Elementary school children may not know where they want to go to college or what they want to study, but thinking about paying for college can be intimidating for their parents. Below are scholarships and contests for students in elementary school.

Communication Contest for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (CCDHH)
Sponsor: Optimist International
Amount: $2,500.00
Closing Date: June 15, 2026
Description: Contest is open to young people through grade 12 in the United States and Canada, to CEGEP in Quebec and grade 13 in the Caribbean, who are educated in the United States, Canada or the Caribbean. Applicant must be deaf or hard of hearing. Closing date is the national closing date. Applicant should contact local Optimist Club for specific date.

Young Filmmakers Contest
Sponsor: One Earth Film Festival
Amount: Up to $1,000
Closing Date: June 25, 2026
Description: Contest is open to students in grades 3 through college (ages 8 and up) from the United States. Student must create a film on one of many given topics (climate, energy, food, transportation, waste, water, Wildlife and Ecosystems) related to the Earth.

Barbara Mandigo Kelly Peace Poetry Awards
Sponsor: Nuclear Age Peace Foundation
Amount: Varies
Closing Date: July 1, 2026
Description: Contest is open to people of all ages. Contestants must submit a poem or poems that explore and illuminate positive visions of peace and the human spirit. There is no entry fee for youth 12 years of age or under.

Paradigm Challenge
Sponsor: Project Paradigm
Amount: Up to $100,000
Closing Date: May 1, 2027
Description: Challenge is open to students aged 4 to 18 years of age worldwide. Applicants may work in a team or alone to use kindness, creativity, and collaboration to help solve real-life problems.