What are the Discus Awards?

The Discus Awards (www.DiscusAwards.com) is the only scholarship and awards program honoring active and engaged high school students who excel in and out of school. Looking beyond just grades, test scores, and win-loss records, the Discus Awards recognize students for achievement in at least three areas, from community service and work to faith and the arts. Winners are selected by a panel of teachers, counselors, and education professionals, and each winner will be considered for a $2,000 college scholarship awarded each month of the school year.

The Discus Awards are presented by Campus Direct, a leading educational services company, and Recognition Media, a producer of major awards programs, including The Webby Awards and The Telly Awards.

Why is it called the "Discus Awards"?

When we were searching for a name for the awards, we kept returning to the idea of the Decathlon, the athletic event that recognizes the all-around athlete. We thought that made for a wonderful metaphor in general for the all-around student. We considered the "javelin" and "shot-put" as options, but arrived at the "Discus Awards" because even the shape of the Discus (all-around as it is) exemplified the essence of the awards.

Are any attributes more important than others?

All ten attributes have equal weight to the Discus Awards judges. When you're making choices about which attributes to focus on, consider the areas in which you've excelled the most, combined with an effort to show real diversity in focus, skills and talent.

For example, if you're an excellent soccer player, it's best not to refer to soccer in all three categories. Show us your breadth and your depth!

Do I need to have good grades to win the Discus Awards?

While other scholarships may focus entirely on grades and test scores, Academics is only one area of focus for the Discus Awards. If academics are not your focus, but you've shown excellence in three other areas, you will be a good candidate for the Discus Awards.

If someone in my school won, will it be harder for me to win?

The Discus Awards is a "standard of excellence award". That means that there is no cap on the number of awards granted to any one school, town, city or state. Each nomination is scored on its own merits through a rigorous set of criteria, and you will be judged on your own merits.

How old do I have to be to be nominated for a Discus Award?

You must be at least 13 years old to use the Discus Awards website. In order to be considered for a Discus Award, you must be in 9^th, 10^th, 11^th, or 12^th grade in a U.S. high school or comparable home school program.

Do I have to be in high school to win a Discus Award?

Yes, you must be in 9^th, 10^th, 11^th, or 12^th grade to be considered for a Discus Award at a U.S. high school or a comparable home school program.

Can my parent or guardian or sister/brother nominate me?

Yes. A parent, guardian, teacher, counselor, boss, friend, or sibling can nominate you for a Discus Award, and you can nominate someone else. However, the nominated student will be asked by email to complete his or her nomination and confirm his or her wish to be included in the judging process. References also will be checked. As such, be sure to be honest and fair about the accomplishments - neither too positive if you're a parent, or too negative if you happen to be a sibling!

Can I keep my nomination and Winner's profile private?

Yes. Nominations are private to the Discus Awards judging panel, and most personally identifiable information is not shared with judges. During the nomination process, you will be asked whether you would like your Winner's profile to be public in the event you are named a winner. You can elect to keep it private at this time or you can change it in the future. You may change this privacy setting anytime you wish by logging into your Discus Awards account using your email address and password.

Will keeping my profile private hurt my chances of winning an award?

Not at all. Judges will not consider your privacy settings in awarding Discus Awards or Discus Scholarships.

How do I decide what attributes to focus on?

All Discus attributes are weighted the same way by the judges. You should pick the three attributes that you feel you have made the most important contributions in both inside and outside of school. Show diversity in your interests and breadth of passion. After all, this is an award for the all-around high school student.

How do I write a good Discus Awards blurb?

Every Discus Awards nomination is reviewed by a panel of educators, and only all-around students who demonstrate significant achievements in three key attributes are honored. To make your accomplishments stand out, consider the following tips.

Be specific about your accomplishments in a particular category. Think "I'm the president of my school's banjo enthusiasts club" rather than "I love music."

