National Cyber Scholar with Honors
Students who earn the GIAC Foundational Cybersecurity Technologies (GFACT) certification through the National Cyber Scholarship Foundation (NCSF) Cyber Foundations Academy by September 15 2023 will be awarded the title “Scholar with Honors”, and may be offered the chance to apply for further scholarships to cover additional SANS training courses and certifications, and for specially selected internship opportunities.
This title can also be given to participants who have passed the GFACT certification in a previous year, and have met the conditions to be named a National Cyber Scholar again in 2023.
Eligibility criteria:
To be awarded the title of Scholar with Honors, students must:
Complete and pass the GFACT exam by September 15, 2023 and obtain one of the highest 500 scores within the National Cyber Scholar cohort (scores will be reviewed as a gathered field after the deadline)
Students who are awarded the title of National Cyber Scholar in 2023, but have completed the GFACT certification prior to Summer 2023, will also be considered for this award - they may be required to submit evidence of their GFACT exam score to support@nationalcyberscholarship.org (some scholarship awards can only be won once - if you have received the Alan Paller Honor Scholarship in a previous year you cannot win this again).
Partner scholarships
A number of additional scholarship awards and prizes may be available to CyberStart America or Cyber FastTrack program participants who meet eligibility criteria specified by the partner organization.
Details of these additional opportunities, and their eligibility requirements, will be published here throughout the year. More scholarships and awards may be listed here at any time up until the training programs close in April.
Students will automatically be considered for any award for which they meet the eligibility criteria when they submit a scholarship application, subject to providing consent for their personal information to be shared with the organization offering the award.
Partner prizes may be awarded to an individual in addition to the standard NCSF awards listed above.
CSA Georgia State Task Force (led by The University of North Georgia)
Cash Prizes Exclusively for Georgia Students & Schools
Statewide Superstars
Recognizing Georgia's top students and schools in the CyberStart America program (CSA).
Cyber Explorers (10)
The top 10 Georgia students new to CSA with the highest point score by the CSA closing date (April 4, 2023) each receive a $500 cash prize.**
Cyber Advancers (10)
The top 10 Georgia students returning to CSA with the highest point score by the CSA closing date (April 4, 2023) each receive a $500 cash prize.**
Cyber Talent School (1)
The Georgia school with the highest cumulative point score in Georgia among their registered CSA participants will receive $2500.
Cyber Breakout School (1)
The Georgia public school with the highest number of CSA participants* that does not have an existing cyber pathway will receive $2500.
Cyber Progress School (1)
The Georgia school with the highest increase in National Cyber Scholarship Semifinalist qualifiers from 2022 to 2023 will receive $2500.
Eligibility for these awards
These prizes will be awarded to the top players/schools in each category listed above, who register for CyberStart America 2022-23 and who meet the following criteria:
Resident and educated in the state of Georgia (as stated on their CSA registration form).
Beyond these 20 players and 3 schools, there will be additional prizes available through Georgia’s “Districts of Distinction” initiative - more information can be found at the link below.
Completed and submitted the NCSF Scholarship Application Form by the deadline of April 20 2023 (including school enrolment verification and parental consent, where required).
For the purposes of awarding school and district awards, a "participant" is an eligible student who has registered for the CyberStart America program in 2022-23, and completed at least one challenge in CyberStart.
A school can only win one Georgia-specific prize per year across all categories. An individual student can only win one single Georgia-specific prize per year across all categories, and cannot win a Georgia-specific prize two years in a row – they may be eligible for additional awards via the National Cyber Scholarship Foundation.
More information on the Georgia prize initiatives can be found here: ung.edu/cyber-operations/cyberstart-georgia
CSA Virginia State Task Force (led by CodeVA)
Cash Prizes Exclusively for Virginia Students & Schools
TIER 1: STATEWIDE SUPERSTARS
Recognizing Virginia’s top students and schools in the CyberStart America program (CSA).
CYBER DEFENDERS
The top 20 individual participants in the CyberStart America Virginia game with the highest point total by the CSA closing date of April 4, 2023 each receive a $500 cash prize!
Participants in this category may attend any school in Virginia (public, private or home-school).
CYBER TALENT SCHOOLS
The Virginia public school with the highest cumulative point score in Virginia among their registered CSA participants will receive a top prize of $5000; the public school with the second highest cumulative point score in Virginia will receive $2500, and the public school with the third highest cumulative point score in Virginia will receive $1,000.
CYBER ACHIEVEMENT SCHOOL
The Virginia public school with the highest number of National Cyber Scholarship semifinalist qualifiers by the CSA closing date (April 4, 2023) receives a top prize of $5000.
TIER 2:REGIONAL SUPERSTARS
Recognizing Virginia’s public school regions that are encouraging the greatest participation in CyberStart America.
REGIONAL CYBER DEFENDERS
The 5 students in each Region with the highest point score by the CSA closing date (April 4, 2023) each receive $500. That’s $2,500 per region going to their top student participants!
CYBER OPPORTUNITY SCHOOLS
Within each region, the public school with the highest percentage of its total student body participating in CyberStart America (CSA) will receive $2,500.
Eligibility for these awards
These prizes will be awarded to the top players/schools in each category listed above, who register for CyberStart America 2022-23 and who meet the following criteria:
Resident and educated in the state of Virginia (as stated on their CSA registration form).
Completed and submitted the NCSF Scholarship Application Form by the deadline of April 20 2023 (including school enrolment verification and parental consent, where required).
For the purposes of awarding school and district awards, a "participant" is an eligible student who has registered for the CyberStart America program in 2022-23, and completed at least one challenge in CyberStart.
A school can only win one Virginia-specific prize per year across all categories. An individual student can only win one single Virginia-specific prize per year across all categories – they may be eligible for additional awards via the National Cyber Scholarship Foundation.
More information on the Virginia prize initiatives can be found here: www.cyberstartva.org/awards-and-recognition
CSA Florida State Task Force (led by NortheastFloridaRegional STEM2 Hub, Inc.)
Cash Prizes Exclusively for Florida Students & Schools
The Florida CSA Task Force will be providing awards to recognize some of Florida’s top students in the CyberStart America program (CSA).
The top 10 highest-scoring students who attend a school in one the following Florida public school districts will each be awarded a $250 prize: Baker, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns.
Eligibility for these awards
These prizes will be awarded to the top players/schools in each category listed above, who register for CyberStart America 2022-23 and who meet the following criteria:
Resident and educated in the state of Florida (as stated on their CSA registration form).
Completed and submitted the NCSF Scholarship Application Form by the deadline of April 20 2023 (including school enrolment verification and parental consent, where required).
