The National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS) is an international organization dedicated to recognizing and supporting academic excellence with the overarching goal of bettering the word through helping young people. The Society's most recognizable figure is Claes Nobel, the founder of NSHSS and senior member of the Nobel Prize family. Members of the NSHSS derive several benefits including being able to apply for the generous NSHSS scholarships.

There are several tiers of NSHSS scholarships:

Claes Nobel Academic Scholarships - These are in the sum of $5,000 and were awarded to 10 individuals in 2007. The number of awardees appears to be increasing, however, for this scholarship and other NSHSS scholarships due to NSHSS' growth as an organization.

National Scholar Awards - These are in the sum of $1,000 and were awarded to 50 individuals in 2007.

NSHSS Partner/Other Scholarships - These scholarships are in various sums and tend to have a specific focus (e.g. on public service).

The majority of the scholarship recipients, then, either receive the Claes Nobel Academic Scholarships or the National Scholar Awards.

Some of the 2007 NSHSS scholarship recipients pose with Claes Nobel at Scholar's Day in the Dirksen Senate Building in Washington, DC (Photo by NSHSS).

The application process for the Claes Nobel Academic Scholarships and the National Scholar Awards is the same. The preliminary application is rather easy and is submitted wholly online using basic information such as your top awards/honors, etc.

If you are selected as a semi-finalist, you must then submit an essay about how you hope to make the world a better place (Claes Nobel himself is a big proponent of environmental consciousness) as well as a more detailed application and a recommendation.

To receive the scholarship, you are invited to Washington, DC for Scholar's Day, which takes place at the Dirksen Senate Building. It's a fantastic event where hundreds of NSHSS members pack the historic location to hear from senior NSHSS officials, Mr. Nobel himself, and various other speakers. As a scholarship recipient, you will be recognized before all those in attendance and even get a chance to speak a few words to the crowd!

Learn more and apply:

http://www.nshss.org/