For more than 20 years, the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards have honored middle and high school students who have made meaningful contributions to their communities through volunteer work.
The program, sponsored by Prudential Financial and the National Association of Secondary School Principals, and supported by the National School Boards Association, has recognized more than 115,000 middle and high school students since 1995.
The process begins at the school level; students fill out applications online and submit them to their principals. Schools select their top youth volunteers, who receive certificates. The top applicant is evaluated by a state-level judging panel, which selects the top middle school and high school candidate in each state. State honorees win $1,000; an engraved silver medallion, and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, DC for several days of recognition events, including Congressional visits on Capitol Hill.
The deadline for submitting applicants to the state-level judging committee is Nov. 10.
Information on the program is available at http://spirit.prudential.com, by email, or by calling (800) 253-7746.