Show our judges your accomplishments in action with photos and videos. Here is an example of a Winner's profile that makes great use of images and videos: http://www.discusawards.com/winner.php?id=118

Highlight your unique contributions, qualities, abilities and accomplishments. Focus on achievements that separate you from the pack. Take a look at this standout student: http://www.discusawards.com/winner.php?id=34

Take some time to write blurbs that use complete sentences, and review your blurbs for correct grammar and spelling. Our judges are educators, and you only have a few sentences to make a great impression. Take a look at some winners who wrote great descriptions of their achievements: http://www.discusawards.com/winner.php?id=101 and http://www.discusawards.com/winner.php?id=137

Can you give a few more specific tips on how to write a great Discus blurb?

Here are some tips for writing an outstanding blurb:

• Be specific. We want to know exactly what you have accomplished in each of your attributes.

  Do: Academics: I have been an honor roll student every year since eighth grade. I am currently taking 3 AP classes and 2 honors classes. I scored a 2240 on my SAT, and I received a National Merit Award for my outstanding score on the PSAT.

  Don't: Academics: I work really hard in school. I am always the first one to participate in class, and I always do all of my homework.

• Remember, we're looking for all-around students. The more examples you have, the better your application.

  Do: Athletics: For the past two years I have run in the Boston Marathon with a couple of my teammates on my high school's cross-country team. Last year I rode in the "Harbor to the Bay" charity bike ride from Boston to Provincetown. Later this year I will participate in a biathlon.

  Do: Community Service: I have been helping out at my local soup kitchen The Helping Hand since I was eight years old. For the past three years I have volunteered at the Hampstead Boys & Girls Club, coaching a basketball team of eight to ten year olds.

  Don't: Athletics: I have been playing basketball since I was seven years old. For the past three years I have coached a basketball team at the local Boys & Girls Club.

  Don't: Community Service: For the last three years I have volunteered at the Boys & Girls Club, coaching a basketball team of eight through ten year olds.

• Spelling and grammar count. You will be judged not only on the content of your nomination, but also the presentation. That includes adding pictures and videos!

  Do: Arts: I am passionate about musical composition and performance. I have been playing the piano since I was four years old, and I have played in my school's jazz band for the past four years. I was a guest soloist for the Boston Classical Orchestra, and the last piece we played was an original that I co-composed.

  Don't: Arts: I am pasionate about musical compositin and performing. I play piano since I was four, and I played in jazz band for my high school last year, the year before, in 2007 and in 2006. I soloed for the BCO. the last PiEcE I pplayed was one I rote wit sumone else.

Do photos and videos help my nomination?

We all know the old saying about photos being worth 1,000 words. Videos are even more instructive. Judges do consider the inclusion of photos and the embedding of video links in applications. Tying photos or videos to your specific attributes or blurbs is even better.

Here is an example of a Winner's profile that makes great use of images and videos: http://www.discusawards.com/winner.php?id=118

I'm having trouble uploading an image? What should I do?

To upload images to your nomination or winner's profile, please be sure that the picture is saved as a .jpg, .png, or .gif.

If you are still having trouble, try reducing the picture size. We cannot accept files greater than 8 MB or 2800 pixels wide.

If you're still having problems, please email us at info<at>discusawards<dot>com with more specifics about the error message you are receiving.

Should I use my real name in a nomination?

This is entirely up to you. Awards and scholarships will be judged without regard to use of a proper name, so you may use a screen name or nickname if you wish. However, use of a full name will better ensure delivery of your snail mail winner's notification and mini-certificate. It also may assist us in securing media coverage for your Discus Award. Still, this choice is entirely up to you, and feel free to consult your parent or guardian as you make this decision.

Should I use my full address in a nomination?

Your Discus nomination for an award or scholarship will be reviewed without reference to your address. However, use of a full mailing address will facilitate proper delivery of your snail mail notification and mini-certificate.

How will my reference(s) be used?

