YOUTHCON 2026
    "PASSION INTO ACTION"

    Prompt: At AASuccess, we believe that impactful change begins with passion. This year’s theme, Passion into Action realizes this, and challenges students to help their community by solving an  issue. With 300$, how would you utilize your passion to develop a project that encourages others to take action?

    The YouthCon Scholarship is hosted by AASuccess, a Falls Church-based nonprofit dedicated to empowering the youth to gain confidence while fostering leadership skills by living our motto of “perfecting the act of giving back”.

    Our scholarship allows innovative high school and middle school students living in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan area with ideas to be actively involved with philanthropic work to make a difference in neighborhoods, with the support of AASuccess. We award innovative and driven students with the mindsets of giving back, and those seeking to strengthen their skills such as writing, presentation, and leadership.

    FORMAT & REQUIREMENTS

    • The application is a 2 step process
      • The application google form must be filled out by 11:59 pm January 18th, 2026 (You may submit your form prior to the essay)
      • The essay submission form must be completed by 11:59 pm January 18th, 2026. The application form must be submitted prior to submitting the essay. 
    • Upon judging of essays, qualified applicants then move on to the Oral Presentation Round.
      • The applicant must attend the oral judging round on February 15th, 2025 at the AASuccess office Address || 6521 Arlington Blvd., Suite 502, Falls Church, VA 22042 if qualified. 
    • The applicant must be a middle or high school student
    • The applicant must live in the DMV (D.C, Maryland, Virginia)
    • The applicant must be able to attend the 2026 AASuccess gala in early August in Northern Virginia
      • 1st Place winners are required to conduct their project/initiative.  
      • The AASuccess Gala is an event where AASuccess shares about its ongoing and completed projects in order to raise money for its future endeavors. 
      • The 1st place winner must share their project results during the gala award ceremony. 
    • The first place winner must actively participate in AASuccess activities, it is recommended to attend at least 4 AASuccess Saturday Meetings (10:30 AM – 1:00 PM) throughout summer of 2026 prior to the Gala.(Contract will be signed prior to starting the project)

    ESSAY GUIDELINES

    • Essay Guidelines

      1. Do not include any kind of personal identification into the essay, name, grade, school, etc. in order to eliminate any kind of bias (judging will be anonymous). 

      2. The essay should have a word count of anywhere from 500-750 words

      3. The essay must directly address the prompt and involve a project that will give back to a community 

      4. Online tools may be used to support you when writing but the essay should be written in your own words and come from your own ideas (All essays will be checked for plagiarism and AI)

      5. The essay should be submitted through a google doc link in the essay application form

      6. The essay should be accessible to anyone with the link 

      7. The essay should be written in proper MLA format

      8. The document title should include your last name, first name, as well as the name of the scholarship

        1. For example, if your name is Tony Stark the title would look like this: Stark, Tony 2026 YouthCon Scholarship Essay

    TIMELINE

    12/1/25 – APPLICATION/ESSAY OPENS
    1/18/26 – APPLICATION/ESSAY CLOSES
    2/14/26 – ORAL PRESENTATION
    2/22/26 – FINAL RESULTS 

    PRIZES

    1ST PLACE: $3,000

    2ND PLACE: $2,000

    3RD PLACE: $1,000

    APPLY NOW

    Have Questions? Email Information@aasuccess.org!