Why we built the Hariom Impact Scholarship Challenge

Most scholarships reward what a student has already been given: test prep, a stable home, a counselor with time. We wanted to reward what a student does with what they have.

Blind, criterion-based judging

Applications are anonymized before judges see them. Scoring runs against a published six-criterion rubric so a compelling idea from a small rural school competes on equal footing with a polished submission from a magnet program.

A People's Choice award

Alongside the judged awards, a $500 People's Choice award is decided by public vote, with vote receipts and an audit log so the result is verifiable.

Applications, rules and voting all live on the Challenge page.