Scholarships that high school sophomores can apply for?

I'm currently in my junior year, but I have friends who are sophomores and are interested in starting their scholarship applications soon. Are there scholarships that are open to sophomores? They really want to get a head start and prepare early, so I promised I'd try and gather some information for them. Any advice or leads on where they could look or what to apply for would be awesome!

Yes, there are definitely scholarships that high school sophomores can apply for. Starting the scholarship search early is a great approach, and based on my knowledge, here are a few scholarships open to high school sophomores:

1. The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards: This scholarship is open to students who have engaged in volunteer services in the past year.

2. The Doodle for Google Contest: For the creative and artistic students, Google conducts a nationwide contest where students can submit their Google logo designs based on a specific theme.

3. The National History Day Contest: This scholarship is for students interested in history and researching. Winners at the local level move on to state and national contests.

4. American Legion National Oratorical Contest: If your friends are good at public speaking, this could be a great opportunity. Participants are required to speak about the U.S. Constitution in a prepared 8 to 10 minute speech.

5. Ayn Rand “Anthem” Essay Contest: This is an essay writing competition based on Ayn Rand's novella, “Anthem.”

6. The Siemens Competition in Math, Science, and Technology: This scholarship, open to individuals and teams, is meant for students who are interested in original research in science, math, or technology.

In general, scholarships for high school sophomores can be found in various fields. It's important that your friends identify their interests and look for scholarships in those respective areas. While these are a few nationally recognized scholarships, there may also be local scholarships in your community, or organizational scholarships relevant to their interests, that they could consider.

Once they decide on a scholarship they are interested in applying to, I would advise them to look at the scholarship requirements and winning submissions from previous years if possible, to get a sense of what is expected. Then, they should take their time in preparing their scholarship application, making sure to review and revise, in order to submit the best application possible. Good luck to your friends!