NAIMES Student Spotlight Award Application
Co-Sponsored by Veterans United Foundation
NAIMES celebrates student achievements and fosters scholarly communication between students, faculty, and the military communities we serve. We recognize student achievement by awarding five scholarships annually to military-affiliated students. Participation in the NAIMES Student Spotlight Award provides these students with opportunities to gain valuable experience in both oral and written presentations of their work. Veterans United Foundation is a proud co-sponsor of this award program.
See the previous year’s Spotlight Award Winners Here!
Eligibility: Active-duty personnel, veterans, and active-duty military spouses from all service branches who are currently pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree are invited to apply. ROTC students and military academy students are not eligible. Applicants pursuing an undergraduate degree are required to validate the number of college credits earned at the time of application (see How to Apply below).
Award Amount: A $1,200 cash prize will be awarded to the top project in five categories*:
- Active-Duty undergraduate student with fewer than 60 credits earned
- Active-Duty undergraduate student with 60 or more credits earned
- Active-Duty graduate student
- Veteran
- Active-Duty military spouse
*In addition, travel funds, not to exceed $600, will be available to allow recipients to receive their award at the annual Council of College and Military Educators (CCME) Annual Professional Development Symposium. The 2026 CCME Symposium will be held March 29 to April 2 at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis. The exact date of the Scholarship Award Celebration will be announced.
How to Apply: Submission Deadline: 15 December 2025 at 11:59pm EST
- Write an essay using one of the following prompts:
- Describe your educational journey and how it has impacted your community involvement and/or your professional development?
- How has educational innovation in technology shaped your pursuit of higher education?
- Prepare a resume (you may use this Resume Template).
- Obtain unofficial academic transcripts.
- Take a recent photo (include headshot yourself, optional).
- Obtain a letter from your school verifying your military affiliation. (This is typically requested from the Office of the Registrar.)
- Fill out the online Application below and upload these files.
Rubric for Evaluating Project Submissions:
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Exceeds – 2 |
Meets – 1 |
Doesn’t Meet – 0 |
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Submission is reflective of college level work as determined by a panel of judges. There is a logical progression of the theme in the overall presentation of the submission. The theme is clearly identifiable as well as the link to the applicant’s military career. If appropriate, references are cited. No errors are evident. |
Submission is reflective of college level work as determined by a panel of judges. Progression of the theme is not consistent throughout but can be extracted as one considers the overall presentation. The theme is identifiable and the link to the applicant’s military career. If appropriate, references are cited. Some errors in the presentation. |
Submission is not reflective of college level work as determined by a panel of judges. Is not presented in a manner that allows for the theme to emerge and does not link to the applicant’s military career. |
Contact: NAIMES Scholarship Committee Chair, Angela Albritton, angela.albritton@erau.edu
NAIMES Preamble: National Association of Institutions for Military Education Services (NAIMES) is committed to promoting high quality, pedagogically sound educational opportunities for the military community. NAIMES endorses the ideals of voluntary education and in doing so represents a wide range of colleges and universities.