Top 198 Scholarships for High School Juniors in December 2023

Sallie Mae will award $2,000 each month to eligible entrants. No essay or account sign-ups, just a simple scholarship for those seeking help paying for school.

Open to US-Based high school students in the classes of 2024 and 2025 — no essay, minimum GPA, test score, or citizenship requirements.

Easy scholarship open to all high school and college students, as well as anyone looking to attend college or graduate school in the next year. Niche is giving one student $50,000 to help pay for tuition, housing, books and other college expenses — no essay required!

Do you have a strong, driving passion which you’re currently on the path to pursuing? Further, can you illustrate or discuss this passion in video form? If so, you might consider applying for the Taco Bell Live Más Scholarship! Each year, the scholarship offers awards ranging from $5,000 - $25,000 to dozens of lucky students who make a video about their passions and how they plan to use them to make positive changes in their own communities and beyond. The scholarship is offered by the Taco Bell Foundation, an offshoot of Taco Bell that is dedicated to “educating and inspiring the next generation of leaders.” Anyone between the ages of 16 and 26 is welcome to apply to the Taco Bell Live Más Scholarship. If you fit the criteria and have a passion that motivates you day in and day out, we encourage you to apply!

Are you a U.S. high school student with a love for U.S. history? If so, we may have the perfect opportunity for you: the JFK Profile in Courage Essay Contest! Each year, the contest awards up to $10,000 to winning applicants who submit 700 - 1,000 word essays following the year’s prompt. Each year's prompt relates to U.S. history, with this year’s being: “Describe an act of political courage by a U.S. elected official who served during or after 1917, the year John F. Kennedy was born.” The scholarship is offered by the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, Massachusetts. If you love U.S. history and want to put your writing skills and history knowledge to the test, we encourage you to apply!

Are you a high school junior from the U.S. or Africa who is passionate about leading community change projects? If so, consider applying for the Bezos Scholars Program! The program is open to community change-oriented high school juniors who have taken at least one (1) AP or honors course during their high school career. Applicants must also be able to attend the Aspen Ideas Festival Trip (typically taking place in late June), if they win. The scholarship is funded by Jackie and Mike Bezos with the goal of amplifying youth voices and action by supporting young scholars as they create real-world projects to make positive change. Each year, 17 lucky students are chosen by the program to receive a fully-funded trip to the Aspen Ideas Festival, continuous support and coaching, and $1,000 to carry out their project ideas. If you’re passionate about making a change and are looking for some help to fund your ideas, we encourage you to apply!

Are you an exceptional and motivated college junior who hopes to complete a graduate degree in the Arts, Humanities, or Social Sciences? If so, consider applying for the Beinecke Scholarship Program! The scholarship is funded by The Sperry and Hutchinson Company, an organization led by the Beinecke brothers who shared a deep affection and interest in leading a company that set the pace for corporate philanthropy. To honor Edwin, Frederick, and Walter Beinecke, the board of Directors of The Sperry and Hutchinson Company created this scholarship in 1971 to provide financial support and to encourage exceptional young students to pursue opportunities available to them in the field of arts, humanities, and the social sciences. Each chosen scholar will receive $5,000 immediately prior to entering graduate school and an additional $30,000 while attending graduate school. If you’re passionate about completing a graduate degree in the arts or social sciences and are looking for some help to fund your graduate study, we encourage you to apply!

Are you a K-12 student who has created a significant piece of work in the field of STEM, literature, music, or philosophy? The Davidson Institute Fellows Scholarship may be a good fit for you! The Davidson Institute Fellows Scholarship is a life-changing $50,000 scholarship opportunity for any student in the United States who is under 18. Scholarships are awarded on the basis of significant work. This means any work or accomplishment that experts in the field recognize as meaningful and has the potential to make a positive contribution to society. This typically comes in the form of a project completed by the student(s). That’s right, student(s)! You can apply to the Davidson Institute Fellows Scholarship in a group of two! There are also multiple scholarship categories you can choose to apply within, including Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Literature, Music, Philosophy, and Outside of the Box. 

Are you over 14 years of age, enrolled in high school or college, and enjoy making original artwork? If so, the Create-A-Greeting-Card Scholarship Contest may be the perfect opportunity for you! Each year, the contest awards $10,000 to the applicant who submits the best holiday, greeting, or all-around holiday card. While the top ten finalists will be decided by a public vote, the final winner will be decided by a panel of judges. The contest is offered by The Gallery Collection, the “leading business-to-business online and mail order publisher of premium quality personalized Christmas, Holiday, and Everyday greeting cards in the United States.” If you’re a student aged 14 or older who wants to put their card-making skills to the test, we encourage you to apply!