The Discus Awards request a minimum of one reference per nomination. We check a high percentage of references, so we encourage you to think carefully about your reference, to notify your reference that you've supplied them as a reference, and to be careful about providing an accurate email address or phone number for your reference.

We do not check all references for Discus Awards winners, but we will check all references of Winners before including them in the scholarship judging round. No one with an unconfirmed reference will be in consideration for the Discus Scholarships.

Is there anything I need to do after submitting my nomination?

Yes! You will receive a confirmation email asking that you confirm your email address and your nomination. Your nomination will not be judged until you've confirmed your email address. If you have not done so and do not see the confirmation email, please check your junk mail folder or contact us. To ensure that you are advised of all Discus Awards notifications, press inquiries, and scholarship inquiries, please be sure to place "@discusawards.com" on your email safe list.

How long does judging take?

Your nomination will be judged and you will be notified within 30 days of submitting and confirming your Discus Awards nomination.

Who judges the Discus Awards nominations?

The Discus Awards are judged by a panel of experienced teachers and other educational professionals. Judges are hand-picked by the Discus Awards and trained by the Discus Awards staff to adhere to clear and consistent judging criteria.

How are they judged?

Discus Awards judges are trained by the Discus Awards staff to adhere to clear and consistent judging criteria. Discus judges score each nomination individually on a defined set of criteria; scores are then normalized within a judging set, and a subset of highly scored nominees are named as winners.

How many nominees win the award?

We do not share statistics regarding winning percentages for the Discus Awards. Winners are declared on a rolling, ongoing basis. In general, during most judging cycles, fewer than half of the nominees are selected as winners.

How will I know if I win?

You will learn whether you were selected for a Discus Award first by email within 30 days of the date on which you submitted your nomination and confirmed your email address. Within two weeks of that email, winners will receive their Discus Awards mini-certificate in the mail.

What do I get for winning the Discus Awards?

In addition to being eligible for the monthly scholarship for the 2009-2010 school year, Discus Awards winners are able to increase their chances of college acceptance by including the honor on their college applications and downloading the letter of recommendation that they can send to college admissions officers.

As a Discus Awards winner you become a part of a diverse community of accomplished high school students that you can connect with through the Discus Awards Facebook page. Through this community you have the opportunity to share your experiences and get advice about the college admissions process. You can connect with students who have similar interests, share stories, and even use the community as a resource to further pursue your passions.

You may also purchase Discus hoodies, bags, awards, and framed certificates, available exclusively to Discus Awards winners at the Discus Awards Store.

The Discus Awards also provide helpful resources for your transition to college, including a comprehensive list of college scholarships and a FAFSA financial aid resource center.

Can I notify college admissions offices about my Discus Award?

You may let college admissions boards know that you've won the Discus Award. You can do this by email, by sharing a link to your profile in the Winner's Gallery. In addition, when you log into your profile on the site, you will see a link to a downloadable letter for you to print and send to the colleges that actively are considering your nomination.

Some Discus Awards are mentioned in the press, will mine be?

For public winners' profiles, we may share details of our most interesting winners (with the most interesting and best-written nomination blurbs) with their local school as well as their city newspapers. If your profile is set to "private", we will not share your information with the media. We cannot control which winners will be covered by the media. To see examples of coverage of Discus Awards winners, visit our Press Page.

Can I get a physical Discus Award?

You may purchase trophies, framed certificates, sweatshirts, Discus bags, and other commemorative gear at the Discus Awards Store.

Why didn't I win?

All Discus Awards nominations are carefully reviewed by a judging panel comprised of educational professionals. The criteria on which the judges base their scores include an evaluation of both the form and substance of each nomination.

Our judges are humbled by the extremely high quality of the nominations; unfortunately, not all nominees can be selected as winners. Some nominees will not be selected.

The panel's decisions are final, and nominees who are not selected as a Discus Awards winner may not submit another application for the 2009-10 academic year.

We sincerely appreciate the time and effort put into Discus nominations, and we wish all Discus nominees the best of luck in pursuing their passions in college and beyond.

