December Opportunities & Events

Ongoing: Students aged 13-19 have the opportunity to submit their creative writing, art and photos to TeenInk Magazine. Click here for the full list of guidelines.
‍
Ongoing: We are Teachers compiles a list of various grants and contests.  Check back regularly!

Ongoing: The Sony Corporation focuses the majority of its charitable giving on arts, culture, technology and the environment, with a particular emphasis on education in each of those areas.  While support in other areas may also be considered, the company seeks to apply its financial, technological and human resources to the encouragement of the creative, artistic, technical and scientific skills required of tomorrow's workforce. If your school has a program for which you would like to ask for financial assistance, click here for details on requirements.

Various: The Oklahoma City Community Foundation has a host of scholarship opportunities for high school students. Visit their Opportunities page to find ones that might be applicable to your students!

Various: Newspapers in Education has created a variety of student-focused contests. Students who enter into any of the contests will automatically be entered to receive a  $250.00 Visa gift card.
‍
Various: The Oklahoma State Dept. of Education has compiled a list of writing contests--state, national and international.

Ongoing: Check out the Oklahoma Education Needs/Donations Facebook group where teachers post their classroom needs, and a donor will ship the teacher's request straight to his or her school. Over the past two years, at least 500 teachers from all over Oklahoma have received donations, and there are now almost 30,000 group members!

December 1: Registration deadline to participate in the state-level Poetry Out Loud contest. This free poetry recitation contest is for high-school students (grades 9-12) in both public and private schools. Poetry Out Loud encourages students to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation. This program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence and learn about literary history and contemporary life.

December 3: Nomination deadline for the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence Academic Awards Program. The award honors 100 public high school seniors with a $1,000 merit-based scholarship.

December 8: Nomination deadline for the 2021 School Librarian of the Year. The award honors a K-12 library professional for outstanding achievement and the exemplary use of 21st- century tools and services to engage children and teens toward fostering multiple literacies.The winning school librarian will receive a $2,500 cash award and $2,500 in-kind digital and/or print products for their library, a Scholastic Book Fairs "Mr. Schu's Picks' collection of books, a visit from John Schumacher (Ambassador of School Libraries, Scholastic), including a giveaway for every student in the school and a feature profile in the April 2021 issue of School Library Journal.

December 15: Submission deadline for the ALDI Smart Kids Program. They are dedicated to supporting the health and wellness of the children in ALDI communities. They do this by supporting local community organizations that encourage kids to be active in the areas of education, physical activity, nutrition, socializing and the arts. Their support ranges from monetary donations to ALDI gift cards.

December 15: Application deadline for the Power of Hope Awards, which recognize school districts that engage school counselors in leadership roles that effectively organize and implement college and career postsecondary enrollment strategies in grades 6-12.

January 15: Entry deadline for OKCTE's Youth Writers Contest. Young writers of Oklahoma, grades 6-12, are encouraged to enter for a chance to have their work published in the OKCTE annual anthology and celebrated in an awards ceremony

January 25: Tentative date set for the 2021 National Shakespeare Competition. High school students from across Oklahoma and Western Arkansas perform a 20-line monologue and a sonnet. The 1st place winner will receive participate in the Virtual National Competition and a $200 prize. The 2nd ($100) and 3rd place ($50) winners will also receive cash prizes. There is NO COST to participate.

January 27: Application deadline for the National Endowment for the Arts Big Read. The program provides up to $15,000 in support of community-wide reading programs. In addition to funding, the program makes available training opportunities, digital resources, and outreach materials.

February 21: Submission deadline for the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum's 20th annual student essay contest. Students in grades 5-12 are eligible to participate, and winners will be recognized at a ceremony in March 2021. A list of the winners and their essays will also be posted on the Memorial’s website..