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SteamH Essay Contest

STEAM-H-Ladies

STEAM-H Essay Contest

Contest Submission Form

Sponsorship Form

About the Contest

Each year, the Virginia Council on Women (Council) hosts an Annual STEAM-H Essay Contest (Contest). The Contest, which started in 2012 under Governor Bob McDonnell’s administration, awards high school senior girls pursuing STEAM-H majors and careers with scholarships to aid with their tuition at institutions of higher education, to include but not limited to four-year colleges and universities, community colleges, and career and technical schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia and throughout the Unites States. Since the establishment of the Contest, the Council has awarded more than $225,000 in scholarships. 

Defining STEM: The Virginia Council on Women’s definition of STEAM-H includes majors and careers in the following areas: science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics, and healthcare.

Contest Timeline

  • Contest Launches

    October 2025

  • Contest Ends

    January 30, 2026

  • Scholarship Recipients Notified

    February 2026

  • Scholarship Recipients Reception

    Spring 2026

  • Scholarship Dispersed

    Summer 2026

Contest Eligibility Requirements

All applicants for the Virginia Council on Women STEAM-H Essay Contest must:

Merit-Based

  • Be a Virginia resident
  • Be enrolled in a Virginia-based high school or high school equivalent (to include homeschool)
  • Be a female high school senior
  • Be planning to attend an institution of higher education to include but not limited to a community college, four-year college or university, trade or technical school, or certificate program
  • Have a minimum 3.0 GPA (4.0 Scale)

Need-Based

  • Be a Virginia resident
  • Be enrolled in a Virginia-based high school or high school equivalent (to include homeschool)
  • Be a female high school senior
  • Be planning to attend an institution of higher education to include but not limited to a community college, four-year college or university, trade or technical school, or certificate program
  • Have a minimum 3.0 GPA (4.0 Scale)

Contest Guidelines

Essay Prompt
Write a 700-1,000-word essay responding to the following:

  • Your motivation for pursuing a STEAM-H career
  • Your anticipated course of STEAM-H study, trade, and/or profession

Judging Criteria

All essays are judged on the following:

  • Content
  • Creativity
  • Spelling, Punctuation, Grammar