Middle School students 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 middle school. 

Appily Easy College Money Scholarship
Sponsor: Appily
Amount: $1,000.00
Closing Date: May 31, 2026
Description: Scholarship is open to students 13 years of age or older who will be attending college in the future. Applicant must create a Appily profile (if they don’t have one already), share about their extracurricular, leadership, and volunteer activities, and then search Appily for scholarships.

Fifth Month Scholarship
Sponsor: Unigo
Amount: $1,500.00
Closing Date: May 31, 2026
Description: Scholarship is open to students 14 years of age or older who are legal residents of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia who are currently enrolled (or will enroll in the future) in an accredited post-secondary institution of higher education. Applicant must “write a letter to the number five explaining why five is important.”

We The Future Contest
Sponsor: Constituting America
Amount: Varied based on class standing
Closing Date: May 31, 2026
Description: Contest is open to K-12 students, college students, law school students, graduate schools students, adults 25 years of age and older, and seniors 65 years of age and older. Contest is about the U.S. Constitution. Each age group has different requirements, so applicants should visit website for details.

JASNA Essay Contest
Sponsor: Jane Austen Society of North America
Amount: Up to $1,000
Closing Date: June 1, 2026
Description: Contest is open to students world-wide who are enrolled in high school, college/university, or graduate school. Student must submit an essay on a given topic related a Jane Austen work.

Student Video Contest
Sponsor: American Road & Transportation Builders Association
Amount: Up to $500
Closing Date: June 2, 2026
Description: Contest is open to students in elementary school through graduate school. Contestant must submit a video on transportation infrastructure.

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.

Apprentice Ecologist Initiative Youth Scholarship Program
Sponsor: Nicodemus Wilderness Project
Amount: Varies
Closing Date: August 31, 2026
Description: Scholarships are open to students between the ages of 13 and 21 who are candidates for a degree/diploma at a primary (middle school), secondary (high school), or accredited post-secondary educational institution from any country around the world. Applicant must conduct their own environmental stewardship project.

Tommy Tranchin Award
Sponsor: The Dallas Foundation
Amount: Up to $3,000
Closing Date: December 31, 2026
Description: Award is open to North Texas students in grades 8-12 who have a physical, emotional, or intellectual disability.

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.