Minnesota State Fair Scholarships

Scholarship Sponsored by Minnesota State Fair

Overview
The Minnesota State Fair supports the higher-education goals of young people from greater Minnesota. The Minnesota State Fair Scholarship program began in 1994 and, to date, has awarded more than $600,000. All awards are funded by gifts to the Minnesota State Fair Foundation.

Available Awards (2025–2026)
- Up to 22 scholarships of $1,000 each for young adults from greater Minnesota or for students enrolled in an agricultural program. These $1,000 awards may be used for any field of study.
- Two scholarships of $2,000 each for individuals of any age who are entering or advancing training in a skilled trade (examples: apprenticeship, technical school, vocational program in welding, lineman work, mechanics, plumbing, electrical work, etc.).

Important dates
- Applications for the 2026 scholarships will open in March 2026.
- Application deadline: July 15, 2026, by 4:30 p.m. (online submission only). Late entries will not be considered.
- Scholarship recipients will be notified by telephone no later than Aug. 9, 2026.
- Public announcement events:
- Friday, Aug. 28 — 4-H Beef Championship, Lee & Rose Warner Coliseum
- Monday, Sept. 7 — FFA Awards program, Compeer Arena
- Recipients must claim their award by Oct. 1, 2026.

Who is eligible
- Must be a resident of Minnesota.
- Must be attending or planning to attend a post-secondary institution, trade school, or approved training program during the current year. For the $1,000 awards, applicants should be entering a freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior year at a 4‑year university, community college, or technical college.
- Rural residency or current enrollment in an agricultural program is required (for example: living in St. Paul but enrolled in your school’s FFA program, or membership in 4‑H).
- Up to 22 awards will support students entering any field of study.
- The two $2,000 awards are open to applicants of any age who are beginning or furthering training in a skilled trade.
- Previous recipients of a Minnesota State Fair Scholarship are not eligible to apply again.

Application and document requirements
- Submit the online scholarship application by July 15, 2026 at 4:30 p.m. Applications received after the deadline will not be reviewed. Do not submit more than one application.
- Incomplete applications will be disqualified. Required attachments differ by award:
- For scholarships that allow any field of study (the $1,000 awards): include a transcript (official or unofficial). Transcripts must be uploaded through the online application.
- For the skilled-trade scholarships ($2,000 awards): include a letter of recommendation.
- Transcripts may be official or unofficial but must be attached through the application portal.
- If you have questions about the program or the application process, contact the Competition Department at 651-288-4417 or competition@mnstatefair.org.

Sample application questions
For the general scholarships (any field of study)
1. Describe your past participation in the Minnesota State Fair (which years, programs, awards).
2. What do you expect your involvement at the 2026 Minnesota State Fair to be?
3. Summarize your academic accomplishments (GPA, honors, etc.).
4. What leadership roles or activities have you taken on (organizations, offices held, projects led, athletics)?
5. What community service or volunteer work have you performed?
6. What are your future goals?

For the skilled-trade scholarships
1. Describe your past participation in the Minnesota State Fair (which years, programs, awards).
2. What do you expect your involvement at the 2026 Minnesota State Fair to be?
3. Why are you pursuing a career in the trades?
4. What community service or volunteer activities have you been involved with?
5. What are your future goals?

Selection process and judging
- A Minnesota State Fair representative will review all submissions initially to confirm minimum eligibility. Eligible applications will be forwarded to the scholarship committee.
- Committee members score each application according to the stated criteria; the average of the committee scores determines award recipients.
- A Minnesota State Fair representative on the committee will cast a vote only in order to break a tie.

Responsibilities of scholarship recipients and payment
- Recipients will be contacted by telephone by Aug. 9, 2026. Official announcements will follow at the events listed above.
- Awardees must send thank-you notes to donors as instructed and may be asked to meet donors or write additional donor-specific acknowledgements.
- To receive payment, recipients must provide a copy of a billing statement from their post-secondary school showing tuition has been paid. Paid tuition can include grants, scholarships, or direct payments; do not send transcripts or class schedules as proof.
- The Minnesota State Fair Competition Department will release funds after they receive both the billing statement showing tuition payment and the required thank-you correspondence. Scholarship checks will be issued to the recipient and mailed to the address provided on the application.
- Recipients must claim their scholarship by Oct. 1, 2026.

Contact
For questions about eligibility or the application process, call 651-288-4417 or email competition@mnstatefair.org.