National Space Club Scholarship

Since 2013, The National Space Club and Foundation has offered the opportunity for a student to give the keynote address at the National Space Club and Foundation's annual Goddard Memorial Dinner, one of the space industry's most prestigious gatherings. The student must intend to pursue a career in the Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) fields, be academically strong and excel in public speaking.

In addition to speaking at the Goddard Memorial Dinner, the individual selected will also receive a scholarship, in the amount of $50,000. This scholarship is awarded to a U.S. citizen, and is open to seniors in High School through undergraduate students studying at an accredited educational institution in the United States, who has definite plans to pursue a career in the STEM fields.

Conditions of Eligibility

• The applicant must be a U.S. citizen.
• The scholarship is open to seniors in high school through undergraduate students.
• The applicant must have the intention of pursuing a career in the STEM fields and plan to attend an accredited U.S. college or university to follow a course of study to pursue a career in the STEM field, with a preference for those with space-related interests.
• The scholarship will be awarded in January and must be applied toward tuition for the following fall academic year at an accredited U.S. college or university.
• The applicant must not have previously spoken at the Dr. Robert H. Goddard Memorial Dinner.
• Unofficial transcript of high school and/or college record
• At least two letters of recommendation from faculty members or professionals in science-related fields are required. Applications that do not include both letters by the application deadline will be considered incomplete and will not be eligible for review.
• Statement of Intent: A brief statement of 150 words or less on your study/career plans with an emphasis on STEM.
• Video audition - Following successful submission of an application, applicants must upload a video on the topic “What role will you and your generation play in humanity’s future in space?” The video should be a minimum of 2 minutes and a maximum of 3 minutes in length. This is a very strict requirement. Videos under 2 minutes and over 3 minutes will be automatically removed and therefore, the recipient disqualified. The video should feature the applicant speaking directly to the camera. Formatting requirements are MPEG-4 with H.264 & AAC (the standards used for YouTube and iTunes).

Finalists will be selected from the initial pool of applicants to participate in a final round. These students will provide a draft of the full 8-minute speech they would give at the Goddard Memorial Dinner as well as give a 5-minute sampling virtually to the National Space Club and Foundation Board of Directors at their January meeting.

Please Remember

• Completed application and video must be uploaded to the National Space Club and Foundation website by the October due date.
• The unofficial transcript should be uploaded in PDF format. This can be done using print to PDF, a scanner, or by going to a print shop like Fedex Office. Please note, the National Space Club reserves the right to request original stamped/signed copies of the transcript at any point during the application process.
• If chosen to continue, the recipient must be available to speak with the NSCF executive committee for a live audition via video conference in early January 2027.
• The recipient must be available to speak at the 2027 Goddard Memorial Dinner on March 12, 2027. Travel and lodging for the recipient and one guest will be provided by the National Space Club and Foundation.
• Scholarship check will be provided to the college or university, made payable to the applicable college or university no later than June 26, 2027.
• Non-recipients will not be notified; winner will be notified in late January 2027. Applicants may check www.spaceclub.org for announcement of the scholarship winner.

Helpful Hints for Applicants

Applications are evaluated using the following criteria (see below). Note that the video comprises 50% of the score. The most successful applications will be competitive in all areas and in particular the video.

• Transcripts (15%)
• Recommendation Letters (15%)
• Essay/Statement of Intent (20%)
• Video (50%)

Note there is a different topic than what has been used in the past for this year’s competition. The Board spent considerable time considering the question for this year’s speech. They chose this topic in an effort to invite optimistic, imaginative thinking about the future while grounding it in real possibilities.