SOY and ESOY Awards

The Virginias Collegiate Honors Council (VCHC) is pleased to once again offer the VCHC Honors Scholar of the Year Award, and the VCHC Emerging Scholar of the Year Award for our best and brightest Honors students in Virginia and West Virginia. 

The Honors Scholar of the Year will be awarded to a student from a member institution who successfully embodies the scholarship, character, and ambition associated historically with honors students and the VCHC, and has completed more than 54 college credits. 

The Emerging Honors Scholar of the Year award serves to recognize a student from a member institution, with 54 or fewer college credits, who has shown extraordinary potential as an emerging scholar, and who embodies the scholarship, character, and ambition associated historically with honors students and the VCHC. 

Applications should be submitted by an Honors administrator using the awards applicaiton link below. A complete application will include each of the following items:

• Written recommendation from the honors administration at the home institution (which must be a current VCHC member)

• An unofficial college transcript

• A personal student narrative of no more than 1200 words that answers the question, “How has your participation in Honors enriched the program, the campus, and the community? How has it changed your life?"

Awards Application Link

Award Review Rubric

Applications are now being accepted and will continue to be through February 14, 2025.  The student selected for each award will be chosen by a committee, consisting of current VCHC faculty or staff members. The recipient of the award will be notified before March 1, 2025.  All components of the application, including the strength of the recommendation as well as the written quality and authenticity of the personal narrative, will be considered.

The recipient of each award will receive a $500.00 cash award/scholarship and complimentary VCHC Spring conference registration. This year's conference will be hosted by Dr. Dan Roberts and Lisa Hobson at Virginia State University on April 4th and 5th. A place in the spring conference program is reserved to acknowledge the nominees, and the award recipients, and the recipients will both have an opportunity to address their peers at the meeting.