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Youth of the year award

The Exchange Club’s Youth of the Year program is a Local, District and National Competition. Students who win at the Local Club level go on to compete at the District Level (award $2,500) and possibly at the National Level (award $15,000).

This prestigious youth award is not just a scholastic award. The of the Year winner is proven to be most well-rounded individual who is not only a good student, but an involved student. Aside from points earned for non-weighted GPA, points are also scored for participation in school and community organizations.

To be considered for the Local, District, and National competitions, students must either download the PDF or complete the form below. Alternatively, you can download the PDF, fill out only the Student Narrative Essay section(s), and then submit the PDF along with all required fields below.

Due Date is March 28th, 2025

Youth of the Year Theme

“In a world that is constantly changing and ever-evolving, our youth play critical roles in shaping the future of their communities. From advocating to leading, young people are taking charge and making significant impact. How have you personally contributed to society and how do you envision your future in community service?”

Youth of The Year Application

Applications for the National Youth of the Year Scholarship Award MUST BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY USING THIS FORM and must be submitted by June 1. Incomplete submissions will not be considered.

Scholarship monies must be used within three years from the time of receiving the award; at which time money will be forfeited.

Student Name(Required)
Student Address(Required)
MM slash DD slash YYYY
Student Counselor Name(Required)
Max. file size: 30 MB.


Instructions

The entry form is divided into five parts.

Sections 1a, 1b, and 2

Address the candidate’s achievements during five of their final six semesters in high school; this information is normally obtained from school records.


Sections 3 and 4

- Are to be prepared by the candidate.

Section 5

- Must be filled out in its entirety.

- All grading should be based on a five semester period beginning with the sophomore year and ending with the close of the first semester of the senior year. Be sure to enter a score for each semester in each appropriate activity column, as well as a total.

Section 1a: Activities

- Student Government/Class Government - Report on highest office held per group each semester.

- Newspaper/Annual School Publication - Report on highest position held per publication each semester.

- Musical Organization - “Band” denotes any musical group which is school-sponsored. “Choir” denotes any vocal group which is school-sponsored. “Orchestra” denotes a formal, symphonic musical organization which is school-sponsored, but not included in band activities. “Drum Major/Majorette” must be part of school-sponsored activity.

- Debate Activities - “Winner” denotes any recognized award achieved as an individual, or as a member of a team, in either an inter- or intra-school competition. However, only one such victory may be counted per semester. “Team” denotes any group representing either a high school class or the high school as a whole. If the candidate receives a score as a winner and is part of a team, he/she should also receive credit for team membership.

- Stage Production - “Performer” denotes active participation on stage as a member of a theatrical or similar school-sponsored production. “Production Crew” denotes participation in an activity necessary to support a school performance (i.e. stage hand, projectionist, makeup, etc.). Only one performance may be counted per semester.

- Athletic Teams, Club Membership - See explanation on entry form.

Student Government/Class Government (20 Points Max.)

President (4 Points)
Other Officer (3 Points)
Representative (2 Points)
Committee (1 Points)

Newspaper/Annual School Publication (20 points max.)

Editor (4 Points)
Manager (3 Points)
Staff (2 Points)

Musical Organization (30 points max.)

Band (2 Points)
Choir (2 Points)
Orchestra (2 Points)
Drum Major/Majorette(2 Points)
Receiving Individual Music Instruction (2 points)

Debate Activities (15 points max.)

Winner(2 Points)
Team Winner(1 Points)

Stage Production (15 points max.)

Performer(2 Points)
Production Crew (1 Points)

Athletic Teams (no more than 2 per semester, points earned for each)

Captain or Co-Captain (2 points)
Team member (1 points)

Club Membership (no more than 2 per semester, points earned for each)

Officer (2 points)
Member (1 point)

Section 1b: Community Service


Community Organization Membership and Volunteer Service Hours

Community Organization Membership, i.e. youth groups, religious, and service organizations that meet at least 1x/month (no more than 2 per semester, no more than 20 hours per semester) 20 points max.

President (3 points)
Officer (2 points)
Member (1 point)

Volunteer Service Hours, i.e. hospital or assisted living facility, Salvation Army bell ringing, etc. (no more than 2 per semester, no more than 20 hours per semester) 1 point for every 5 hours, 20 points max.

Activity 1
Activity 2

Section 2: Grades

GPA (on a 4.0 scale)
Automatically Entered

Section 3: Personal Achievements/Awards

The nominee should list their 10 most outstanding achievements and awards, including those for athletics, scouting, talent, etc.

Of the achievements listed above, select the one you consider to be the most outstanding and describe why (maximum 200 words).

Section 4: Essay

Each nominee will be responsible for preparing an essay on a subject selected by The National Exchange Club. The essay must be 800–1,200 words or 7,800 Characters). Although grammatical correctness and proper use of accepted rules of composition will be considered, points will be awarded primarily on the basis of the overall impact of the essay. Therefore, logical and clear development, as well as the persuasiveness, are most important. The purpose of the essay is to provide the judges with deeper insight into the character and beliefs of the nominee, and the nominee’s ability to clearly communicate with the reader. Based on these impressions, judges may award the essay up to 300 points.


Scholarship winners must be able to accept the award in person, during the scheduled event, at our local, District, or Exchange’s National Convention. To verify that date/time prior to submitting this application, contact _____________ at 000.000.0000.



Any additional communication regarding this application will be directed to the Exchange Club member named on the application, unless The National Exchange Club is otherwise instructed.

In accordance with the program requirements, submission confirms the nominations and all the information contained herein is accurate and conforms to the rules and regulations as established by The National Exchange Club.

You may upload your Application here

Accepted file types: pdf, Max. file size: 30 MB.
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
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