Eligibility Requirements for Newman Society’s Essay Scholarship Contest

The Contest is open to high school seniors who will graduate in Spring 2024 and are 20 years of age or younger as of May 1, 2024. Entrants must be legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia.

Additionally, applicants must:

  • sign up for our “Recruit Me” program;
  • watch the Newman Society’s new video on the advantages of choosing a faithful Catholic college;
  • use The Newman Guide in their college search, and plan to attend one of the institutions recommended in The Newman Guide in the fall of 2024. Should the winner of the Contest decide not to attend a college recommended in The Newman Guide, a new winner may be selected.

The Contest is not open to immediate family members of the employees or volunteers of The Cardinal Newman Society.

Additional Rules:

Upon entry, each entrant agrees to be bound by the Contest Rules and the decisions of the judges, which shall be final and binding in all respects. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received.

By entering the contest, the entrant represents that the entrant is the original author of the essay and that the essay does not plagiarize or otherwise infringe the proprietary right of any third party.

Upon submission, all essays become the exclusive property of The Cardinal Newman Society, and The Cardinal Newman Society shall have the right to reproduce the essay and use it and the entrant’s name for promotional and educational purposes without compensation or further permission.

The Cardinal Newman Society will not be responsible for incomplete, lost, late, misdirected, or illegible entries. The Cardinal Newman Society reserves the right to disqualify any entry by a person determined to be tampering with or abusing any aspect of the Contest.

Winners will be notified by telephone, email, and/or U.S. Mail. Return of a prize notification as undeliverable may result in disqualification, and an alternate winner may be selected. Winners may waive their right to receive prizes. Prizes are nonassignable and nontransferable. Winners are solely responsible for reporting and payment of any taxes on prizes.

Winners may be required to complete an affidavit of eligibility and a liability and publicity release (except where prohibited by law) which must be returned within ten (10) days of date of postmark. Failure to sign and return the affidavit or release within ten (10) days, or to comply with any of the Contest Rules, may result in a winner’s disqualification, the forfeiture of his/her interest in the prize, and the award of the prize to an alternate winner.

Each prize will be paid directly to an institution of higher education that is recommended in the 2023-24 edition of The Newman Guide, only after the winner provides verification from the institution that he/she has formally enrolled in the institution for full-time study in the Fall of 2024. Winners must provide any IRS required information prior to payment. The prize may be applied by the higher education institution to complete payment of the winner’s tuition, fees, books, supplies, housing, and related educational expenses. No prize will be paid directly to the winner. Failure to verify enrollment in an institution that is recommended in the The Newman Guide by September 1, 2024, may result in a winner’s disqualification, the forfeiture of his/her interest in the prize, and the award of the prize to an alternate winner. The Cardinal Newman Society reserves the right to request from the winner additional documentation it reasonably believes is necessary to confirm enrollment in an institution of higher education that is recommended in the The Newman Guide.

Upon entry, each entrant and his/her parents or guardians (if the entrant is under age 18) release The Cardinal Newman Society from all liability arising from his/her entry in the Contest and use of the prizes and agree to sign any additional documentation which The Cardinal Newman Society may reasonably request addressing this or any other Contest rules. The Cardinal Newman Society reserves the right to request from any entrant additional documentation it reasonably believes is necessary to validate any entry or award any prize.

The Contest is governed by U.S. law and is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.