LGBTQ+ Youth Leadership Awards
Direct application
Eligibility
About this scholarship
Outstanding LGBTQ+ student leaders age 24 or younger who attended high school or earned a GED in the Washington, D.C. metro area and are starting their first semester of post-secondary education may apply for SMYAL's Youth Leadership Awards.
SMYAL awards eight $5,000 scholarships annually to recognize leadership and community impact. Applicants should demonstrate personal growth and a commitment to creating change in their school or community.
Apply with a personal essay of up to 1,500 words on your journey as an LGBTQ+ leader, two letters of support, and a list of post-secondary programs where you have applied. Winners should be comfortable being publicly out, as their picture and biography will be publicized.
Founded in 2015, SMYAL's LGBTQ+ Youth Leadership Awards support unapologetic student leaders making a difference.
Essay question
What else to submit
- Personal essay up to 1,500 words
- Two letters of support
- List of post-secondary programs where the applicant has applied
- Acceptance letters received, if any
- Two letters of support from individuals who can attest to your suitability for the award
- List of programs where you have submitted active applications
- Acceptance letters from any institutions where you have been accepted
- Applicants are automatically considered for both the Youth Leadership Awards and Sophie's Live Out Loud Award (same application)
- Winners should be comfortable being publicly out; their picture and biography will be publicized.