JLV College Counseling
Do you like making a difference in your school or community? If you do, DoSomething has many campaigns to make a difference, and for participating, you will be entered to win a scholarship! Below are campaigns from DoSomething accepting entries in September.
Game-Winning Drive: Collect 1 Piece of Sports Gear for Kids in Underserved Communities
Scholarship Amount: $5,000
Closing Date: September 30, 2017
About: Kids from underserved communities are 50% less likely to play sports. One reason is that equipment is too expensive to afford.
How to enter: Look in your closet or garage for 1 ball, bat, glove, stick, or any other sports gear. Then donate your item to a local community center (DoSomething will give you the address of the closet one!). You’ll be helping kids play more sports, which improves their well-being, and you’ll automatically be entered to win the scholarship.
Show Stress Who’s Boss: Share Tips to Help Friends Reduce Stress!
Scholarship Amount: $5,000
Closing Date: September 30, 2017
About: 58% of college students deal with intense stress and anxiety. To cope, lots of them turn to smoking and binge drinking.
How to enter: You can win an easy scholarship just by sharing 5 simple ways for friends to reduce stress! DoSomething will send you easy, fun mental health hacks, and all you have to do is click a button to send them to friends. That’ll help friends unleash their potential this year, and you’ll automatically be entered to win the scholarship.
#SuperStressFace: Help Your Friends Reduce Stress!
Scholarship Amount: $2,000
Closing Date: September 30, 2017
About: 97% of American teens report being stressed during back-to-school season. Yikes!
How to enter: Take a picture of what you look like when you’re stressed (your #SuperStressFace!) and share it with friends on social media with one of DoSomething’s tips proven to help de-stress.
Take Shorter Showers to Save Water!
Scholarship Amount: $1,000
Closing Date: September 30, 2017
About: Americans use more than a TRILLION gallons of water showering each year. That’s enough to supply all the water needs of New Jersey and the Empire State.
How to enter: Share a five-minute playlist with a friend to remind them to keep their shower under five minutes. That’ll save up to 1,500 gallons of water this year and you’ll automatically be entered to win the scholarship.
Tell Your Governor to Protect Your State and Our Planet!
Scholarship Amount: $1,000
Closing Date: September 30, 2017
About: President Trump recently withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, a global treaty to protect the planet.
How to enter: Use social media to tell your governor to protect health, the air and water, and the security of your state and our country. Tweet or post on Facebook asking your governor to sign a pledge that DoSomething provides. That’ll ensure a safer, cleaner, better future for America and you’ll automatically be entered to win the scholarship.
Uncover the Truth: Encourage Friends to Fight Propaganda and Defend Science
Scholarship Amount: $3,000
Closing Date: October 31, 2017
About: At this very moment, a think tank funded by Big Oil billionaires is sending a “science textbook” called “Why Scientists Disagree About Global Warming” to every science teacher in the country.
How to enter: You could win an easy $3,000 scholarship just by sharing a pledge on social media that encourages your friends to talk to their teachers about this propaganda-filled book. You’ll defend science, fight propaganda, and be entered to win the scholarship.
Ride & Seek: Keep Friends and Family Safer in the Car
Scholarship Amount: $5,000
Closing Date: December 15, 2017
About: Seat belts save lives – everyone knows that. But warnings from parents and scare tactics from ad campaigns don’t make teenage drivers and passengers more likely to wear a seat belt.
How to enter: Student can win an easy scholarship just by printing and posting flyers. For every poster you share in your community, you’ll keep people safer on the road AND earn another chance at the scholarship. Unlimited entries!
Eligibility Information
While there is no GPA, test score, or essay requirements, there are some eligibility requirements students must meet to enter any of the above scholarship opportunities:
- US or Canadian citizens, regardless of residence OR reside in the U.S. or Canada.
- 13 to 25 years of age.
The above scholarship contests are easy to enter and you’ll be making a difference. Check them out and participate before the closing dates.
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JLV College Counseling 
I was told that scholarship contests were scams to collect people’s contact information. Are the Do Something scholarships verifiable? I’d like to have some assurances prior to clicking on their site.
DoSomething is definitely legitimate. It is a non-profit organization that is all about motivating young people to make positive change. Some of my readers have won scholarships from DoSomething.
I do my best to make sure each scholarship I share is legitimate and not just trying to get your contact information. If a scholarship is asking for too much information, such as your social security number, I recommend you skip it. But, most scholarships need at least your name, address, phone number, email address, and the institution you are attending. They need this information in case you win because most scholarship providers will send the scholarship directly to the financial aid office.
I hope this helps!
If a 13-yr-old applies, will the money awarded (if granted) be on hold until he or she attends college?
Great question, Mandy. Typically if it is a scholarship, they scholarship provider will hold onto the scholarship money. It will then be the student’s responsibility to contact the scholarship provider when they know the college they will be attending. The scholarship provider will then send the money directly to the school so it can be applied to the student’s account. If it is a contest, the student will usually get the money sent directly to them after they win.