Up to $2,000 Young Scientists Award
- Organization: Bennington College
- Type: Competition
- Location: Global
- Deadline: November 1, 2026
- Funding: Fully Funded
Bennington College, a liberal arts college in Vermont, runs the Young Scientists Awards for high school students anywhere in the world. You submit one original visual piece about the natural world, such as a scientific illustration, a field guide, a research poster or a process diagram, and a panel of Bennington faculty and students judges it. Entry is free and top entries win cash prizes, publication and scholarships if you later enrol at Bennington. **What you get:** - Cash prizes per category: $2,000 for first place, $1,000 for second, $500 for third - $250 for a Distinguished designation, awarded by category and grade level - Possible publication on Bennington's website, social media and publications, and you keep ownership of your work - Only if you enrol at Bennington: a full-tuition scholarship for four years for first place winners, a half-tuition scholarship for four years for Distinguished recipients, and $25,000 a year for four years for finalists **What you'll do:** - Create one visual piece in the Natural Sciences category, such as a local field guide, a scientific drawing or painting of a plant, bird or insect, a poster on a concept or your own research, or an illustrated process diagram - Optionally add a written explanation of up to 500 words giving context for the work - Submit up to five images or PDFs of the work, reviewed and approved first by a sponsoring teacher or mentor - Optional prompt: what is something many people in your neighbourhood never notice about the natural world around them? **Key dates:** - Submissions opened September 1, 2026 at 9:00 AM ET - Submissions close November 1, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET - Round 1 judging by a faculty and student panel, November to December - Round 2 judging by an external panel and winners selected, January - Winners announced in spring **More information:** - Grade 12 students enter through the Common Application or Coalition Application to Bennington, which Bennington says has no application fee, is non-binding and needs no supplemental essays; entry instructions follow by email - Grades 9 to 11 start with a student information form, then submit through the Young Creators Awards portal - Questions: youngcreatorsawards@bennington.edu
