FAQs

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS – FOR APPLICANTS

How does your new two-step application process work?

Beginning with our 2026 awards cycle, the Barron Prize has moved to a two-step application process. Applicants must complete a short online pre-application as Step 1. If you meet our eligibility requirements, you will receive an email with instructions for accessing our full application (Step 2).

The pre-application link is available from January 7 – March 15, 2026 on our website’s “Apply” page.

SUBMISSION DEADLINES:

Step 1 (pre-application): March 15, 5 pm Mountain Time

Step 2 (full application): April 15, 5 pm Mountain Time

Pre-applicants will be notified via email within 10 days of submitting the pre-application regarding their eligibility to proceed with Step 2 of the application process.

Application timeline:

Jan. 7, 2026 (9 am MT)
Link to our new pre-application (required as Step 1 of 2) opens on the Apply page of our website: https://barronprize.org/apply/

March 15, 2026 (5 pm MT)
Final date to submit the pre-application. The pre-application will no longer be available after this date/time.

April 15, 2026 (5 pm MT)
Completed applications (Step 2 of 2) are due.

Do you accept co-applications?

Yes, we accept co-applications from two co-founders or co-leaders of one service project.

Each co-applicant must submit an individual application.
Please include in the Project Summary and Project Essay (first paragraph) that you are co-applying and include your co-applicant’s name.
For the three required Letters of Recommendation, co-applicants may use the same references, but those references must submit individual letters of recommendation for each co-applicant.
We will pair co-applicants’ applications. Co-applicants who are chosen as a winner are honored as co-applicants and split one $10,000 award.

You can see several examples of co-applicant winners on our website under Meet the Winners.

Do you accept group submissions?

No more than two co-applicants may apply together (and if selected as a winner, co-applicants share one award). We cannot accept applications from large groups of students – only from two co-founders/co-leaders of one service project.

What are the U.S. residency requirements for applying?

Applicants must be permanent, legal residents of the U.S. or Canada with a social security number or valid tax i.d. number
Applicants must currently reside in the 50 U.S. states, District or Columbia, or Canada.
Residents of U.S. territories are not eligible to apply due to territories’ differences in contest rules.

What is the age eligibility?

Applicants must be between the ages of 8 and 18 (not yet age 19) on our annual application deadline of April 15. We adhere strictly to this age requirement.

Am I eligible if my project is a research project not a service project?

We consider and have honored significant research projects that are already helping other people or the planet — or where the applicant is making measurable progress toward that goal.

Here is our official Service Project Criteria:

Applicant has organized and led an extraordinary service activity that is clearly benefitting other people or the planet. This can include research projects that are already helping or have very real potential to help other people or the planet.
The service activity must have been initiated primarily by the applicant and cannot have been done solely to complete an assignment for school or work.
Applicant must be currently working on his/her inspiring service project or has done so within the past 12 months.
Applicant is working as an individual (or possibly with one other person) to lead their service work. No more than two co-applicants may apply together (and if selected as a winner, co-applicants share one award).
Applicant has demonstrated heroic character qualities such as courage, compassion, dedication, generosity, perseverance, and high moral purpose.
Applicant has done more than survive a difficult personal challenge. Their heroism must have made an impact on the world beyond themselves.

What can I add to my Supplemental Materials section? Can I upload a large video?

You can upload up to five additional materials (or provide up to five links) that provide further information about your project. You can upload images (jpgs), Word documents (docs), or pdf files.

Our online application system will not accept video uploads, but applicants can upload documents containing video links.

How do I know if my Letters of Recommendation have been submitted to my application?

You can track your letters in the LOR section of your application. Click on that section and you can see which letters have been received by our online system. Applicants can send a reminder email through the online system to references who haven’t yet submitted their letters.

My reference did not receive the e-mail with the link to submit their Letter of Recommendation. What should I do?

Check your application to make sure you submitted the reference’s correct e-mail address and that you submitted your LOR request properly on your application.

If everything looks correct, please send an email to admin@barronprize.org with the name and e-mail of the reference who did not receive the link and we will work to get the link to them.

How do I find and continue working on my saved application?

Click the live link in the original e-mail you were sent marking you as eligible to apply for Step 2 of the application process (full-application). You will be prompted to log in to your WizeHive account and will see your application there.

When will winners be notified?

We will email all applicants in early September as to whether or not they were chosen as winners this year.

If I did not complete my application but would like to apply next year, could I carry over my information into the application for next year?

Our online application system cannot save or carry over information from year to year.

I would like to nominate a student. Do you accept nominations?

We do not accept nominations, but you can direct the student to our application and offer to serve as their Lead Reference. The Lead Reference provides a detailed letter of recommendation about the student and their service work.

You can find a sample application and all relevant information here.

I have been asked by a student to write a Letter of Recommendation for them. How do I submit my LOR?

The applicant must add you as a reference on his/her application. Then you will receive an e-mail from our online application portal (WizeHive) with a link to upload your letter of reference through the portal. If you have not received this link, double check with the applicant to make sure they submitted you (and your correct e-mail) as a reference.

If the student is sure they have submitted you as a reference correctly, it is likely that your school’s or organization’s firewall has blocked the email from WizeHive containing the link you need to upload your letter. In this case, please send us an email at admin@barronprize.org and include your name plus the name of the student who has requested a letter from you. We will work to send you the link needed to upload your letter.

The link to submit my Letter of Recommendation (LOR) is not working. What should I do?

Google Chrome usually works best for accessing and using the WizeHive link to upload letters.
If you’re having trouble, try opening the link in a different Internet browser. (Ex: Google Chrome, Safari)

• It often works best to copy and paste the link provided into the browser versus click on the link directly.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS – FOR TEACHERS/REFERENCES