One of the most common questions we get from students and parents is “are there any scholarships for middle school students?”

After all, some students want to start their scholarship search as early as possible and fear that all of the great scholarships are for high school students.

There is some truth to this as the majority of scholarships are for high school, college, and graduate students. However, we have found a number of great scholarships that are open to more students, including middle school students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade.

Jump ahead to:

• Top Middle School Scholarships in 2020
• Summary of top scholarships for middle school students
• Expired scholarships

Keep on reading to learn more about some of the scholarships that middle school students may be eligible for. If you are looking for more scholarships and advice, you can join the free Scholarships360 newsletter!

Top Middle School Scholarships in 2020

$1,000 CollegeXpress “What Are You Thankful For” Scholarship 

• Eligibility: This scholarship is open to all students who are 13 years or older and legal residents of the United States or DC.
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: November 30

Engineer Girl Writing Contest 

• Eligibility: The contest is open to individual girls and boys in the following three competition categories: Elementary School Students (grades 3-5), Middle School Students in (grades 6-8), or High School Students (grades 9-12)
• Amount: $250 to $500
• Deadline: February , 2021

Kaplun Essay Contest

• Eligibility: Students who are in grades 7 through 12 who submit an essay about their Jewish faith 
• Amount: $500 to $1,800
• Deadline: March 7, 2021

Make Me Laugh Scholarship

• Eligibility: Must be a college or community college student by the fall of 2025
• Amount: $1,500
• Deadline: August 31, 2021

Paradigm Challenge Scholarship 

• Eligibility: Students aged 4 to 18 (as of May 1, 2021) around the world are invited to enter the Paradigm Challenge individually or as teams of any size
• Amount: Up to 100,000
• Deadline: May 1, 2021

Prudential Spirit of Community Awards

• Eligibility: Student volunteers in grades 5-12 as of November 5 who are legal residents of the US
• Amount: $1,000 to $11,000
• Deadline: November 10

Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

• Eligibility: Scholarships are open to students ages 13 and up in grades 7 through 12
• Amount: $500 to $10,000
• Deadline:  January 31

Shout it Out Scholarship

• Eligibility: Must be a college or community college student by the fall of 2025
• Amount: $1,500
• Deadline: September 30, 2021

Simple and Sweet Scholarship

• Eligibility: Students at least 13 years of age who submit an essay
• Amount: $1,500
• Deadline: February 28, 2021

Stephen J. Brady Stop Hunger Scholarships

• Eligibility: Applicants ages 5-25 who demonstrate an on-going commitment to their community by performing unpaid volunteer services impacting US hunger within the last 12 months
• Amount: $1,000 to $5,000 (and an additional $5,000 for charity of winners’ choice)
• Deadline: December 5

Young Filmmakers Contest 

• Eligibility: Students in grades 3 up through age 25 who submit films of 3 to 8 minutes about our earth and sustainability 
• Amount: $200 to $2,000
• Deadline: January 5, 2021

Summary of top scholarships for middle school students

1. Breakthrough Junior Challenge Scholarship
2. $1,000 CollegeXpress “What Are You Thankful For” Scholarship 
3. Doodle for Google Scholarship
4. Engineer Girl Writing Contest 
5. Kaplun Essay Contest
6. Make Me Laugh Scholarship
7. Ocean Awareness Contest 
8. Paradigm Challenge Scholarship 
9. Patriot’s Pen Essay Scholarship
10. Prudential Spirit of Community Awards
11. Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
12. Shout it Out Scholarship
13. Simple and Sweet Scholarship
14. Stephen J. Brady Stop Hunger Scholarships
15. We the Students Essay Contest 
16. Young Filmmakers Contest 

Expired scholarships

Breakthrough Junior Challenge Scholarship

• Eligibility: Students ages 13 to 18 who create a physics, life sciences, or mathematics video project 
• Amount: $250,000
• Deadline: June 25

Doodle for Google Scholarship

• Eligibility: This scholarship is open to all students in grades kindergarten to Grade 12
• Amount: $5,000 to $30,000
• Deadline: March 13

Ocean Awareness Contest 

• Eligibility: Students ages 11 to 18 who create a work of art in their chosen genre, including visual art, film, music, poetry, prose, and interactive and multimedia
• Amount: Scholarships worth from $100 to $1,500
• Deadline: June 15

Patriot’s Pen Essay Scholarship

• Eligibility: Students in grades 6-8
• Amount: Up to $5,000
• Deadline: October 31st

We the Students Essay Contest (Opens 12/2020)

• Eligibility: Students must be in grades 8 through 12
• Amount: $7,500
• Deadline: April 15