Bennington College Young Scientists Awards 2026 | Win Up to $2,000

The Bennington College Young Scientists Awards are inviting high school students from around the world to showcase original and creative work demonstrating scientific curiosity, critical thinking and engagement with the natural world.

The awards are designed to recognize exceptional students in grades 9–12 whose work demonstrates originality, curiosity and scientific inquiry. Students can submit original work in the Natural Sciences category for the opportunity to receive cash prizes, recognition, publication and showcase opportunities.

The competition is free to enter, and eligible students worldwide can participate. Cash prizes are available up to $2,000, while students who later enroll at Bennington College may also be eligible for significant scholarship opportunities.

Bennington College Young Scientists Awards 2026

The Young Scientists Awards celebrate the next generation of scientists and encourage students to explore the natural world through observation, questioning, experimentation and creative expression.

Bennington College is looking for work that challenges conventions, explores new ideas and demonstrates a distinct personal point of view.

Students may explore topics ranging from pollinator diversity and local ecosystems to plant growth, environmental phenomena and other aspects of the natural world. The competition emphasizes creativity, thoughtfulness and a willingness to investigate questions rather than simply reproduce established information.

Who Can Apply?

The awards are open to students who meet the following requirements:

• Students in grades 9–12.
• Students from anywhere in the world.
• Students who have not yet graduated from high school.
• Students whose submissions are original work.
• Students whose entries are reviewed and approved by a sponsoring teacher or mentor.

There is no entry fee.

Only one submission in this discipline award is permitted per student.

Important AI Requirement

Applicants must pay particular attention to Bennington College’s rules concerning artificial intelligence.

All submissions are reviewed for authenticity and originality. The competition does not permit AI tools to be used to brainstorm, create, draft, revise or collaborate on any part of a submission.

Entries that use AI will be disqualified from the Young Scientists Awards and may instead only be considered for the Young Innovators Awards.

Students should therefore ensure that their submitted work is entirely their own.

Submission Category: Natural Sciences

The Young Scientists Awards include a Natural Sciences category.

Students are asked to submit a visual illustration reflecting their specific or unique understanding of an aspect of the natural world.

The submission may communicate:

• A scientific concept
• An element or aspect of nature
• Original research
• A scientific observation
• A research proposal
• A process or scientific explanation

The goal is to create a personally crafted work that demonstrates knowledge and appreciation of natural science.

What Can Students Submit?

The competition provides several examples of possible submissions.

Students could create a field guide documenting natural features in their local community, including:

• Animals
• Insects
• Flowers
• Trees
• Geology
• Topography
• Hydrology

Other possibilities include a scientific illustration, drawing, painting or other visual representation of a natural subject such as a plant, bird or insect.

Students may also create a poster explaining a scientific concept, natural phenomenon or research proposal. Such a poster could incorporate original research, a structural plan or a community proposal designed to improve local understanding, appreciation or preservation of the natural world.

Another option is a process diagram or illustrated figure explaining an aspect of the natural world, preferably one connected to the student’s direct experience.

Optional Written Explanation

Students may accompany their submission with an optional written explanation of up to 500 words.

This explanation is intended to provide context and clarity about the work that was created.

Students should use this space primarily to explain their submission rather than simply describing the scientific principles behind it, except where those principles influenced the creation of the work.

Submission Requirements

Entries must meet Bennington College’s submission requirements.

Submissions should be provided as one or more PDFs or digital photographs of the work.

Accepted image formats include:

• JPEG
• JPG
• PNG
• TIFF

Students may submit up to five images of their work. However, the competition notes that one high-resolution image may often be more effective than several lower-quality images.

Physical copies of original artwork cannot be considered or returned.

Sponsoring Teacher or Mentor

All entries must be reviewed and approved by a high school sponsor teacher.

The sponsoring teacher will serve as a contact for the competition if Bennington College has questions about the student’s submission.

Homeschooled students can contact a mentor to sponsor their work.

Special Requirement for Grade 12 Students

Grade 12 students have a different submission process.

