The purpose of the IWSH Essay Scholarship Contest is to acquaint the uninitiated with the crucial importance the plumbing industry plays in our everyday lives, and to introduce students to the global impact of IWSH projects.
The International Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Foundation exists to help develop and enhance the role of the plumbing industry in community collaborations and educational exchanges, all over the world.
Since our creation in 2016, IWSH has assembled teams of the best and brightest skilled volunteers from across the globe, joining forces to tackle design and construction projects that improve access to water, sanitation and hygiene for a variety of communities in need. We connect with local leaders, governmental and nonprofit partners, labor organizations, and manufacturers.
We do this because we believe that clean water and sanitation are fundamental human rights: they directly impact life, prosperity, and opportunity. Plumbing is vital to global health!
Today, IWSH oversees and supports a range of water, sanitation and hygiene initiatives via our international Community Plumbing Challenge program, and ongoing Plumbing Outreach projects.
How to Apply
- Eligibility
- Application
- Judging
- Terms
- Must be a current high school senior; or enrolled or accepted as a full-time (12 credit hours) student in an accredited technical school, community college, trade school, four-year accredited college or university, or an apprentice program.
- International students are eligible. Please submit proper school documentation with the essay.
- Only the first 300 qualified essays will be considered. Once we have received 300 qualified essays, the contest will be closed.
Please check the website for the current essay topic.
- Each submission must include a cover page containing the student’s name, address, phone number, and email. We must be able to contact you, if we have any questions or comments regarding your entry.
- Essays must be written on the topic noted on the website, and must be an original essay.
- Essays should be no fewer than 800 words and no more than 1,600 words. The essay cover page, added footnotes, references or citation page does not contribute to the word count.
- Entries must be typed, double-spaced, in 12-point Times New Roman or an equivalent font with a one-inch margin on all sides of the page. Standards of content and style from MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 8th ed., will be expected for:
- Documentation of sources in the text of your essay;
- The format of the list of works cited;
- Margins and indentation; and,
- Bibliography.
- Essays MUST be submitted in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) format. Essays submitted in any other format will not be considered.
- Essays must be submitted via the IWSH website (https://iwsh.org/iwsh-world-plumbing-day-essay-contest)
First Place – one (1) winner
- $2,000
- Publication of essay in Official and at IWSH website
- One year IAPMO student membership
Second Place – three (3) winners
- $1,000
- Publication of essay in Official and at IWSH website
- The deadline for essay submissions is 11:59pm (PT) on April 30, 2024.
- Any submission that is missing some or all of the requirements will be disqualified.
- All submissions become the property of IWSH. The winners’ essays will be posted on the IWSH website and published in the Official Magazine.
- Please email questions to essay@iwsh.org.