Davidson Fellows Scholarships

We award $50,000, $25,000 and $10,000 scholarships to gifted and high-achieving students, 18 years old or under, who have completed a significant piece of work.

Eligibility and Deadline

To be eligible for consideration as a Davidson Fellow, applicants must:

• Be 18 or younger as of the application deadline to be eligible.
• Be a U.S. citizen residing in the United States, or a Permanent Resident of the United States residing in the United States, or be stationed overseas due to active U. S. military duty.
• There is no minimum age for eligibility.
• Teams of two are eligible. Both team members must meet eligibility requirements.
• Please check out this Frequently Asked Questions video with information on eligibility, category requirements, and application tips!

Davidson Fellows must be available to attend, with one parent or guardian, the awards reception and other recognition events to be held in September in Washington, DC. (Travel expenses and lodging will be provided by the Institute.)

Review Category Requirements and Project Criteria

Scholarships are awarded on the basis of significant work. Significant work is an accomplishment that experts in the field recognize as meaningful and has the potential to make a positive contribution to society. 

Such work may be:

• an exceptionally creative application of existing knowledge
• a new idea with high impact
• an innovative solution with broad-range implications
• an important advancement that can be replicated and built upon
• an interdisciplinary discovery
• a prodigious performance
• another demonstration of extraordinary accomplishment

Information for teams:

• Teams may be no more than two people.
• Both team members must be 18 or younger as of the application deadline of February 14, 2024.
• Both team members must attend any in-person awards events.
• Scholarship money will be split evenly between the two team members.
• As with solo submissions, two nominators are required.
• Please note: Projects in the arts including photography, sculpture, film, visual, etc. are not eligible for consideration.