Deadline: March 2, 2026
Eligibility: Open to all current 9 - 11th grade students.
Submission Process: To register and submit an essay, please write an essay using the prompt and complete the below form. For questions, please email summerscholars@ncf.edu.
Prompt: Great Books have the power to inspire, provoke, teach, and transform us. At New College of Florida, we facilitate encounters with Great Books past and present in the conviction that they have enduring significance still today. Now more than ever, we are in need of their wisdom and we seek like-minded learners who will apply their lessons for the betterment of society. In this spirit, we invite you write an essay telling us about a Great Book which has impacted you significantly, and in what ways. Why would you recommend that others read this Great Book, and how do you think it would benefit them to do so?
Selection Process: Students will have their essays evaluated by a team of professors and staff at New College. Selected students will be invited to participate in an on-campus residential summer camp at New College of Florida from Sunday, June 21st through Friday, June 26th, 2026. Your participation in the summer camp will determine the final winners of the Summer Scholars Program.
ALL Program campers will compete for scholarship prizes. Judges will select first, second, and third-prize winners as well as finalists, from across all summer camps. These winners will receive a cash prize listed below:
First Prize: $500
Second Prize: $250
Third Prize: $100
Five Finalists: $50 each
In addition, winners and finalists are eligible for full- or partial-tuition undergraduate college scholarships to attend New College. Qualified winners are those who apply, are admitted, and enroll at New College with grades and test scores meeting our scholarship criteria. We offer fully- and partially-funded scholarships.
Submission Guidelines/Process:
- Students do not need to have a sponsoring teacher to submit their work.
- Students do not need to have taken, or be enrolled in, any particular courses to enter the contest.
- Contest entries must be in English.
- Submissions must be in .doc, .docx, .pdf, or .rtf format and contain a cover page with the student's name, date of birth, high school, and submission genre. Google Docs are not accepted.