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CHARACTER AWARD

An annual scholarship for high school seniors who exemplify character in Minnesota, Nebraska or Wisconsin.

Who you are matters. What you do matters.
Celebrating Students of Outstanding Character

The Youth Frontiers Character Award is a scholarship that recognizes a high school senior of outstanding character who are changing their schools for the better.

 

This student is nominated by one of their teachers and chosen by a committee from a truly incredible pool of student leaders.

 

At Left: Jaren Vogt, 2025 Minnesota Chuck Denny Character Award Winner, with Nicole Sullivan (YF President), Joe Cavanaugh (YF Founder & CEO) and Shawn Perez (nominator).

Previous character award winners

Jaren Vogt

Watertown-Mayer High School

From his leadership of Watertown Mayer’s Unified Sports Club to his everyday actions, Jaren embodied his commitment to ensuring that everyone had a positive school experience.
SEE HIS STORY

SELENA THOMPSON

Skutt Catholic

High School

Selena leads by example, reaching out to those who are lonely and exuding love and acceptance in all she does. Because of that, she does all that she can to be of help to everyone.
SEE HER STORY

Erik Moberg

New Richmond

High School

Erik received the Character Award for his deep empathy and quiet outreach to his classmates and fellow students. He genuinely wants to see everyone do well and succeed.
SEE HIS STORY

Nominate one of your students

We honor an outstanding student of character in each of our three major markets, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin. Once a year, we celebrate them at one of our major events in each state.
STUDENT QUALIFICATIONS
  • Be in 12th grade
  • Attended a Youth Frontiers retreat as a participant and/or small-group leader
  • Shows consistent character in their decision-making and interactions with others
  • Goes above and beyond to positively affect their school community
  • The nominating educator and the student selected for the award must be able to be filmed for our event video
  • Parents/guardians must give permission for the student to be included in a press release, event videos and other Youth Frontiers marketing materials
  • The student intends to continue their education after graduation
  • Final candidates will attend a live interview round before being selected as the recipient
MINNESOTA APPLICANTS
The 2026 Minnesota Character Award application will open soon. New information will be posted once it is available.
Nominations for the next Character Award will be open soon.
NEBRASKA APPLICANTS
Details around the Nebraska Character Award application, date and venue is currently TBD. New information will be posted once it is available.
Opening for nominations for the next Character Award in Nebraska is currently TBD.
WISCONSIN APPLICANTS
Details around the Wisconsin Character Award application, date and venue is currently TBD. New information will be posted once it is available.
Opening for nominations for the next Character Award in Wisconsin is currently TBD.

FAQ

Is there a minimum GPA requirement?

Nope! While we always appreciate a student who values their academic studies, this scholarship is meant to honor a student who exemplifies character regardless of extrinsic rewards or expectations. 

Can I nominate a Junior student?

Unfortunately, no. In years past, the Character Award was open to both juniors and seniors in high school, but it is now focused on recognizing only senior applicants.

What if I'm unsure if a student has participated in a YF retreat?

One requirement for a student to be eligible for the Character Award is that they have either attended a YF retreat in the past, or, have volunteered as a small-group leader on one.


If you’re unsure if the student has participated in a retreat, we encourage you to connect with the student you have in mind and ask them if they have either attended or volunteered on a Kindness Retreat, Courage Retreat, Respect Retreat, Wisdom Retreat or a Character Academy.



If the student is unsure, you are welcome to reach out to us to check at youthfrontiers.org/contact-us. Our staff will be able to see if Youth Frontiers has done a retreat at their school at the time that they would’ve attended.

How will I know if my student is a finalist for the award?

All submissions will be notified by email whether their student is under consideration or not for the award. We typically communicate with the nominator between 2-4 weeks after the submission form closes.

Where can I see who the past winners are?

You can check out each of the past Character Award winners’ stories since 2016 on Youth Frontiers’ YouTube page’s Character Award playlist.