Understanding the different levels of the Elks Most Valuable Student Scholarship

I'm a bit confused about the various levels in the Elks Most Valuable Student Scholarship process, from lodge selection to the national award. Can someone explain how this progression works and what to expect at each level?

Sure, happy to unpack the Elks Most Valuable Student Scholarship for you!

To begin with, the Elks Most Valuable Student Scholarship is a highly competitive, multi-step scholarship program run by the Elks National Foundation. There are several levels through which an application passes before ultimately being considered for the national awards, each with its own criteria.

1. Lodge Level: The first stage your application enters is the evaluation on the local level, through the Elks Lodge nearest to your home address (based on your zip code). Applications are evaluated on scholarship, leadership, and financial need. Lodges will choose a select number of student applications to advance to the next stage.

2. District Level: The applications chosen by individual Lodges are then sent to the District level for further consideration. Here, they are placed under review by a committee that decides which ones will advance to state-level judging.

3. State Level: If successful at the District level, your application advances to the state competition, where it is evaluated by a panel of judges. The top candidates from each state become eligible to compete for the national awards.

4. National Level: The finalists from each state compete for the national honors and are scored nationally considering their leadership experience, community service, academics, and financial need. 500 four-year scholarships are awarded ranging from $1,000 per year to $12,500 per year.

I hope that helps clarify the process for you. Navigating the various stages can be challenging, but keep in mind that each level you advance through increases the scholarship amount, so it's definitely worth staying in the competition! Best of luck!