Can I apply again next year if I'm not graduating this year?

Yes. Please do. Be sure to take extra pains next year to write engaging blurbs that are well-written and spell-checked. Include photos and videos to support your nomination and the attributes you mention therein.

We have compiled a list of college scholarships for which you may be eligible this year.

How many scholarships will be awarded by the Discus Awards?

The Discus Awards will grant one $2,000 Discus scholarship each month of the academic year to one Discus Awards winner. One scholarship will be awarded each month from September through June of the academic year. As a Discus Awards winner, you will be considered for a Discus scholarship.

When are Discus Awards Scholarships announced?

The monthly scholarship will be awarded on the last weekday of each month, with the last 2009-10 scholarship awarded in June 2010. Winners will be announced at DiscusAwards.com and on the Discus Facebook Fan Page.

Where are the monthly scholarship winners announced?

Winners will be announced at www.DiscusAwards.com and on the Discus Facebook Fan Page.

Who judges the scholarships?

Discus scholarships are judged by a panel of luminaries who excel in one or more of the Discus Awards attributes. Current judges include a senior administrator at an arts university, a senior reporter with ESPN, a longtime educator and recipient of the prestigious Disney Teacher of the Year Award, and the founder and president of College Parents of America, the only national membership association dedicated to advocating and to serving on behalf of current and future college parents.

Who is eligible to win a scholarship?

Any Discus Award winner during a given academic year will be considered. You must be declared a Discus Winner by the end of one month in order to be considered for the scholarship award in the following month. If you do not win the scholarship in a given month, you will be considered in the following months of the same academic year. In that event, be sure to log in and update your profile to add detail, photos and videos in support of your consideration.

What are the deadlines to enter?

You must be declared a Discus Winner by the end of one month in order to be considered for the scholarship award in the following month.

How is the scholarship awarded and paid?

Each month of the academic year, one Discus Awards winner will be selected to win the scholarship. The scholarship will be awarded on the last weekday of every month of the school year. Recipients may use their Discus Scholarships -- which are administered and managed by a nationally recognized scholarship administration firm -- for tuition and fees required to enroll at or attend an eligible institution. Winners will be advised of all details regarding scholarship administration.

If I don't win in one month, am I eligible for other months?

Each month, one Discus Awards winner will be selected to win the scholarship. The scholarship will be awarded on the last weekday of every month of the school year.

If you do not win a scholarship in a given month, your profile will automatically be reviewed for the scholarships that will be awarded in the ensuing months. If you would like to update your profile -- personal information, blurbs, photos and videos, and your privacy settings -- log in with your e-mail address and the password you created during the nomination process.

Am I eligible for additional financial aid?

The Discus Awards do not exclude students from applying for additional financial aid. To help you find other scholarships, the Discus Awards have compiled a list of college scholarships for which you may be eligible this year. Additionally, the Discus Awards have created a FAFSA financial aid resource center.

Can I edit my winner's profile?

If you would like to update your profile - personal information, blurbs, photos and videos, and privacy status - go to the login area in the upper right-hand corner of this page. You may log in anytime with your e-mail address and the password you created during the nomination process. If you are logged in already, click the "edit" buttons in your profile pages and update any information you wish to change.

Can I alter the privacy settings for my winner's profile?

Yes. Simply log into the site using your email address and the password you created when you confirmed your nomination. You can edit the privacy settings in your profile once you are logged in.

Can I share my winner's profile on Facebook?

Of course! Be sure to let your friends know that you've won a Discus Award by linking to your profile on your Wall. You can also place a Discus Awards Winners Badge on your Facebook, blog, or other website by visiting our Badges page.

To stay up to date with the latest Discus Awards News, be sure to fan our Discus Awards Facebook Fan Page.

What if I can't see my profile in the Winner's Gallery?

If you are a winner and you can't see your profile without logging in, you likely have set your profile to "private". When logged in to your Discus account, you can alter your privacy settings easily.