Legacy of Life Scholarship

Scholarship Sponsored by Washington Regional Transplant Community

More than 103,000 people are currently waiting for life‑saving transplants. If you are a high school senior, you can help spread the word about registering as an organ, eye, and tissue donor by entering the Leslie A. Ebert Legacy of Life Scholarship. What to submit - Create a persuasive piece—either an essay, a short video, or both—that educates and motivates others to register as organ, eye, and tissue donors. - Essay: maximum 1,000 words. - Video: maximum 90 seconds. - Every entry (essay and/or video) must include a clear call-to-action encouraging registration. - Include TWO citations in your submission; these citations do not count toward the essay word limit or video time limit. - The entry form must be fully completed and attached separately to your submission. Missing or incomplete forms will result in disqualification. Who may enter - Entrants must be current high school seniors who both reside and attend high school (or are homeschooled) in one of the following areas: - Maryland; - Washington, DC; or - Northern Virginia counties: Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, Clarke, Culpeper, Spotsylvania, Stafford, King George, Fauquier, and Warren; - Independent cities: Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax, Fredericksburg, Manassas, and Manassas Park. - Entrants must plan to attend a college, university, or community college in the Fall 2025 semester. - Applicants who live or attend high school (or are homeschooled) outside the states/counties/cities listed above are not eligible. Who is ineligible - Family members and employees of Infinite Legacy, family members of Infinite Legacy Governing Board of Trustees members, and family members of those serving on Infinite Legacy committees or councils may not participate. - To preserve impartial judging, applicants’ names and institutional affiliations will be removed before review. Do not include personally identifiable details about yourself within the body of your essay or video. Note for video entrants: you may appear on camera, but please do not state your name in the video. Entry limits and ownership - A student may submit to one or both categories (essay and/or video) per year, but only one entry per category is allowed. - All submitted essays and videos and the rights to publish them become the property of Infinite Legacy. Infinite Legacy may edit, excerpt, publish, and use entries (including on Infinite Legacy digital media) for any purpose without attribution or payment. Winner obligations and training - All scholarship recipients must complete a Donation 101 training and take part in at least one approved donor registration event in the community, following applicable COVID‑19 guidelines. Dates for training and events will be provided immediately after winners are announced. - This training and community event participation must be completed prior to release of scholarship funds. Infinite Legacy will make reasonable accommodations as needed, at its discretion, to help winners meet this requirement. Awards, notification, and posting - For each competition category (essay and video), the following awards are available (subject to section 10 below): one first-place scholarship of $5,000; one second-place scholarship of $3,000; and three honorary scholarships of $1,000 each. - Winners will be contacted directly by June 1, 2025. Only winners will be notified. After all winners have been contacted, the winning essays and videos will be posted at: infinitelegacy.org/get-involved/community-outreach/legacy-of-life-scholarship/. Payment terms - Scholarships will be paid in one lump sum directly to the college or university the recipient attends by December 31, 2025. - Funds must be used to pay tuition, books, and other fees billed directly by the institution. - A scholarship will be forfeited if it is not claimed by December 31, 2025, or if the winner is not enrolled in and attending a college or university in the 2024 Fall semester. Funds cannot be paid after December 31, 2025. - Instructions for submitting payment details to the institution will be sent after winners are announced. Judging, disqualification, and final decisions - Infinite Legacy and its panel of judges reserve the right to award all ten scholarships, fewer than ten, or none, based on the number and quality of qualified applicants and their eligibility and suitability. - Entries judged inappropriate, unsuitable, or otherwise ineligible may be disqualified at Infinite Legacy’s sole discretion. - Infinite Legacy also reserves the right to deny payment of a scholarship if contest rules and criteria are not met. All decisions by Infinite Legacy and the judges are final.