About
About the Scholarship
The Accelerated Academic Award Scholarship is awarded by WeekendBio and funded by The Joseph Coolidge Giving Association. One student receives it each cycle.
The scholarship
The Accelerated Academic Award Scholarship recognizes a student who can say something worth reading in an essay of at least ten words. Applicants respond to a single prompt, and the committee selects one essay from the full pool of eligible applications.
The scholarship is open to high school, college, and university students who are legal residents of the United States and at least 13 years old. Grades, test scores, activities, and financial need are not considered. Full eligibility rules are in the Official Rules.
The ten-word minimum
Ten words is the least the committee will accept. Below that, there is not enough on the page to evaluate, so an essay of nine words or fewer is disqualified immediately. It is not read, it is not scored, and it cannot be revised or resubmitted. The committee applies this rule without exception.
There is no maximum. Applicants may write more than ten words, but length earns nothing on its own. The committee scores what the words say, not how many there are, and a strong essay of exactly ten words can outscore a weak essay of any length. Choosing each word with care is harder than it sounds, which is why the essay is the only part of the application that is scored.
Detailed requirements, counting rules, and evaluation criteria are on The Essay page.
The award
The award is $1.39, paid as 139 United States one-cent coins. The full amount goes to one recipient. It is not split among finalists, prorated, or paid out over time.
The award is paid only in pennies. It is not issued as a check, direct deposit, gift card, or in any larger denomination, and no substitution is offered. The United States Mint stopped producing pennies for circulation in 2025, so every coin in the award comes from coins already in circulation.
The coins are counted twice before the award is sealed. It is delivered in person or by mail to an address in the United States, no later than February 26, 2027.
How the winner is selected
After the application period closes, each application is checked for eligibility and word count. Essays that pass are reviewed by a selection committee appointed by WeekendBio. Names and email addresses are removed before review, so each essay is judged on its words alone.
The committee scores essays on responsiveness to the prompt, clarity, originality, and precision of language. The highest-scoring essay receives the award. All decisions of the committee are final.
WeekendBio
WeekendBio sponsors and administers the Accelerated Academic Award Scholarship. WeekendBio runs the application process, appoints the selection committee, verifies the winner's eligibility, and delivers the award.
The Joseph Coolidge Giving Association
The Accelerated Academic Award Scholarship is funded by The Joseph Coolidge Giving Association. The Association provides the full award amount for each cycle. The Association does not take part in selecting the winner.
Contact
Questions about the scholarship can be sent to scholarship@weekendbio.com. Please read the FAQ first, as most questions are answered there.