NeW Essay Contest
Direct application
$1,000
2 winners
Eligibility
Demographics
Woman
Location
United States
Education level
High school
Year of study
Final year
About this scholarship
Female high school juniors and seniors, and college students, may enter the Network of enlightened Women (NeW) Essay Contest by submitting an essay on challenges related to conservative beliefs on campus, strategies for intellectual diversity, and related prompts.
Two $1,000 first-place awards are given (one College category and one High School category). Winning essays may be published.
Submit an essay discussing campus challenges tied to conservative beliefs and strategies for fostering intellectual diversity and civil discourse.
NeW was started to create a place on campus for conservative women and publishes You're Not Alone: The Conservative Woman's Guide to College as part of that mission.
Essay question
What else to submit
- Wholly original nonfiction essay of 600 to 750 words
- Online contest entry form
- Eligibility: female, legal U.S. resident (50 states + DC), in final year of high school OR currently enrolled in a U.S. undergraduate institution at time of entry
- Two contest categories: high school and college (selected based on fall 2025 enrollment)
- Essay must be nonfiction, between 600 and 750 words, and a wholly original work
- All copyrighted material/quotations must be attributed using hyperlinks; failure to attribute = disqualification
- AI-generated essays are disqualified
- Limit one entry per person and per email account
- Online entry form requires student name, parent/guardian name (if under 18), school name, and graduation year
- Deadline: March 31, 2026 at 11:59pm ET (contest opened March 1, 2026)
- Prize: $1,000 scholarship for first place in each of the high school and college categories
- Essay must address the annual prompt about American founding documents, liberty, and constitutional government.
- AI-generated essays are disqualified.
- Limit one entry per person and email account.
- Copyrighted material and quotations must be attributed with hyperlinks.