SteamH Essay Contest
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 $150,000 in scholarships.
Defining STEM: The Virginia Council on Women’s definition of STEM includes majors and careers in the following areas: science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and healthcare. In 2020, as the Council prepared to launch the 10th Annual STEM Essay Contest, it broadened the definition of STEM to STEAM-H, which includes the following areas: science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics, and healthcare. As of 2020, the contest is now referred to as the Virginia Council on Women Annual STEAM-H Contest. This decision was made in an effort to be more inclusive of the increasing intersection between STEM and the arts.
Contest Timeline
-
Contest Launches
February 9, 2024
-
Contest Ends
April 7, 2024
-
Scholarship Recipients Notified
Late April 2024
-
Scholarship Recipients Reception
Spring 2024
-
Scholarship Dispersed
2024
Contest Eligibility Requirements
All applicants for the Virginia Council on Women STEAM-H Essay Contest must:
- 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)
- 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 2.5 GPA (4.0 Scale)
Contest Guidelines
- Your motivation for pursuing a STEAM-H career
- Your anticipated course of STEAM-H study, trade, and/or profession
Judging Criteria
- Content
- Creativity
- Spelling, Punctuation, Grammar
STEAM-H Essay Contest
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 $150,000 in scholarships.
Defining STEM: The Virginia Council on Women’s definition of STEM includes majors and careers in the following areas: science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and healthcare. In 2020, as the Council prepared to launch the 10th Annual STEM Essay Contest, it broadened the definition of STEM to STEAM-H, which includes the following areas: science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics, and healthcare. As of 2020, the contest is now referred to as the Virginia Council on Women Annual STEAM-H Contest. This decision was made in an effort to be more inclusive of the increasing intersection between STEM and the arts.
Contest Timeline
-
Contest Launches
February 9, 2024
-
Contest Ends
April 1, 2024
-
Scholarship Recipients Notified
Late April 2024
-
Scholarship Recipients Reception
Spring 2024
-
Scholarship Dispersed
2024
Contest Eligibility Requirements
All applicants for the Virginia Council on Women STEAM-H Essay Contest must:
- 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)
- 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 2.5 GPA (4.0 Scale)
Contest Guidelines
- Your motivation for pursuing a STEAM-H career
- Your anticipated course of STEAM-H study, trade, and/or profession
Judging Criteria
- Content
- Creativity
- Spelling, Punctuation, Grammar