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors! APPLY NOW HERE

Monica Matthews is the author of How to Win College Scholarships. She helped her own son win over $100,000 in college scholarships and now shares her expertise with other parents and their students. She truly has “been there, done that” in regards to helping parents and students navigate the scholarship process.
Her method of helping students in finding college scholarships, writing unique and compelling scholarship essays, creating amazing scholarship application packets and more, have taught desperate parents to help their own students win thousands of scholarship dollars.
Monica’s scholarship tips have been featured on many prominent websites and she has been dubbed the “Go-To” expert on college scholarships.