Every year students participate in the Voice of Democracy Scholarship Competition and the Patriot’s Pen Essay Contest, garnering more than $3.4 million in scholarships and incentives.   The scholarships are awarded by the Veterans of Foreign Wars local chapters.

In addition, the VFW honors an outstanding scout through the VFW Scout of the Year Scholarship program.

The Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation Summer Seminar, is a scholarship  program (full tuition, room and board and all seminar related expenses, excluding transportation), available nationally to artistically gifted high school juniors in public and private schools. The Summer Seminar, held on the campus of The Colorado College, Colorado Springs, Colorado, is designed as an art institute offering an intensive visual art studio program for the students.

If you are an accomplished visual artist and will be a junior next year, check this program out!

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program is the United States’ largest youth recognition program based exclusively on volunteer community service.  If you think that you might be a potential award winner in 2010-2011, start now to find out which local organizations are authorized to collect nominations.  It might be a school or The Red Cross for example in your area.   National winners receive a $5000 prize, state winners $1000.   Plan now for next Fall!

Be sure and check out The Yip a new website that is looking for intelligent teen submissions.  Great way to add credits to your resume and college aps.

With the bowling industry enjoying major gains in the 34 and under crowd this year, it is no wonder that student bowlers are looking for opportunities to cash in on their talents.    The rise of the family entertainment centers and “night-out” places like LuckyStrike in Miami has made bowling a cool sport again.

Bowl.com has a database listing many scholarship opportunities.  If bowling is your thing, be sure to check out the possibilities.

Now that we’re all using digital cameras, it is possible to experiment and shoot to your heart’s content with incurring the expense of film.   Shooting is the best way to improved your pictures too.

High school students can enter now through May 15.  Entries are limited to 15 per school year.  The photos can be “natural”, “contrived” or have “multiple images”.

You can check out the contest here and good luck!

The C-Span annual competition asks students  to make a short video about a political subject that means something to them.  The 75 winners won more than $50,000 in prizes.   You can check out this year’s winners at  studentcam.org.

Now you can send your SAT studying friends on Facebook study gifts.  You can compete against each other in quizzes too.  Check out the new Princeton Review Facebook SAT Ap. Might make studying for the SAT a teeny bit more entertaining.

Check out Fresh-Films summer program 2010 and see if they are coming to your city.  Fresh Films offers teens a chance to make their own movie with real Hollywood actors and actresses and professional direction and equipment.    It’s a great jumpstart to choosing a college major or a future career in the movies.

Coke Scholars win BIG!  250 students are selected as either regional or national scholarship winners.   Applications are accepted online starting August 1.  Parents of high school juniors pay attention to this one!