NEBRASKA SWCS SCHOLARSHIP
Annually the Nebraska SWCS Chapter and Nebraska Soil and Water Conservation Foundation awards a number of scholarships to students pursuing an education in a Natural Resources related field.
Funding for this year’s scholarships come from their Annual Meeting, the Tina Carlson Family, the David Langemeier Memorial Golf Tournament.
If interested in applying for this scholarship, the application can be found at https://nebraskaswcs.org/scholarship-application.html. Applications are due on October 31, 2026.
NASA TECH-RISE STUDENT CHALLENGE
NASA TechRise is a free NASA challenge for middle and high school students. It invites student teams to submit experimental ideas to fly on a commercial space-industry high-altitude balloon for suborbital flight.
The challenge includes information sessions for your organization upon request, free educational resources to foster classroom learning, and an exciting student virtual field trip in the fall. Sixty winning teams will also receive $1500 to build their experiment, a spot to test it on a NASA-sponsored flight, and technical support from NASA TechRise advisors. The challenge is a great way to get hands-on with a NASA project this school year, and we encourage teams of all skill levels to apply.
Entries due by November 2, 2026. More details at: https://www.futureengineers.org/nasatechrise
DIAMOND CLOVER
INDIVIDUAL AWARD
The Nebraska 4-H Diamond Clover program encourages 4-H members to engage in a variety of projects and activities that will help them acquire life skills necessary to lead successful lives as a competent, caring, and contributing citizen. The program consists of six levels. A form for each level is available and consists of a checklist of activities to choose from to complete during the 4-H year. Most members are already doing some of the activities. So why not earn some recognition?
4‑H youth may begin participation in the Diamond clover program at any time of the year. Participants submit a plan of the activities they want to complete and at the end of the 4‑H year, they report on their completed accomplishments. Participants will obtain a certificate of achievement at the end of the 4‑H year, and level 6 recipients will also receive a recognition pin.
More information and forms at https://4h.unl.edu/statewide-events-opportunities/awards-recognition/diamond-clover/
NEBRASKA 4-H GIVES BACK
INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP AWARD
The Nebraska 4‑H Gives Back program is an opportunity for a Nebraska 4‑H member or a team of 4‑H’ers to make a meaningful contribution to their community. This award recognizes the impact that 4‑H youth make in their communities and celebrates the spirit of service-learning, a pillar of the 4‑H experience.
To achieve the Nebraska 4‑H Gives Back honor, a 4‑H member or team must complete a major service-learning project that benefits his/her community. Each 4‑H member or team are responsible for the creation, coordination, and implementation of the project. The project must be of lasting value and large enough in size and/or scope to be worthy of Nebraska 4‑H Gives Back recognition. 4‑H members should plan on investing over 100 hours of service, and understand that it may take up to 24 months to complete this project. The project includes an initial proposal and final report that are both approved and reviewed in a two-step process. Proposals are developed and approved first by the local committee, and then by a State 4‑H Program Administrator prior to the start of the project. Upon completion of the service-learning project, a final report is created to be reviewed and approved by the local committee, and then by a State 4‑H Program Administrator.
Recipients will receive individual certificates of recognition once their project is completed, as well as, a $100 award to be received by the team or individual recipient. This can be used to celebrate their accomplishments or fund a future 4‑H project. Recipients and their projects will also be showcased by Nebraska 4‑H online. Recipients will also be recognized at the county Achievement Day. More information at https://4h.unl.edu/statewide-events-opportunities/awards-recognition/ne4h-gives-back/