Happy Friday, dear Financial Aid Finder readers! As you probably know by now, each Friday I post about college scholarship opportunities with upcoming deadlines. With financial aid letters coming out last month, you probably know now how much assistance you will have for next year — and how much more you will need. If there’s a gap, it’s time to get serious about finding scholarships.
This week, we’ve got three great opportunities — from a few thousand dollars to $15,000!
If you’re a wanna-be video programmer, expatriate who has lived abroad for at least 2 years, or a tea drinker, you could win some serious dough from this week’s announcements.
To learn more about winning college scholarships, check out the Finder’s articles about navigating the scholarship application process, writing scholarship essays, and taking advantage of free scholarship search engines. We’ve also got some great new articles on scholarships, about topics like unclaimed scholarships and weird scholarships.
1. ESA Foundation Computer & Video Game Scholarship Program: $3,000
The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) annually offers $3,000 scholarships to women and minority students who are pursuing degrees in Computer & Video Game Arts. This year, the ESA Foundation has doubled the number of awards to 30 by opening up a new opportunity for high school seniors. Scholarships are available to student enrolled in a full-time course of study at an accredited four-year colleges or universities. To apply, visit the link right above. The application deadline is May 15, 2009.
2. Life in a Flying House Scholarship
Clements International, an insurance company for individuals living abroad, is sponsoring the 2009 Flying House Scholarship. The program awards scholarships to the winners of an essay and creative media contest, in which participants share their experiences of living in a foreign country. Each application must include both a 500+ word essay describing the impact of being an expatriate, along with a creative media presentation on the same topic. The media may be photography, illustrations, paintings or video. Full-time students ages 12 – 18 of any nationality who have spent at least two years living outside of their home country are eligible to apply. The 1st place winner will receive $3,000; 2nd prize is $1,500 and 3rd place is $500. The application deadline is Friday, May 15, 2009. Winners will announced by mid September, 2009.
3. Calm-a-Sutra of Tea (2/7/13 Note – this award may no longer be offered)
The Tea Council of the USA is sponsoring one of my all-time favorite scholarships again this year: The Calm-a-Sutra of Tea competition. Here’s the deal. You create an original, one- to two-minute video about a unique or creative way to drink tea, along with a message about the health benefits of black, green, white and/or oolong tea (no specific brands may be mentioned). Upload your entry to YouTube, then include a link with your scholarship application. To be eligible, you must be at least 16 years of age and a legal resident of the U.S. or Puerto Rico. Videos will be judged by a panel of tea experts on the health-related message, creativity and individuality. Popularity will also be judged, based on the number of hits each entry receives on YouTube. The top video producer will receive a $15,000 scholarship. The application deadline is May 31.
Good luck with your scholarship applications!