Apply now for the 2nd annual United Way Youth United Contest, $10,000 scholarships available

United Way of Northeastern Minnesota second annual Youth United Contest is now open to high school seniors across the organization’s service area. That area includes: Iron Range, Koochiching County, and Lake of the Woods County.

The contest will award up to $10,000 in scholarships among students who answer the question, “what do you see as the biggest need or challenge in your community, and what are your thoughts on how UWNEMN or similar groups can meet that need or address that challenge?”

Answers can be submitted in writing (750 words or less) or video (five minutes or less) on UWNEMN’s website. They will be judged based on content, vision, and community service/awareness. 

“This is an ideas contest, not an essay contest,” said UWNEMN Community Impact Director Crystal Royer. “Every student in our region has valuable perspectives to offer, and we want to give them a platform to share their ideas.

By doing so, we can use their input to guide and strengthen the decisions we make in our work.”

Submissions will be accepted November 1, 2024, through January 6, 2025, and winners will be announced in March 2025. Scholarships will be awarded for expenses related to a four-year college, two-year college, or trades school. The minimum scholarship will be $1,000.

The first annual contest awarded $10,000 among seven finalists from Baudette, Cook, Gilbert, Hibbing, Makinen, and Virginia whose ideas included: peer-to-peer mentoring, increased support of the arts, promoting volunteerism, and activities to address isolation for seniors in long-term care facilities. Contest rules and details can be found at www.unitedwaynemn.org/youth-united.