SCHOLARSHIP General information

The Emerald Society of Broward County conducts its annual essay contest with a scholarship to be personally awarded at its annual Emerald Society St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast. We are excited to announce that due to a generous sponsorship, we will be offering a total of $10,000 in awards. Five scholarships will be given out and may be used for any collegiate purpose to eligible Broward County High school seniors.  The Scholarships are as follows:

• FIRST PLACE - $3,000.00
• SECOND PLACE - $2,500.00
• THIRD PLACE  - $2,000.00
• FOURTH PLACE - $1,500.00
• FIFTH PLACE - $1,000.00  

All Broward County high school seniors are eligible to participate.  The winner and a parent/guardian will be our guests at our breakfast which will be held on Sunday, March 15, 2026 at the Marriott Coral Springs, 11775 Heron Bay Blvd, Coral Springs, FL 33076.  At that time, we will present the winners with a scholarship check which may be applied to any collegiate purpose. Additional guest tickets may be purchased online at https://EmeraldSocietyFL.com/. 

1. ESSAY REQUIREMENTS: All essays must be submitted in Word (not PDF), be typed, and double spaced, be a minimum of 500 words, but no more than a maximum of 600 words.  The essays may not include graphics, photos or a resume of the student submitting the essay. All “AI” (Artificial Intelligence) platforms, such as, ChatGPT, Ghostwriter and Quillbot entries will be rejected if discovered. Please review carefully before sending your essay or it could be rejected.
    
2. BLIND GRADING: The essay will be judged on content, originality, grammar, spelling, punctuation, overall presentation, and compliance with instructions. The actual essay should not have the name of the student, but the student should send a separate cover page with their name, address, telephone number and/or e-mail address and the name of the high school they attend.
    
3. SUBMISSION BY E-MAIL: All essays shall be submitted via e-mail to emeraldftl@gmail.com with the subject line being "Scholarship".
    
4. DEADLINE:  The essays must be submitted no later than noon on Monday, February 9, 2026. Any essay submitted after the deadline will not be judged and will not be considered for the scholarship. No Exceptions.
    
5. DISCLAIMER: All submissions will become the property of the Emerald Society of Fort Lauderdale and may be published in its annual advertisement journal or website.