Honor the Past. Create the Future.

Throughout history, African-Americans have been instrumental to the progress we’ve made together as a nation. In honor of their extraordinary achievements – and Black History Month – we’re proud to offer the Regions Riding Forward® Scholarship Essay Contest. High School and College students can enter for an opportunity to win a $5,000 or $3,500 scholarship.

Who inspires you?

Is there a particular African-American who inspires you because of the significant achievements in our society that he or she has been responsible for?

Write about an African-American who has inspired and motivated you, and you could win a $5,000 or $3,500 scholarship. Your essay should, in 500 words or less:

1. Address how an African-American has been an inspiration in your life
2. Discuss the contributions of the African-American individual who has served to inspire and motivate you

Eligibility

To be eligible to enter this contest and to win an award, you must be either a high school senior or a college freshman, sophomore or junior and meet all of the following criteria.

HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS:

• Be a legal U.S. resident of either Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee or Texas
• Be age 13 or older
• Be enrolled in 12th grade in a public or private school (or home school) located in one of the states listed above
• Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0
• Plan to attend an accredited college in the U.S. during the 2017-2018 academic school year

COLLEGE STUDENTS:

• Either be a legal U.S. resident of one of the following states or a legal U.S. resident (of one of the 50 United States or D.C.) currently attending an accredited college located in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee or Texas
• Be age 16 or older
• Be currently enrolled as a full-time college undergraduate freshman, sophomore or junior at an accredited college in the U.S. and have least one year (or 18 credit hours) remaining before graduation
• Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0
• Plan to attend an accredited college in the U.S. during the 2017-2018 academic school year

How to Enter

1. COMPLETE AN ONLINE APPLICATION
Click here to enter the Regions Riding Forward Scholarship Essay Contest between January 16, 2017, and February 28, 2017. Complete and save all requested information.

2. WRITE YOUR ESSAY
Choose the African-American you want to write about. It could be someone famous, a relative or a person you know. Just make sure the individual inspires and motivates you. For guidance, review the “How to Enter” instructions and the “Contest Judging Criteria” in sections 4 and 5 of the Official Rules, and be sure your essay is 500 words or less. You can write your essay directly in the application or you can copy and paste it into the appropriate area in the application form.

3. REVIEW AND SUBMIT
Review your information, check your essay for spelling and submit your entry by 11:59:59 p.m. Central Time on February 28, 2017.

4. AWAIT NOTIFICATION
Winning essays are selected by an independent panel of judges who are not affiliated with Regions. Students with winning essays will be notified by International Scholarship and Tuition Services (ISTS) in April or May 2017. If your essay is selected, you will need to respond to ISTS with the required information. Scholarship checks will be awarded by July 31, 2017.