<p>i'm a $1500 winner too! just checked my email. and it works out perfectly... i was $2,000 short from savings and fin aid this year, so this basically covers it. i love free money!</p>
<p>Good call Grace - daughter's e-mail was in our spam folder!! We couldn't figure out why she was on the list, but had not received an e-mail!!</p>
<p>I received a $1500 scholarship as well...very exciting!!</p>
<p>There were two other's awarded at the same store. My name was at the bottom of the state list. I think this represents the at-large recipients.</p>
<p>I found the link from last year's posts & had been checking it to see if it had been updated prior to receiving notification. Sorry, that's all the info I have concerning the link. Glad you checked your spam folder!!!</p>
<p>The link we had earlier seems to have been a temporary, working site. Google "Best Buy scholarship" and you'll get a polished site that has the $1,500 list (searchable by store number, state, and last name). It also has the separate $10,000 list. This one is more accurate. It contains my daughter's name and the other names I had identified as missing. I don't know how long they will keep it up.</p>
<p>Interestingly, we live within less than 10 miles of three Best Buy stores and two of those were the ones that are penciled in on my daughter's notes on applying so they must have been the ones she put on her application. Best Buy is listing her as winning for another store: the one two blocks from her school (which is further away than the other stores). She is the only winner listed from that store. There are two winners from each of the other stores, kids we know who live much further than we do from them (and who live closer to other Best Buy stores that also have two winners). I think they tried to get as many winners as possible.</p>
<p>You definitely should put the Best Buy scholarship down as one to apply for next year if you are service-oriented.</p>
<p>The rules seem to change every year but it is an easy one to apply for and there are lots of winners. This year there was no essay unless one was a Semifinalist who was invited to write one for the $10,000 prize (most SFs were not invited to do this and were only asked to verify their hours and grades). It is merit-based, not need-based.</p>
<p>They are trying to award two winners for each store, but there are at least a hundred stores that only have one winner, so there weren't a lot of applications in some areas. If you live near several Best Buys, they seem to move you around so that they can fill up as many slots as possible. You don't pick a store and go in for an application; you put your address in on the online application and the scholarship administrators assign you to a store.</p>
<p>They also have at least 100 scholarships in a pool for kids who don't live within 50 miles of a Best Buy store.</p>
<p>There were over 1500 winners, I think.</p>
<p>I'm glad your daughter received this. I was rooting for her on the $10,000 prize, and am sad about that one.</p>
<p>Stick with it. Applying for these awards is a roller coaster sometimes. We had a bad experience on the first one that taught us never to "count on" or hope too much as to any particular competition. </p>
<p>The contests that are still open for this school year seem to be getting longer and longer on the odds (and many require projects or long essays -- and, no matter how much the kids need the money, who has the time to do a good job n the applications in the middle of APs, IBs, exams, and the senior stuff?). There will be some new ones in September that may be easier. Just keep looking. </p>
<p>Good luck. I know the announcement was bittersweet for you two.</p>
<p>nice going, everyone</p>
<p>i got the $1500 one too! i'm excited :)</p>
<p>Does anyone know what we would have to do if we make finalist round? Do we need proof for thenumber of hours we volunteered/worked or activities? Recoommendations? Essays? Thanks!</p>