Teen Change-Maker Essay Contest

We believe that mental health education is most effective when it begins in our youth. This can be you!

Prompt

How have your mental health experiences helped you to create a supportive and open mental health environment with your peers, within and outside of your high school?

Details

The *1st place winner must have a program or initiative in place. Please share your catalyst for action, what the program or initiative entails, and your respective results. Program to be confirmed with school counselor/staff via a phone call, so please provide contact information. Active program/initiative not required for 2nd and 3rd place winners. Winners to be announced February 2026.

Required

All participants must submit a 30 second video sharing your name, school, and a sentence as to why mental health matters to you! The purpose of this video is for verification purposes, and will not be utilized in determining the winner. 🙂

Eligibility

Must be a current high school student in 9th to 12th grade.
Must provide your high school teacher or counselor’s information for verification.
The submission date will be announced closer to January 2026.

Essays should be between 500 and 1,000 words but will not be penalized for surpassing the word count if the content is deemed an essential part of your message.

Just a friendly reminder: If you’ve already won this scholarship, we’re unable to consider another application in order to give others the opportunity to win. Thank you for your understanding and advocacy!

Prizes

We are pleased to announce that 3 winners will receive cash prizes (*$1,000, $500, $250).