Bill of Rights Institute Community Impact Contest

The Community Impact Contest, formerly the MyImpact Challenge, is a national civic engagement contest from the Bill of Rights Institute. Students ages 13 to 19 who are enrolled in middle or high school identify a problem in their own community and lead a service, volunteer or entrepreneurial project to address it. The entry includes a pitch video, an impact summary, a reflection essay that connects the project to America's founding principles and civic virtues, and project visuals. Students usually enter alone, but groups of up to five may submit one entry and split any prize. The grand prize is $10,000, second place is $5,000 and third place is $2,500, and up to nine honorable mentions of $500 recognize projects that best show a specific civic value such as courage or integrity. The contest is open to students in all US states, territories and Armed Forces schools abroad. Entries for 2027 are accepted from September 11, 2026 through April 19, 2027.

Other deadlines near this one

• Asian Pacific Community Fund Scholarships
  Due April 20, 2027 · Up to $20,000 (17 scholarships under one application)
• Schwallie Family Scholarship
  Due April 20, 2027 · $3,000
• SkillsUSA Scholarships and Grants
  Due April 17, 2027 · Varies ($1,000-$2,500)

How hard is the Bill of Rights Institute Community Impact Contest to win?

A large applicant pool chases this award. Apply if the student is a genuinely strong fit, but build the plan around better-odds awards first. No published applicant or winner counts exist for this award, so Solyo shows no odds figure.

What drives the odds here

Odds on a scholarship are mostly a question of how many students can enter. Each rule below changes the size of that field.

• More rivalsOpen nationwide, so the field is large
• Fewer rivalsAn essay is required, which filters out casual applicants
• More rivalsA five-figure award attracts a bigger field

How Solyo estimates this: We model the applicant field from how narrow the eligibility rules are, then divide the awards available by that field. Requirements such as essays and recommendation letters improve a serious applicant’s odds, because most browsers never complete them. These are estimates derived from each award's published structure, not reported acceptance rates, which almost no scholarship provider discloses. Treat them as a way to rank where the hours go, not as a guarantee.

Who can apply for the Bill of Rights Institute Community Impact Contest?

These are the eligibility rules Solyo verified against the official award page, translated into plain English. Your student must meet each one.

• ✓Open to high school freshmen, high school sophomores, high school juniors, and high school seniors
• ✓Ages 13 to 19

What the application takes

• Essay required.

Deadline and application cycle

The current deadline is April 19, 2027 at 11:59 PM PT. This award runs on an annual cycle, with deadlines around April 19 each year. Applications open September 11. A project already under way counts; the entry is mostly documentation, so start gathering photos and results early.

Submissions open

September 11, 2026

Submissions due

April 19, 2027 at 11:59 PM PT

Common questions about the Bill of Rights Institute Community Impact Contest

More community service

• Bonner Scholars Program
  Varies by campus, commonly a few thousand dollars per year across four years · due February 1, 2027
• California State PTA Graduating Senior Scholarships
  $500 (Dr. Ralph E. White Scholarship, 2 recipients). Volunteer Service Scholarship amount not published · due February 1, 2027
• Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes
  $10,000 (top winners) · due April 15, 2027
• Modern Woodmen High School Senior Scholarship
  $1,000 to $10,000 · due February 1, 2027
• Princeton Prize in Race Relations
  $2,500 · due January 31, 2027
• Prudential Emerging Visionaries
  $5,000 - $15,000 · due November 2, 2026

Lists this award appears on

• Scholarships With April Deadlines