Scholar Selection Process

A Spokane Scholar candidate is selected by their respective participating high school in one of six subject categories: English, Fine Arts, Science, Social Studies, & World Languages. A student may only be selected for recognition in one subject category. A participating high school may select up to six students - one for each discipline - but is not required to fill every category. If a strong candidate is not available for a particular subject, the school may opt to leave that category unfilled.  

The participating high schools use their established criteria to select scholar candidates, ensuring that honorees represent the highest standards of academic excellence in their respective discipline. Students may not self-nominate, nor does the Spokane Scholars Foundation participate in the selection of scholar candidates. A scholar candidate becomes an official “Spokane Scholar” upon the successful completion of the Spokane Scholar Application.

Being named a Spokane Scholar is a prestigious honor that recognizes the individual student’s exceptional academic achievement, dedication, and potential. This distinction highlights the student’s commitment to excellence and reflects their contributions to the academic community. The Spokane Scholars Foundation hosts an annual banquet where every scholar is introduced individually, presented with a personalized medallion, certificate of achievement, and letter of commendation by their local member of the U.S. House of Representatives. The culmination of the banquet is the announcement of the Scholar Award Recipients, the top scholars in each subject category who receive significant grant awards in recognition of their exceptional academic performance. In addition to recognition at the annual banquet, Spokane Scholars are also featured in news media such as the Spokesman Review and other print and digital news outlets.