Are you a high school senior with critical financial need and perseverance in overcoming adversity? Further, will you be enrolled in a U.S. college or university the fall after graduation? If so, consider applying for some of the many Horatio Alger Undergraduate Scholarships! These scholarships aim to help U.S. citizens with financial need attend college at a lower cost, awarding between $10,000 and $52,000 each. The scholarships are offered by the Horatio Alger Association, an organization with a mission to “fund need-based college scholarships for low-income youth to pursue their dreams through higher education.” As each scholarship has differing criteria, there are bound to be some you meet the criteria for. We recommend giving them a look-through and applying if you meet the criteria! Bear in mind that this scholarship runs from December 1st to March 15th annually.

Are you a full-time high school junior in the U.S. dedicated to pursuing and completing a bachelor’s degree after high school? Additionally, do you demonstrate critical financial need ($55,000 or lower adjusted gross family income)? If either applies, we encourage you to apply for the Horatio Alger National Scholarships! Awarding low-income students for overcoming and persevering through the challenges in their lives, the Horatio Alger National Scholarships grant $25,000 and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington D.C. to 106 students each year. All you need to do to apply is fully complete and submit the online application and required materials (which are also submitted on the application). If you’re a low-income student passionate about receiving an undergraduate education, the Horatio Alger National Scholarships may be a great opportunity for you! Bear in mind that this scholarship runs from December 1st to March 15th annually.

Are you a high school student interested in making art? If so, consider applying for the Young American Creative Patriotic Art Contest! The contest is open to students grades 9-12 who submit a two-dimensional art piece depicting patriotism. This scholarship is offered by VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States) Auxiliary, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing services for veterans and honoring them and their families. They started the contest in 1979 to encourage patriotism in youths and recognize their artistry. Every year, the scholarship offers multiple awards totaling $34,000 to the first-place winners from each state. If you want to make art about patriotism and are looking for a scholarship opportunity, we encourage you to apply!

Are you an 8 - 18 year-old who is currently leading or working on an inspiring service project? Alternatively, have you worked on one sometime in the past 12 months? If so, consider applying for the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes! Each year, the prize awards $10,000 to multiple elementary, middle, and high schoolers who have made great contributions to communities, either local or far. In order to apply, you must submit a completed application, project summary and essay, three letters of recommendation, and a color photo of yourself. The Gloria Barron Prize, a program of the nonprofit organization Young Heroes Project, celebrates inspiring, public-spirited young people from diverse backgrounds all across North America. If you’re passionate about community service and/or service projects, we encourage you to apply! Your work has surely helped many others, and now it’s time to let the Prize help you. The deadline is on April 15th of each year.

Are you a high school student with dreams of going to college one day? If so, consider applying for the Visionary Scholarship! Each application cycle, the scholarship awards between $1,000 and $2,500 to five applicants who submit an essay (~500 words) on why college is important to them. The scholarship is biannual, and non-winners from previous cycles are welcome to reapply. The upcoming deadline for the scholarship is on June 1, 2023. The scholarship is funded by the American College Foundation, a college preparation cornerstone with all information and related strategies delivered entirely from the family’s perspective.  If you’re a high schooler passionate about receiving a postsecondary education, we encourage you to apply and prepare for your college journey early!

Are you an 11 - 18 year old who has a passion for saving the environment and/or the ocean? Additionally, would you like to make a statement about the impact of climate change through writing, artwork, or even dance? You might consider applying for the Ocean Awareness Art Contest! Dedicated to encouraging the next generation to get involved in ocean conservation (and environmentalism as a whole), the contest asks its applicants to create a piece of artwork that reflects an impact/aspect of the current environmental crisis and its effect on the ocean. Each year has a specific theme to focus on, with this year being climate change. If you would like to make a statement about climate change’s impact on the ocean through art, we encourage you to apply!

Are you a high school or college student with a love for Minecraft? If so, we may just have the perfect opportunity for you: the Minecraft Scholarship! Each year, the scholarship offers $2,000 to one applicant who best writes about how Minecraft can positively influence one’s education and career development. The scholarship is offered by Apex Hosting, a Minecraft server provider dedicated to supporting both new and experienced server administrators. If you’re a high schooler or college student with a love for Minecraft, it’s time to put your passion to good use and apply to the Minecraft Scholarship!

The KHREF Essay Contest is an amazing opportunity for high school students, from any country in the world, who have a passion for writing and international studies/relations. Each year, the contest awards impressive prizes of $4000, $2000, and $1000 to the high school applicants who submit the best essays answering the international studies/conflict-related prompt. Bear in mind that essays must be written in English, be a maximum of 2,500 words, and students' arguments must be supported by scholarly research. If you're a high school student with an interest in international studies and conflict, we encourage you to apply! Keep on reading to learn more.

The Jazz at the Ballroom Scholarship is funded by Jazz at the Ballroom, an organization that is committed to keeping swinging, classic jazz thriving, and creating an environment where every guest feels at home and each artist can share their stories, passion, and talent. Every year, their Jazz at the Ballroom Scholarship awards $1,000 to three high school jazz instrumentalists attending a California high school. If this scholarship sounds like a fit for you, keep on reading for more application details.