Student Scholarship Program

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The Cognella Cares Student Scholarship Program

The Cognella Cares Student Scholarship Program was established to provide students with a platform to speak to current issues that matter to them, highlight experiences that are unique to higher education, and share ideas that can inspire social, political, and intellectual change.

For Spring 2026, we’re looking for three outstanding undergraduate students in any discipline of study who are inspired to share their unique thoughts, experiences, and ideas for change surrounding one of the following topics:

  • Silence, speech, and self-censorship in academic spaces: why students choose to speak up, stay quiet, or disengage, and what it means for learning.
  • College during conflict: how global events, national politics, and cultural flashpoints show up in classrooms and student relationships.
  • The emotional labor of being a student today: how students manage expectations, visibility, and responsibility beyond academics.

One winner will be selected per topic; three students will each receive a $1,000 academic scholarship in the form of a check from Cognella, Inc.

Submissions will be accepted through April 17, 2026, and winners will be notified the week of May 11, 2026, via email. The winning essays will be posted to the Cognella website and the company’s social media accounts the week of May 18, 2026.

Review the eligibility details, application process, essay criteria, and scholarship information below, then click the Submit an Essay section to send us your essay!

Questions? Contact the scholarship team at scholarship@cognella.com.

Eligibility

  • You must be currently enrolled as an undergraduate student at an academic institution within the United States. Please use your university-issued email address when filling out your scholarship application to verify your student status. (If you attend an institution that does not provide you with a university-issued email address, please contact the scholarship team at scholarship@cognella.com to notify them prior to submitting an essay for consideration.)
  • You must live in and go to school in the United States of America. We are unable to accept international applications.
  • All essays must be previously unpublished and completely original works. Please do not use generative AI to create your essay. Essays determined to be created using generative AI will be disqualified.
  • Though there are multiple topics from which to choose, you may only submit one essay for consideration.
  • We understand that the sharing of personal stories (especially those that address difficult interactions or social issues) may also mean the sharing of language that some would deem inappropriate or offensive. We encourage you to share uncensored stories, but to remember that your essay should remain academic in nature. Use your best judgment, only use strong language in the context of personal storytelling, and please understand that the non-academic use of offensive language or content serves as grounds for immediate disqualification.
  • Essays that exceed the 1,500-word limit (excluding the title of your essay) will be disqualified.
  • Cognella employees and their immediate family members are not eligible for the program.

Essay Criteria

Personal essays should clearly, articulately, and intelligently describe why your selected topic—silence, speech, and self-censorship; college during conflict; or the emotional labor of being a student today—is important to you, as well as why it is an important topic in the context of higher education and/or society at large.

Consider the following questions as you write your essay:

  • What experiences have you had on campus related to the topic you selected? Describe a specific experience or interaction related to the issue (either positive or negative). How did you react to the experience? Why was it an important moment for you?
  • In relation to your selected topic, what do you feel needs to change, either in the higher education community or in society, so that humanity can progress and/or evolve? How might you inspire or effect this change?
  • How can others learn from your personal experiences and your unique perspective? How can your voice and your story have an impact?

While you may not be able to address all the above prompts in an 800 – 1,500-word essay, the more you can cover, the better! Essentially, we want to know why the topic is important to you on a personal level, what changes you’d like to see in higher education or society to support a better future for students like you, and how you’d recommend we, as a society, go about that change.

Essay Formatting

Please list your name, academic program/major, university name, word count (excluding your title), and topic area in the upper left-hand corner of your submission.

Center your title on the page and justify the proceeding text in your essay to the left. Please indent the first line of each paragraph and double-space between lines.

Use 12-point black type and limit your font choices to Aptos or Times New Roman.

Application Process

To submit an essay, fill out the form provided in the Submit an Essay section below by April 17, 2026. You may attach your essay to the form as a .doc, .docx, or .pdf file.

If you experience any technical difficulties or have any questions regarding the submission form or the required format or file type for your essay, please contact scholarship@cognella.com.

Evaluation

A panel of individuals will evaluate each essay in accordance with the essay criteria. This panel will also score each essay according to punctuation and spelling, writing style and voice, the clarity and persuasiveness of your message, and creativity. The panel will include members of the Cognella Editorial Team.

Award Details

One winning essay will be selected per topic: silence, speech, and self-censorship; college during conflict; and the emotional labor of being a student today. Accordingly, three undergraduate students will win academic scholarships from Cognella in Spring 2026.

Winners will be notified the week of May 11, 2026, via email. Delivery of the monetary reward (in the form of a check from Cognella, Inc.) will be arranged at that time.

Winners will be announced publicly via the Cognella website and the company’s social media accounts the week of May 18, 2026. When you submit an essay to Cognella, you give us permission to post your essay publicly, along with your name, university, field of study, and a photo of you (requested after notification of being selected as a winner in the program). No further information about you will be used or posted in any way.

Please note, all Cognella academic scholarships are of a taxable amount. If you win a Cognella scholarship, you’ll receive a 1099 Form that you can use to report this amount on your personal taxes for the 2026 calendar year. If you have any questions about how this amount may impact your personal tax filing, please consult an accountant or tax expert for advice.

Submit an Essay

Questions

If you have any questions regarding the program or the application process, please contact the scholarship team at scholarship@cognella.com.

LEARN ABOUT THE PREVIOUS STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS!