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LUMIERE EDUCATION SCHOLARS ESSAY AWARD 2025

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Application Deadline: November 16, 2025, 11:59 PM EDT

LOCATION: USA

A world-class essay competition for ambitious high school students. The Lumiere Scholars Essay Award invites high school students to examine issues that matter to them, cross disciplinary lines, test assumptions, and defend their arguments with rigorous evidence. 

ELIGIBILITY:

The competition is open to all students from any country who will be enrolled in high school (as of December 31, 2025).

Essay entries are reviewed by our Academic Advisory Committee, an international panel of distinguished professors and researchers.

Free to enter and open worldwide, the award celebrates rising thinkers, sparks dialogue about the ideas shaping our future, and continues Lumiere’s mission of empowering the next generation of researchers.

Participants can choose ONE of the following prompts:

Humanities Prompt #1: How should societies determine which past injustices deserve apologies and reparations from the state?

Humanities Prompt #2: How might popular culture reshape our understanding of the world around us?

Free entry: There are no fees required to enter this essay award. It is open to all eligible participants without cost.​

Single Submission: Participants may submit only one essay.​

Original Scholarship & Sole Authorship:​
Each essay must be the original work of the participant.
While participants may seek feedback or engage in discussion, the writing must be conducted entirely by the student. No joint or collaborative submission is permitted.
The use of external writing services is strictly prohibited.

Language​: Essays must be in English.​

Academic​: Essays must be academic and use formal language. Students may not use personal anecdotes to substantiate their arguments. ​​

The award seeks well-reasoned, research-based argumentative essays rather than original research papers. ​​Participants are not expected to perform primary data collection or advanced data analysis to submit.

Word Limit​: Essays must not exceed 2,000 words, excluding footnotes and bibliography.

BENEFIT:

6 winners from 3 categories (Humanities, STEM, and Social Sciences) will receive a total of $20,000 in cash prizes and scholarships.

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bachelor's, Opportunities, Scholarships

AMERICAN UNIVERSITY EMERGING GLOBAL LEADER UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP

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Application Deadline: January 15, 2026.

LOCATION: USA

The AU Emerging Global Leader Scholarship (AU EGLS) promotes educational access and opportunity while enhancing international diversity. Bringing together the best of AU—academic excellence, leadership development, and global engagement—AU Emerging Global Leader Scholars achieve, inspire, and serve with vision. The AU EGLs are dedicated to positive civic and social change to help address issues faced by under-resourced, underserved communities in their home country.

ELIGIBILITY:

Preference will be given to:

International students who have overcome various obstacles and challenges, as well as those from diverse and underrepresented global and socioeconomic backgrounds.

A demonstrated commitment to leadership, volunteerism, community service, and advancing the needs of people in their home country.

Students who meet our English Proficiency requirements.

Students who are still enrolled in secondary/high school and graduating by June 2026.

They recommend that AU Emerging Leader Scholarship applicants apply Regular Decision for Fall 2026, though some early applicants may be deferred for further consideration for the AU EGLS award. Finalists and award winners will be notified by April 1st, 2026.

IMPORTANT:The AU Emerging Global Leadership Scholarship application process involves two steps:

Step 1: Applicants who wish to be considered for AU EGLS full or partial scholarships must first submit their Common application and all supporting documents before January 15, 2026.

Step 2: Submit the AU EGL Scholarship application and essays via your applicant portal by the required January 15, 2026 deadline. You must complete Step 1 before submitting the AU EGLS application. Late applications will not be considered.

Complete and submit the Common Application with all required documents per the AU international instructions checklist before January 15, 2026.

Create your applicant portal when invited to do so. 

Submit a bank letter and the completed and signed AU Declaration of Finances Form (AU DFF), each confirming a minimum of US$4,000. These can be uploaded via your applicant portal. See examples of bank letters.

Submit your official TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo English, PTE, or Cambridge Assessment English Test score results before January 15, 2026. Please have official English proficiency score reports sent directly by the testing agency to American University, Undergraduate Admissions, Washington, District of Columbia. Note: Students cannot submit their own results.

If you are applying through a program supported by EducationUSA or if you are a past FLEX or YES high school scholarship recipient from the U.S. Department of State, please provide a letter from your EducationUSA center’s adviser confirming your candidacy. You may request for the letter to be sent to jtomczak@american.edu as a PDF.

If you are not selected as one of the finalists, you may still be considered for admission to American University, Washington, DC and eligible for partial merit scholarships.

Zoom interviews and/or additional essay submissions will be required for AU EGL semi-finalists and finalists. If you have any questions, please contact intadm@american.edu.

BENEFIT:

The AU EGL scholarship covers all billable AU expenses (full tuition, room, and board) for two international students who will need a non-immigrant visa (preferably an F-1 or J-1 student visa) to study in the United States. The scholarship does not cover non-billable expenses such as mandatory health insurance, books, airline tickets, taxes, and miscellaneous expenses, which students will need to pay out of pocket (approximately US$4,000 per year).

The AU EGL scholarship is renewable for a total of four years of undergraduate study, based on continued satisfactory academic performance. Students interested in all majors offered at AU are eligible to apply.

New: AU EGL partial scholarships! We’re excited to share that in addition to the two full AU Emerging Global Leader Scholarships covering all billable expenses, AU will also offer up to eight additional AU EGL partial scholarships valued at up to US$40,000/per year.

No additional application process is needed to be eligible for AU EGL partial scholarships. Partial scholarship candidates will be selected from talented applicants who complete the AU EGL scholarship process successfully. If you are recommended for an AU EGLs partial scholarship, you will need to submit proof of additional funds beyond the initial US$4,000 for the difference not covered by the AU EGLS partial scholarship. For example, if you are offered US$40,000/year, you will need to submit financial documents confirming US$42,000 on account for your first year instead of the full estimated costs of US$83,680.

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