They must submit through either:

• The Common Application
• The Coalition Application

The provided information states that these applications have no application fees, are non-binding and do not require supplemental essays.

After completing the relevant application, students will receive a follow-up email containing instructions for submitting their Young Creators Awards entry.

This approach allows students who are also applying to Bennington College to manage their college and awards applications through a single process.

How Entries Are Evaluated

Every submission is reviewed by a panel consisting of Bennington faculty and advanced students.

The review process considers:

• Originality
• Quality of the work
• Engagement with complexity

The competition also evaluates whether a submission demonstrates a distinct personal point of view and whether the work engages meaningfully with a challenging subject rather than relying on an easy or superficial approach.

Judging Criteria

The stated judging criteria include:

Originality and Quality

Judges consider the originality and quality of the final work.

Personal Point of View

Submissions should demonstrate the student’s own perspective and interpretation.

Engagement with Complexity

Students are encouraged to address difficult questions and demonstrate meaningful engagement with the subject rather than settling for an overly simple presentation.

Cash Prizes

The Young Scientists Awards provide cash prizes in each category.

The prizes are:

• First place: $2,000
• Second place: $1,000
• Third place: $500

There is also a Distinguished designation, which comes with a $250 award for particularly strong original submissions that are recognized for their quality but are not selected for one of the top three composition prizes.

Scholarships for Bennington College

The awards can also provide scholarship opportunities for students who later enroll at Bennington College.

According to the provided information:

• First Place Winners who enroll at Bennington receive a full-tuition scholarship for four years.
• Distinguished Designation recipients who enroll receive a half-tuition scholarship for four years.
• Finalists who enroll receive a $25,000 annual scholarship for four years.

Publication and Showcase Opportunities

Winning and distinguished entries may also receive additional recognition.

Selected work may be featured through:

• Bennington College’s website
• Social media channels
• Publications
• Other showcase opportunities throughout the year

The submitted work remains the property of the student.

Important Dates

The Young Scientists Awards follow the following timeline:

• September 1: Submissions open
• November 1: Submission deadline
• November–December: Round 1 judging by faculty and student panel
• January: Round 2 judging by external panel and selection of winners
• Spring: Award winners announced, press release issued, and winning entries published or showcased

The submission period runs from September 1 at 9:00 AM ET through November 1 at 11:59 PM ET.

How to Apply

Eligible students should prepare an original Natural Sciences submission that reflects their understanding of a particular aspect of the natural world.

Applicants should:

1. Develop an original project.
2. Ensure that the work demonstrates personal creativity and scientific inquiry.
3. Avoid using AI at any stage of the submission process.
4. Have the work reviewed and approved by a sponsoring teacher or mentor.
5. Prepare the submission as a PDF or suitable digital image format.
6. Submit no more than one entry in this discipline award.
7. Complete the appropriate online submission process before the deadline.

Grade 9–11 students can use the designated Young Creators Awards submission process, while Grade 12 students must follow the Common Application or Coalition Application process before receiving further submission instructions.

Why Consider the Young Scientists Awards?

The awards provide high school students with an opportunity to publicly demonstrate their scientific creativity and independent thinking.

Beyond the possibility of receiving cash prizes, students can gain recognition for original scientific work and may have their work published or showcased by Bennington College.

The competition can also provide scholarship opportunities for students who subsequently enroll at Bennington College.

Conclusion

The Bennington College Young Scientists Awards provide an international platform for high school students to demonstrate creativity, curiosity and scientific inquiry through original work focused on the natural sciences.

Students in grades 9–12 from around the world can participate without paying an entry fee. Eligible students can submit original visual work such as scientific illustrations, field guides, research posters, process diagrams and other creative representations of the natural world.

The competition offers cash prizes of up to $2,000, additional recognition through the Distinguished designation, publication and showcase opportunities, and scholarship opportunities for students who later enroll at Bennington College.

Students interested in participating should carefully review the submission requirements, secure approval from a sponsoring teacher or mentor and ensure that no AI is used in any part of their submission.

The submission deadline is November 1 at 11:59 PM ET.

Discover more opportunities on the OFY Webpage.