Extracurricular
September 25
Davidson Fellows Scholarship: The Complete Guide
Who qualifies, what the application takes, and how the award tiers work
Eli Hanechak
Science Fair Coach
Summary
The Davidson Fellows Scholarship awards $100,000, $50,000, and $25,000 college scholarships to US students aged 18 or younger who have completed a “significant piece of work” in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, literature, music, philosophy, or an “outside the box” category. Applications are due in mid-February, around 20 Fellows are named each year, and awards must be used at an accredited college.
What is the Davidson Fellows Scholarship?
The Davidson Fellows Scholarship awards students aged 18 or younger $100,000, $50,000, and $25,000 college scholarships for completing a "significant piece of work."
It isn't only for science projects, though those are popular. Alongside categories for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, there are categories for literature, music, philosophy, and "outside the box," for work that is not covered by the other categories.
The Davidson Fellows Scholarship is considered one of the United States' most prestigious honors for students.
Who should consider competing for the Davidson Fellows Scholarship?
The Davidson Fellows Scholarship is awarded to a student who has completed a significant project that is meaningful to the field and has the potential to make a positive contribution to society. This is usually a project that has spanned multiple years, with real translational impact. The Davidson Institute looks for work at or close to college graduate level; the scholarship is not geared toward novice-level projects.
While there is no minimum age to apply, the expected significance of the project means that most applicants are in high school. If this is your first year in science fairs, or you are a freshman just starting out, the Fellows Scholarship may not be your best choice for a competition.
Key dates and timeline
The Davidson application opens in the fall and is usually due mid-February. You will submit your application and then hear very little: winners are contacted in June or July of that year.
Due to the high volume of applicants and the technical expertise required to review applications, the staff may extend the judging period and notify students later than planned.
Once winners are announced, you will get correspondence about the awards ceremony, a weekend of activities in Washington, D.C. that concludes with a formal dinner and the awarding of your scholarship. This typically takes place in September of your application year, and the Institute covers travel and lodging for you and a parent or guardian.
Eligibility requirements
Requirement | Detail |
Age | 18 or younger as of the application deadline; there is no minimum age |
Citizenship and residency | US citizen or permanent resident residing in the United States, or stationed overseas due to active US military duty |
Teams | Up to two people; both must meet all eligibility requirements, the award is split evenly, and teams must email the Davidson Fellows office before starting their application |
Project | A completed "significant piece of work" in one of the eight submission categories, demonstrably your own creation |
Attendance | Fellows attend the September awards reception in Washington, D.C. with a parent or guardian; travel and lodging are covered |
Remember: there is no minimum age requirement, but you are expected to have completed a project of significant merit.
How the application process works
Your Davidson application has two components.
First, you submit an entry form with basic eligibility information and an outline of your project. Once this is submitted, it is processed in one to two days, and then you can begin your full application.
The application requires you to name two "nominators," teachers or mentors who are familiar with your project and are willing to describe its merit, significance, and your contributions to the research. Nominators cannot be family members.
Nominators can sink your application
Nominator forms are emailed automatically once your entry form is approved, and applications with missing nominating forms at the February deadline are disqualified. Line up your two nominators early and confirm they've submitted.
You will also write two essays: "process" and "significance and benefit to society." In the process essay, you detail how your research unfolded, how you carried out experiments, and how you came up with ideas. You can also discuss any challenges you faced during the research. In the significance and benefit to society essay, you detail the impact of your work: how it will help the world, what its real impact is, and who you want to help.
In addition to your essays and nominator forms, you will submit all of your research materials and a video of up to 10 minutes discussing your project; home-production quality is all that's expected. There are also specific requirements based on the category you select, so look over the individual project requirement pages on the Fellows website. One important restriction for science applicants: projects involving human subjects or live vertebrates are not eligible, with narrow exceptions for certain invertebrates.
How competitive and prestigious is the Davidson Fellows Scholarship?
The Davidson Fellows Scholarship is considered to be one of the most prestigious awards in the country, and because it is open to so many categories of projects, it is highly competitive.
While exact numbers of applicants are not released, only 20 or so students are selected for scholarships each year. The scholarships are tiered: more students win the $25,000 scholarship, fewer win the $50,000 award, and the fewest receive the top $100,000 prize.
Only around 20 students are named Davidson Fellows each year, across all eight submission categories.
What do top submissions or winners typically look like?
Top submissions for Davidson are always highly technical and have a clear impact on the world. Your research is expected to show immense promise in the form of multiple experiments, trials, and real-world data.
Winning projects may offer a new insight into a niche field, solve a world issue, or work toward curing a disease; the main constant is that judges can see clearly how your research will effect positive change. Judges want to see creativity, innovation, and even interdisciplinary research in submissions.
Admissions impact: how colleges view the Davidson Fellows Scholarship
Many students wait until their senior year to apply, just so they can build up their project's significance, and therefore can't put the scholarship on a college application. Even so, the award can make a huge impact on your ability to pursue higher education.
If you do apply as a younger student, Davidson is an excellent award to add to your resume, as it shows that you are able to pursue intensive, significant research even at a young age.
More broadly, the Davidson network is made up of some of the most successful people in the US, and there is a thriving alumni community that can help increase your opportunities in STEM.
Pros and limitations of applying to Davidson
The Davidson Fellows application is great for students to work on their scholarship application and essay-writing skills.
It is important to be able to synthesize your research and your experiences in a meaningful way, and it is good practice for when you are applying to college. The recognition for winning can also be amazing; many Davidson Fellows present their research on national news after winning the competition.
While the application is taxing and can be a large time investment, the Davidson Scholarship is an excellent way to do justice to all the research you have done and really show the depth and significance of the work you have completed.
How Davidson compares to similar competitions
The Davidson Fellows Scholarship stands alone. No other competition offers college scholarships of this amount.
While ISEF and STS offer large cash prizes, they do not specify that the money be used to pay for school. Davidson awards must be used at an accredited college.
The Davidson Fellows Scholarship is also the only one of these competitions built around a completed "significant piece of work": the judges are looking for students who have spent years on their research and have made meaningful discoveries.
If your project is in its early stages, consider competing in your local science fair or ISEF, and keep Davidson in mind for later, when your research is more developed.
Should you choose the Davidson Fellows competition?
To compete in Davidson, you must have a research project and have made a significant contribution to your research field with that project. Remember that you must be 18 or younger and a US citizen or permanent resident, and that you need the time available to write meaningful essays and film an excellent video. If you meet these criteria, you should apply.
How Crimson helps students succeed in research competitions
Crimson partners with ScienceFair to help students stand out in STEM research competitions, such as the Davidson Fellows Scholarship.
ScienceFair was founded by Rishab Jain and provides STEM mentoring for middle and high school students. Their mentors are past Davidson Fellows Laureates, STS finalists, ISEF award winners, and alumni of the MIT Research Science Institute.
ScienceFair provides full guidance and support before, during, and after your research, helping you with ideation, walking you through challenges in the research process, and coaching you as you apply to competitions such as the Davidson Fellows Scholarship.
