Applications are available at legion.org/scouting.
Nominations are now being accepted for the American Legion Eagle Scout of the Year for 2020. Application is online at legion.org/scholarships.
American Legion department headquarters must receive all applications by Sunday, March 1. Applicants with questions can contact their respective departments. Contact information is available at legion.org/departments.
To be eligible for the award, applicants must be a registered and active member of a Boy Scout troop, Varsity Scout Team or Venturing Crew attached to an American Legion post, Auxiliary unit or Sons of The American Legion squadron. Or must be a member of a chartered Boy Scout troop, Varsity Scout Team or Venturing Crew and the son or daughter of an active Legionnaire, Auxiliary or Sons member. Additional criteria includes that the applicant must be an Eagle Scout; have received the appropriate Boy Scout religious emblem; have demonstrated practical citizenship in church, school, Scouting and community; and reached the age of 15 and enrolled in high school at time of selection.
Department headquarters will submit their nominations by April 1 to National Headquarters. The National Americanism Commission’s Youth Activities Subcommittee will review all department nominations and select The American Legion Eagle Scout of the Year winner during the Legion’s annual Spring Meetings in May.
The Eagle Scout of the Year will receive a $10,000 scholarship. Three runners-up will each receive $2,500.
2019 runner-up Trevor Burke, who is a freshman at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, wrote a letter to The American Legion sharing his gratitude.
"Thank you so much for this scholarship," Burke wrote. "I really appreciate it and am continually mindful of your trust and confidence in me. With it, I am able to eagerly pursue my studies as an engineer and explore many different and exciting organizations on campus."
The Eagle Scout of the Year will join other American Legion youth champions at the 102nd American Legion national convention in Louisville, Ky., in late August.
- Scouting