CHICAGO — The Elks National Foundation has opened the application process for the 2020 Most Valuable Student scholarship contest. The Most Valuable Student scholarship is available to high school seniors who are United States citizens.

Applicants do not need to be related to a member of the Elks. Males and females compete separately and are judged on scholarship, leadership and financial need.

The application is completed online and must be submitted by the November 5, deadline. The 500 national winners will be announced in April 2020, after the top 20 finalists participate in the Leadership Weekend in Chicago, April 23-26.

No dream is too big for the Elks National Foundation. This year, the ENF is investing $4.1 million in college scholarships for the nation’s future lawyers, doctors, engineers, innovators, and more.

“We’ve invested wisely,” said ENF, in a news release.

MVS scholars – all of whom demonstrate scholarship, leadership and financial need – are graduating from college at a rate of 90 percent, nearly 40 percent higher than the national average.

Through the contest, the ENF will award 20 top scholarships ranging from $20,000 to $50,000. The remaining 480 runners-up will receive $4,000 scholarships. Since the ENF began awarding scholarships in 1931, it has changed the lives of tens of thousands of students, like 2019 MVS top winner Tabitha Escalante.

“I cannot express how thankful I am for the endless support of the Elks as I take my next steps into the future,” said Tabitha, in a news release. “Having grown up in a city where most students weren’t expected to graduate high school, let alone attend college, this investment was beyond imaginable, and I’m so excited that it’s now a reality.”

Tabitha will attend Harvard University to major in government in the fall.

Applications for the 2020 contest are available on the Elks National Foundation’s website. For complete Most Valuable Student scholarship contest details, including the application link, visit elks.org/scholars or enf.elks.org/MVS.