Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes

Scholarship Sponsored by Gloria Barron Prize

Overview
Starting with the 2026 awards cycle, the Barron Prize application has been redesigned into a two-stage process. All applicants must first submit a brief pre-application (Step 1). Those who meet our preliminary eligibility criteria will receive an email with instructions and a link to complete the full online application (Step 2).

Important dates and timelines
- Step 1 (pre-application) deadline: March 15, 5:00 PM Mountain Time. The pre-application form will be inaccessible after this deadline.
- Step 2 (full application) deadline: April 15, 5:00 PM Mountain Time.
- Pre-applicants will be informed by email within 10 days of submitting the Step 1 form about whether they qualify to move on to Step 2.

Eligibility requirements
- Age: Applicants must be between 8 and 18 years old (not yet 19) on the annual application deadline of April 15.
- Parental consent: Applicants who are eligible at Step 1 and will be younger than 16 on April 15 must provide parental or guardian consent as part of Step 2.

Residency requirements
- Applicants must be permanent, legal residents of the United States or Canada and possess a Social Security number or valid tax identification number.
- Applicants must currently live in one of the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, or Canada. Individuals living in U.S. territories are not eligible due to differences in territory contest rules.

Service project criteria
- Leadership and impact: The applicant must have conceived, organized, and led an exceptional service effort that produces clear benefit to people or the planet. Ongoing research with tangible or strong potential benefit may qualify.
- Initiative: The project should have been started primarily by the applicant and not carried out solely to meet a school or workplace requirement.
- Timing: The applicant must be actively engaged in the project now or have worked on it within the past 12 months.
- Team size: Projects led by an individual or by up to two co-leaders are eligible. No more than two applicants may apply together; if co-applicants are chosen as winners, they will share a single award.
- Character and inspiration: Applicants should demonstrate exemplary qualities—courage, compassion, dedication, generosity, perseverance, and moral purpose—and have achieved results that inspire others to act.
- Impact beyond personal hardship: Recognition is for actions that go beyond merely enduring a personal difficulty; the applicant’s efforts must have produced a measurable positive effect beyond themselves.

Equal opportunity statement
The Barron Prize evaluates applicants without regard to race, color, ethnicity, national origin, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.