THE 2026 HAMILTON AWARD IS NOW Closed

The application period began December 5th 2026.

 
PROGRAM OVERVIEW

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Link to Webinar

THE HAMILTON AWARD

The Hamilton Award recognizes young people for their academic, personal, service, and entrepreneurial accomplishments; twenty to thirty students across the nation are selected annually as winners of the Hamilton Award and subsequently enrolled in AHS’s multi-year Empowerment Program.

Winners of the Hamilton Award receive two $500 cash awards to pay for college expenses at their entrance and exit from the Empowerment Program.

After accepting the Hamilton Award, students enter the Empowerment Program alongside fellow cohort members and receive a comprehensive network of support and practical guidance to assist their transition from high school to college, and from college to future professional or academic paths.

All applicants should be college-bound high school juniors who are committed to participating in this rigorous multi-year curriculum.

2026 Award Timeline & Important Dates

The timeline for this year’s Hamilton Award and selection process is detailed below. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please reach out to us at program@hamiltonscholars.org or on our social media channels (@hamiltonscholars on FB & IG).

APPLICATION TIMELINE

  • December 5, 2025 - January 31, 2026 | Applications for the 2026 Hamilton Award are open

  • January 31st, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PST | Application closed

  • Due Jan. 31st, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PST | OPTIONAL Application Letters of Recommendations are due

  • Feb. 1st | Judging begins

  • March | Top 50 applicants invited to sign up for a phone interview

  • April | Winners of the 2026 Hamilton Award are contacted!

LEADER WEEKS FOR THE 2026 HAMILTON SCHOLARS COHORT

  • [Attendance Required to Become Hamilton Scholar]
    YR 1 | High School Senior | College Application Prep
    Seattle: June 23rd - June 28th, 2026

  • YR 2 | College Freshman | College Transition
    Seattle: July 22nd - July 27th 2026

  • YR 3 | College Sophomore | Career Readiness
    Texas    : 11/11 - 11/15 2026

ELIGIBILITY

Do you meet all the requirements to be a Hamilton Scholar?

All applicants should:

  • be juniors in high school

  • be high-achieving and service-focused

  • possess grit and perseverance

  • have demonstrated need

  • live in the United States (though you don’t have to be a resident!)

  • be college-bound to a US-based institution

  • be committed to participating in our rigorous curriculum

  • be able to attend Year 1 Leader Week

For eligibility related questions, check our Eligibility Frequently Asked Questions.

 

FOR STUDENTS

We’re so excited that you’ve taken an interest in the Hamilton Award! Below you’ll find information on eligibility and frequently asked questions from students.

Frequently Asked Questions

GENERAL PROGRAM QUESTIONS

  • You can email Alexander Hamilton Scholars at program@hamiltonscholars.org or give us a call at 206.460.0740 and we would be happy to assist! You can also stop by one of our scheduled office hours for live support.

  • December 5th 2025

  • You must submit your completed application by JANUARY 31, 2026, at 11:59 pm PST.

  • Due to the large number of applicants, no applications will be accepted after the deadline.

  • No.

  • The Empowerment Program is a five-year program that provides — at no cost to the students — a comprehensive network of support and practical guidance to assist Scholars in their transition from high school to college, and from college to future professional or academic paths.

  • No. The Empowerment Program is provided at no cost to students, including the all-expenses paid Leader Week leadership conferences.

  • Yes! There are no restrictions for what the scholarship can be used for, though we advise Scholars to use the money to defray the cost of college applications, school visits, college-related fees, etc.

  • The AHS scholarship amount of $500 is awarded twice to Scholars at their entrance and exit from the multi-year Alexander Hamilton Scholars Empowerment Program.

  • Yes. This is an all-expenses paid, no-cost to the student trip that is compulsory to the program.

  • Unfortunately, you would be ineligible for the Hamilton Scholars Award.

  • Please submit your application anyways. Recommendation letters are NOT required!

 

ELIGIBILITY QUESTIONS

  • Yes.

  • You must be a current high school junior.

  • No.

