SLFCU Scholarship Competition
Top Prize: $4,000
SLFCU members attending college in 2023 – 2024 are invited to enter our annual essay scholarship competition with a top award of $4,000. Applicants must be new or returning students with a minimum 2.5 GPA who will attend a full-time bachelor’s or master’s program at an accredited institution. Previous winners are welcome to enter.
SLFCU also seeks 30 members who can volunteer to help choose our winners. Learn more and sign up to volunteer at the bottom of this page.
SCHOLARSHIPS
The first-place winner will receive a $4,000 scholarship for their education expenses. The number of entries and judging results will determine the number and dollar amounts of additional awards. Winners will be notified in August and will be publicly listed on slfcu.org/Scholarships on September 1, 2023. Winners will also be featured on our website. Tax liability on prize monies is the responsibility of the recipient.
ELIGIBILITY
The 2023 SLFCU Scholarship Competition is open to SLFCU members in good standing* who:
- Will be new or returning full-time students in the 2023 – 2024 academic year to a bachelor's or master's degree program at an accredited institution (Note: associate and doctoral degree candidates are not eligible to participate in SLFCU's scholarship competition)
- Are the primary account holder of an SLFCU savings account (not a beneficiary of a custodial account)
- Are U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents of the United States
- Are not employees or volunteers of SLFCU
- Are not the child of an employee or volunteer of SLFCU
*Good standing is defined as a member who has not been denied services or is in arrears with the Credit Union.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
- An original essay addressing the topic "Imagine you've been asked to teach someone about money management. What topic(s) would you cover first and why?" Your essay must be no more than 500 words long, and double-spaced.
- A PDF copy of your latest grade transcript showing a current cumulative grade point average (high school or college) of at least 2.5, along with your name and school
- A concise resume in PDF format that lists your academic honors, sports, extracurricular activities, accomplishments, volunteer activities, and work experience (as applicable)
- One (1) letter of recommendation provided by an adult (teacher, counselor, coach, employer, etc.) to whom you are not related
APPLICATION SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
SLFCU will only consider completed applications that are received by the deadline – 11:59 p.m. MT, Wednesday, May 31, 2023.
- Click START OR MANAGE YOUR APPLICATION below to start or resume work on your application.
- Save and upload all documents (grade transcript, resume) as PDFs. Please do not include your name within the essay's content or the document's file name. Example: Essay.pdf
- Enter your reference's email address in the designated section of your application. He or she will receive an email from our vendor, Submittable, with a link to upload their letter in PDF format. Request the person writing your letter of recommendation to include your full name on their document. They must upload their letter by 11:59 p.m. MT on Wednesday, May 31, 2023. Note: most schools and businesses filter incoming emails. Emails from our vendor might be sent to a spam folder or potentially rejected altogether. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure the letter is submitted.
START OR MANAGE YOUR APPLICATION
SCHOLARSHIP JUDGE REQUEST
SLFCU seeks 30 volunteer judges to help select winning entries for the 2023 scholarship competition. Judges will score student essays through a secure online process. If you are an SLFCU member at least 18 years of age and are not related to any of the applicants, we invite you to volunteer to help choose our winners. Judges who applied in 2022 may use the same Submittable account username and password when applying this year.
Essay judging dates:
- Round 1: June 12 - 26, 2023
- Round 2: July 5 - 21, 2023
Essay judging criteria:
- How well the essay addresses the topic
- Writing mechanics: spelling, grammar, punctuation, format, etc.
- Thought organization, clarity, and logical flow
- Originality