Rise Challenge

Scholarship Value: $500,000
Awards Available: 100

Each application year, Rise invites 15-17 year olds from around the world to participate in the Rise Challenge. Unlike many traditional applications, Rise uses videos, projects, and group interviews so applicants have multiple opportunities to showcase their potential. For applicants without access to technology, we offer an alternative paper application pathway.

Applicants introduce themselves through video or text responses, create an individual project that demonstrates their talents and benefits their communities, complete assessments, and peer review other applicants’ projects, among other activities.

After applicants complete the Rise Challenge, Rise selects up to 500 Finalists to advance to “Finalist Days,” where they demonstrate their motivations, problem-solving abilities, and teamwork skills in an innovative interview format.

From the Finalists, we select up to 100 Rise Global Winners to provide opportunity as they work to serve others throughout their lifetime.

Who is eligible?

Applicants for the 2024 cohort must be between the ages of 15 and 17 as of July 1, 2024, meaning they are born on or between July 2, 2006 and July 1, 2009.

It does not matter what part of the globe you come from, or academic experience you have. Whether you are interested in science, innovation, technology, art, policy, community organizing, or any other discipline—we want to hear from you.

Rise finds promising young people and provides opportunity as they work to serve others throughout their lifetime. We understand that economic barriers are not the only challenges that keep exceptional people from serving others throughout their lives.

What does Rise look for?

Rise Global Winners hail from around the world and demonstrate brilliance in a range of disciplines. Some may excel in STEM fields, others may show outstanding artistic ability, and others may have a gift for community service and organizing.

All Rise Global Winners demonstrate the five Rise Traits:

  • Brilliance
  • Perseverance
  • Integrity
  • Empathy
  • Calling

How is the application evaluated?

The purpose of our selection process is to look at the whole you, not just your past achievements—but also your potential to commit to a lifetime of service to others. To do this, we divide our selection process into distinct components so we can learn about you from as many different angles as possible.

Peer Review

Your responses will be reviewed by a random selection of your peers (fellow Rise applicants) according to the Rise Traits. This review will get factored along with the other information you’ve shared throughout the application process to develop a composite score.

Expert Review

The submissions receiving the highest scores will be reviewed by a panel of judges. The panel of judges includes global experts who come from diverse backgrounds and work across numerous fields.

Live Evaluation

Up to 500 Finalists will be selected to participate in a series of activities and interviews. These applicants are further evaluated by an additional review panel that selects up to 100 Global Winners.

The application is like a jigsaw puzzle of multiple pieces: your responses to the short essay questions, your reviews of other peoples’ responses, others’ reviews of your responses, your project, your profile information, and other assessments. All pieces count and together form a whole picture of you as an applicant throughout the Rise Challenge.

View Scholarship

Sallie Mae "No Essay" Scholarship

Deadline: Apr 30, 2024
$2,000
The $2,000 Sallie Mae Scholarship is only open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and any US Territory age 17 or older at the time of entry, and who meet one (1) of the four (4) following eligibility requirements at the time of entry:A parent who currently has a child enrolled in an accredited...

Be Bold Scholarship

Deadline: May 01, 2024
$25,000
The "Be Bold" Scholarship is a no-essay scholarship that will be awarded to the applicant with the boldest profile. It takes less than 2 minutes to apply.To us, boldest does not mean "best", or "most accomplished". Being bold means being:A) EarnestB) DeterminedC) MovingThe scholarship will be awarded to the student whose profile is most bold, according to these characteristics.Furthermore, the...

Niche $25,000 Scholarship

Deadline: May 31, 2024
$25,000
Covering the cost of college expenses for four years without writing a single essay? Sounds too good to be true.It isn't with Niche. We are giving one student $25,000 to help pay for tuition, living expenses, books, and other educational expenses.Who Can ApplyAll high school and college students, as well as anyone looking to attend college or graduate school in...

ScholarshipOwl No Essay Scholarship

Deadline: Apr 29, 2024
$1,000
ScholarshipOwl is your source of relief from the dreaded application process. We put students on the fast-track to success by providing direct access to the scholarships they need the most. Take the hassle out of financial aid and maximize your chance at a free ride in college. No matter how much funding you need for school, we have the opportunities...

Common App Scholarship

Deadline: Nov 30, 2024
$2,000
To encourage students to spend more time preparing for the Common App, Scholarship Guidance has created an annual scholarship to reward students.To be eligible for the Scholarship Guidance "Common App Scholarship" a student must:A) Be in Grade 11 or Grade 12B) Be attending college or university no later than October 1, 2026.C) Have achieved a GPA of 2.5 or greater...

SP Scholarship

Deadline: Apr 30, 2024
$2,500
The SP College Scholarship program was created to help students win scholarships without the hassle of filling out paper applications and writing dozens of essays.To be eligible for the Scholarship you must be:A) At least 13 years old and enrolled or will enroll in a college or university in the US.B) A legal resident of the U.S. or Puerto Rico.Thus...

Geoscience IDEA Scholarship

Deadline: Jun 30, 2024
$5,000
The Geoscience Inclusion, Diversity, Equality, and Accessibility (IDEA) Scholarship program encourages women from under-served or marginalized communities to pursue an education and career in the Earth Sciences/Geosciences. Many research studies show the Earth Sciences are the least diverse community in all STEM fields. This Scholarship aims to counteract this and enhance diversity within the future Geoscience workforce.NOTE: Geoscience, herein, is...

Shawn Carter Scholarship

Deadline: Apr 30, 2024
$2,500
The Shawn Carter Scholarship Fund (SCSF) was founded on the belief that any motivated individual in need should have the opportunity to further his or her education. By removing some of the financial burdens associated with going to, surviving in, and graduating from college, the SCSF plays a vital role in increasing college access and success for many motivated yet...

AISES Chevron Scholarship

Deadline: Apr 30, 2024
$5,000
Chevron will award scholarships to students majoring in Information Technology, Engineering and Earth Science. Recipient must be authorized to work in the United States and have a 3.0 GPA.Chevron is one of the world's leading energy companies, with employees working in countries around the world. We explore, produce and transport crude oil and natural gas; refine, market and distribute fuels...

Nurse Corps Scholarship Program

Deadline: May 02, 2024
$10,000
The Health Resources and Services Administration is accepting applications for the Nurse Corps Scholarship Program. The Health Resources and Services Administration improves the health of underserved and vulnerable populations by strengthening the health workforce and connecting skilled professionals to communities in need.The Nurse Corps Scholarship Program provides scholarships to nursing students in exchange for a minimum two-year, full-time service commitment...