Scholarship Application – Rules and Info (updated for ’24/’25 school year)

Accepting applications beginning January, 2025.
Deadline for Applications is April 5th, 2025.

There are TWO parts to the application.  A paper mail-in part, and an electronic part.  Do both of them.

Read this entire page before emailing with questions, please.

Everything mailed in must be postmarked by the above date.  Everything submitted electronically must be submitted by this date.  Anything after this will not be accepted.  No exceptions.

What’s my email?  [email protected]

Application Info

  1. For US residents only (US military bases DO count).
  2. Scholarship award size will vary- $500, $1,000, $1,500, or $2,000.
  3. Must have at least 2.5 gpa
  4. Students can be from any type of school in the US: Public, private, religious, or home school, etc.
  5. Scholarships are for high school graduates going into college ONLY. Not for current college students or students returning to college, or any other sort of student.
  6. Student must be signing up for full time classes – college of their choice – study of their choice.  4 year, 2 year, trade, technical, barber, beauty, welding, ANY type of secondary school.
  7. Scholarship checks will be mailed directly to your college/school, with instructions to apply it to either one or two semesters.

WRITING PROMPT & some advice

  1. Tell us a little about yourself and an amazing or traumatic thing that happened to you.  Our life experiences shape us.  That’s what we want to hear about.
  2. Don’t tell us how expensive college is.
  3. GET SOMEBODY TO PROOF READ YOUR ESSAY.  If it’s hard for you to read, it’ll be hard for us, too.
  4. If you want to thank us for considering your application, please do so separately from your essay.  A small note or card is fine.  It won’t affect your score.

You will submit this part in the mail:

image from http://clipart-library.com/clipart/6ir5GoxAT.htm

  1. Your High school transcript.  Just print it out.  I don’t need an official printout because some schools charge for that.
  2. Two letters of recommendation. From a teacher, a school official, an employer, volunteer organization, or somebody else.  Not family.  Not a peer.  Get letters from people who know you, who you’ve worked with, etc.  Have them include their contact info when they sign these – name, email, a phone number where I can text them. If your letter of rec doesn’t have contact info from the person who wrote it, your whole application will be discarded.
  3. Your essay PRINTED OUT – with NO contact info printed on it.
  4. Your contact info: A card or piece of paper with your name, email, phone, and mailing address.

You will send all of this to:
Newton Pens Scholarships
PO BOX 6084
Hot Springs, Ar. 71902

 

You will submit this part in an email:

Copy/paste this form into an email, fill it in, then email it to me – [email protected]

NO GOOGLE DOCS.  If you submit a google doc I will discard your application.

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Your application will be discarded if:

  1. Essay does not meet minimum/maximum (about) word count of 450-550 words.
  2. Does not include your transcript.
  3. Does not include two letters of recommendation with contact info on them.
  4. Does not have any contact info.