  • No. The scores you submit on or before January 31, 2026, are sufficient.

  • Yes. All applicants must have and maintain at least a 3.0 cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale.

  • The Hamilton Award is given to students that have demonstrated financial need. Your household's adjusted gross income should be LESS than $100,000 a year.

  • If your family completed a 1040 tax return for 2024, you can find this amount on line 11

    .

  • No. The Hamilton Award and AHS Empowerment Program is a citizenship-confidential and DACA friendly scholarship. We welcome applicants who reside in the United States, regardless of citizenship status; you must be attending a US high school.

  • Unfortunately, you must reside in the United States to apply.

  • Yes! AHS is a Citizenship-Confidential/DACA Friendly award and organization.

 

TECHNICAL QUESTIONS

  • Please ask your recommender to double-check their spam and junk folders for an email from CommunityForce.

    CommunityForce allows you to resend a notification to your recommender if needed.

    If neither of those work, please email the Letter of Recommendation to program@hamiltonscholars.org and a staff member will attach it to your application.

  • Please check your email's spam folder for the authentication code email. If the issue persists, feel free to contact us at program@hamiltonscholars.org.

  • Please upload your video to Google Drive (or other cloud service) and upload the link to the video on a Word document. Make sure the permissions are set in a way that anyone with the link can view it. That way, our judges can access it.

  • If you are receiving notifications stating that your application is incomplete, please be sure that all questions marked with a red asterisk (*) have a response or “n/a” for “not applicable.”

  • Please ensure that there are no extra spaces before or after the name you type and the email addresses you provide. Extra spaces make names and email addresses invalid in the application system. Also, see the TROUBLESHOOTING prompt on the Certification page for more tips on how to address this issue.

  • Please contact program@hamiltonscholars.org and we will put you in touch with CommunityForce support. We encourage you to submit your application in advance of the due date, just in case there are any issues, as our offices as well as that of CommunityForce are open from 9am -5pm PST

  • We recommend using the latest versions of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox for the best experience.

  • If you’re experiencing technical problems, check that your device has all the latest updates installed.

 

FOR PARENTS

We’re so excited that you and your student have taken an interest in Alexander Hamilton Scholars and the Hamilton Award! Here, you’ll find information specific to parents and guardians about your students time as a Scholar.

Every year, AHS supports 150 active Scholars across five cohorts with the skills they need to successfully transition from high school to college and college to whatever their next steps are — be it career, a gap-year, or graduate school. We provide intentional mentorship and networking opportunities, college application and financial aid counseling, and internship support throughout the school year for each of our Scholars.

With the personalized curriculum and comprehensive services AHS offers, 100% of our Scholars are admitted to best-fit colleges and 96% of Hamilton Scholars graduate from top universities in five years or less. Over 16 cohorts of scholars are now employed at a variety of acclaimed companies, firms, and organizations around the world, breaking the cycles of poverty one step at a time.

Parent FAQs

  • Our application requires sharing your household’s adjusted gross income; we use this information solely to determine your student’s demonstrated financial need.

    Alexander Hamilton Scholars does not share individual personal information with outside parties except to further facilitate a Scholars participation in the Empowerment Program. Note that all staff members are mandated reporters and may need to share information with the proper authorities should a Scholar become an immediate threat to their own or another person’s safety.

  • We welcome students who reside in the United States to join our program, regardless of family citizenship status.

    As part of welcoming new Scholars to their cohort, we will ask for your student’s citizenship status; we do not share individual citizenship status information outside our organization. Knowing citizenship status allows us to better tailor your students experience in the AHS Empowerment Program.

  • We prioritize student safety during Leader Week conferences by picking students up directly from the airport baggage claim, never leaving them without supervision, traveling in pods with chaperones completing constant check-ins, and communicating detailed safety plans should certain situations arise (i.e. a Scholar getting separated from their pod). Finally, we maintain a 1:5 chaperone to scholar ratio to ensure fun, safe traveling.

  • We are more than happy to answer any questions or concerns. Please contact us at program@hamiltonscholars.org

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