Education & Opportunity

In my newspaper column for Nov. 8, I discussed scholarships for younger students--including kids age 14 and under. For all of the specific scholarship programs mentioned in the column, I wanted to pass along the program website links:

* Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision Awards: Students in grades K-12 form two- to four-person teams, develop a 20-year vision of a current technological innovation and compete for U.S. savings bonds worth $5,000 and $10,000. Click here to visit the program website.

* Girls Going Places Entrepreneurship Award Program: Girls ages 12 to 18 who demonstrate entrepreneurial skills and make a difference in their schools are awarded cash prizes ranging from $1,000 to $10,000. Click here to visit the program website.

National Geographic Bee: Kids in grades 4 through 8 compete in a series of written and oral geography competitions and battle for national scholarship prizes worth up to $25,000. Click here to visit the program website.

Kohl's Kids Who Care: Students ages 6 to 18 participate in a significant community service endeavor and vie for regional and national prizes ranging from $1,000 to $5,000. Click here to visit the program website.

Patriot's Pen: In a contest sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, students in grades 6 to 8 write 300- to 400-word essays based on a patriotic theme and receive U.S. savings bonds ranging from $1,000 to $10,000. Click here to visit the program website.

Young Naturalist Awards: In this program from the American Museum of Natural History, students in grades 7 through 12 conduct their own biology, ecology or astronomy research, write a short essay about their project and compete for cash awards ranging from $500 to $2,500. Click here to visit the program website.

To learn how to find and win more great programs like these, see my Scholarship Starter Kit at ScholarshipCoach.com.