It’s time to honor Iowa’s outstanding high school seniors! The Iowa Department of Education is now accepting nominations for the 2026 U.S. Presidential Scholars program, one of the highest honors a student can achieve. Nominations will be accepted through Jan. 27.
Educators, parents, community members and other interested partners are invited to submit a nomination for students who demonstrate outstanding academic achievements or excellence within career and technical education (CTE). For the first time, nominations for exceptional student achievement in the arts will also be accepted.
Nominations for students who exhibit outstanding scholarship and leadership accomplishments but may not receive recognition through other nominating processes, such as SAT and ACT scores, are highly encouraged.
Nominations will be reviewed for the following categories:
- Academic achievements
- School and community involvement
- Leadership and character
- Overcoming personal obstacles, heavy workload and family responsibilities
For CTE students, nominations will also be reviewed for high achievements in CTE, such as completion of a work-based learning experience, involvement in a career and technical student organization, earning an industry-recognized credential and real-world application of skills, among others.
Nominations for students participating in the arts should include accomplishments in dance, media arts, music, theatre and/or visual arts.
Up to 30 students will be submitted to the U.S. Department of Education, which includes 10 male and 10 female students for the general component category, five students for the CTE category and five students for the arts category. Candidates for the 2026 U.S. Presidential Scholars program will be invited to submit additional information by the Commission on Presidential Scholars, a group appointed by the President to select and honor Presidential Scholars. Each student who is recognized as a 2026 U.S. Presidential Scholar will receive the Presidential Scholars Medallion.
The U.S. Presidential Scholars program recognizes up to 161 students around the country each year for outstanding accomplishments in academics, the arts and career and technical education. Last fall, Cedric Liu from Cedar Falls High School in Cedar Falls and Abigail Catherine Warning from Davis County High School in Bloomfield were named as Iowa’s 2025 U.S. Presidential Scholars.
Application forms and additional information on the general component, CTE and the arts nominations can be found on the Department’s U.S. Presidential Scholars webpage.
For further details on the U.S. Presidential Scholars program, visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website.