The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes, a program of the nonprofit organization Young Heroes Project, celebrates inspiring, public-spirited young people from diverse backgrounds all across the U.S. and Canada. Each year, the Barron Prize honors 25 outstanding young leaders ages 8 to 18 who have made a significant positive difference to people and the environment.
How to Apply
- Eligibility
- Application
- Judging
- Terms
- Applicant must be between the ages of 8 and 18 (not yet age 19) on our annual application deadline of April 15.
- Applicant must be a permanent, legal resident of the U.S. or Canada with a social security number or valid tax i.d. number.
- Applicant must be currently residing in the 50 U.S. states, District of Columbia, or Canada. Residents of U.S. territories are not eligible to apply due to territories’ differences in contest rules.
The Barron Prize has a two-step application process. Applicants must complete the pre-application form as Step 1. If you meet the eligibility requirements, you will receive an email with instructions for accessing the full online application (Step 2).
The pre-application will not be available/accessible after March 15. Pre-applicants will be notified via email within 10 days of submitting the Step 1 pre-application form regarding their eligibility to proceed to Step 2 of the application process. The full application must be submitted by April 15.
If you are deemed eligible to move forward to Step 2 (the full application), you will be required to
submit the following materials by April 15:
- Completed Application Form
- Project Summary (250 word limit)
- Project Essay (1,000 word limit)
- Letter from the Lead Reference
- Two additional Letters of Recommendation
- One color photo of the applicant
- Winners must have organized and led an extraordinary service activity which has clearly benefited other people or the planet we share.
- Winners must have:
- Demonstrated positive spirit, courage, intelligence, generosity, and high moral purpose.
- Shown initiative, tenacity, and unselfishness in pursuit of their goals.
- Accomplished something with inspirational value—something that could inspire others to make a difference.
- Done more than survive a difficult personal challenge. Their heroism must have made an impact on the world beyond themselves.
- Winners may or may not have received recognition for their heroic work. Fame itself shall not have been a motivating factor.
- Applications must be completed and submitted online by the deadline of 5:00 PM MT on April 15 each year, when the system will automatically close
- Applications via fax, email, U.S. mail, or any other carrier are not accepted.
- All required application materials must be included at the time of submission. Incomplete applications will not be considered.