USA Scholarships
Partial Funding Pre-University the USA

No Sweat Scholarship 2026 - $2,500

Deadline
31 December 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific
81 days left
$2,500
One winner a quarter
Grades 8-12
Or homeschool
31 Dec 2026
11:59 p.m. Pacific
50 states + DC
Legal residents
How to apply Am I eligible? Official website
Hosted by Cirkled In Published

The No Sweat Scholarship is Cirkled In's $2,500 quarterly cash award for students in grades 8-12. You apply with a free student profile, not an essay, and there is no GPA or income cutoff. Legal residents of the 50 states and the District of Columbia who are 13 or older can enter. The quarter now open closes on 31 December 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time, and the winner is picked about five to six weeks later.

What is the No Sweat Scholarship?

The No Sweat Scholarship is the quarterly cash prize Cirkled In runs for middle and high school students. One person gets $2,500. You do not write an essay, and nobody asks for your GPA. The application is the student profile you already keep on cirkledin.com, frozen at 11:59 p.m. Pacific on the quarter's close.

Cirkled In is a student-profile company in Bellevue, Washington. The rules on the scholarship page spell out four entry periods each year, closing 31 March, 30 June, 30 September, and 31 December. The copy still on that page says the period that was open when the rules were written closed on 1 October 2026, with a selection date on or near 16 November 2026. That window is shut. Anything you submit now rolls into the quarter that closes 31 December 2026. Plan on a decision on or near 15 February 2027.

Judges are looking at the story in the profile and the points attached to it. Clubs, a job, a project, a sample of work: that is the file. A parent login cannot submit. If you win, you have 10 days to sign an affidavit and a publicity license, and you should expect a 1099. Win once in a calendar year and you are done until January. Miss this quarter and the next close is 31 March 2027, as long as you are still in grades 8-12.

Who can apply

Eligibility

Your progress 0 / 6
  • ✓
    No Sweat Scholarship age rule
    You must be 13 or older on the day you apply. The official rules limit the program to legal residents of the 50 states and the District of Columbia who are enrolled in an accredited school or approved for homeschooling. The scholarship page narrows that to grades 8-12, or the homeschool equivalent. A college student is outside this award.
  • ✓
    Legal U.S. resident
    Citizenship is not the test. The rules say legal resident of the fifty states or the District of Columbia. A student living abroad, including an international student who is not a U.S. legal resident, cannot enter. The award is void where prohibited.
  • ✓
    Student account, not a parent account
    Only student accounts can apply. If a parent created the login, Cirkled In says to contact them and switch the account before you hit apply. A parent cannot submit in your place.
  • ✓
    Not tied to the sponsor
    Employees, officers, directors, and agents of Cirkled In and related companies are out. So are their immediate family (spouse, parents, siblings, and children) and anyone living at the same address.
  • ✓
    One entry per quarter, one win a year
    You may submit one application per entry period. You can enter again next quarter, and profile updates carry over. One person can win only once in a calendar year, 1 January through 31 December.
  • ✓
    Profile the judges can read
    Selection uses your Cirkled In profile and the points on that profile. The About Me section (name and contact information) has to be filled in. Activities, achievements, and work samples are optional, and they are what the panel actually reads. Obscene, pornographic, libelous, or otherwise objectionable content is disqualified. The material has to be your own.
What you get

Benefits

  • No Sweat Scholarship cash prize $2,500
  • How it is paid Cashier's check or in person
  • Essay or application fee Not required
  • Tuition paid to your school Not how this prize works
  • Taxes Winner's responsibility, 1099 issued
What to prepare

Document checklist

Documents gathered 0 / 6
  • ✓
    Free Cirkled In student profile
    Create the profile at cirkledin.com. The application is the profile as it stands when the quarter closes. You can keep editing until 11:59 p.m. Pacific on the close date.
  • ✓
    About Me section
    Name and contact information are required. The rules treat a profile without About Me as incomplete.
  • ✓
    Activities, achievements, and samples
    Optional at the moment you click apply, and useful before the deadline. Clubs, work, service, projects, and awards are the story the judges score. No essay prompt is required.
  • ✓
    One application for that quarter
    Limit is one application per person per entry period. A second submission in the same quarter does not create a second chance.
  • ✓
    Affidavit and publicity license, if you win
    Winners, or a parent or guardian if the winner is under 18, must return an Affidavit of Eligibility and a Publicity/Media License Agreement within 10 days of the email notice. Miss the window and the next-highest profile can be named instead.
  • ✓
    Identity check and IRS W-9, if you win
    Cirkled In verifies eligibility and can require tax forms, including a W-9. The prize is reported on a 1099. Taxes are the winner's responsibility. If the check of documents fails, the prize is forfeited.
Step by step

How to apply

  1. 1

    Open a student account

    Go to cirkledin.com and create a student profile. Parent accounts cannot apply. If you already have a parent login, ask Cirkled In to switch it before the deadline.

  2. 2

    Finish About Me

    Put your name and contact information in About Me. That section is the minimum the rules call a complete application.

  3. 3

    Add the story you want scored

    Activities, achievements, and samples are optional and they are the file the panel reads. Update them any time before 11:59 p.m. Pacific on the quarter close. The profile at that moment is the application.

  4. 4

    Click Apply Now once

    Submit from the scholarship page. One application per quarter. Applying is free, and the rules say no purchase is necessary.

  5. 5

    Wait for the selection date

    A panel picks one winner about five to six weeks after the close, based on the profile story and points earned. For a 31 December close, that lands on or near 15 February. Notice goes out by email.

  6. 6

    Return the winner packet in 10 days

    If you are selected, send the affidavit, publicity license, identity proof, and any W-9 they request within 10 days. After the prize is awarded, 1,000 points come off your profile.

When

Deadline and timeline

Application deadline
31 December 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific
81 days left
1 Oct 2026
The fall quarter is the open window. The prior entry period on the rules page closed 1 October 2026, with selection for that period on or near 16 November 2026.
31 Dec 2026
Fall quarter closes at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. Your profile at that minute is the application.
Around 15 Feb 2027
Selection date for a 31 December close. The panel picks one winner. Email notice follows, then a 10-day document deadline.
31 Mar 2027
Next quarterly close, if you did not win and you are still in grades 8-12. Later closes fall on 30 June and 30 September.
Questions

FAQ

What is the No Sweat Scholarship?

It is Cirkled In's quarterly $2,500 cash scholarship for U.S. students in grades 8-12. You enter with a student profile. One winner is chosen each quarter. The sponsor is Cirkled In, based in Bellevue, Washington. Questions can go to [email protected].

Is the No Sweat Scholarship really no essay?

Yes. The official rules say no essay or written response to a prompt is required. Judges read the story already in your Cirkled In profile, plus points you have earned. A blank profile with only a name is a legal entry, and a thin one.

Does the No Sweat Scholarship require a GPA?

No. The scholarship page says there is no grade cutoff and no income requirement. Age, grade level, and legal U.S. residency are the gates. Selection is the profile and points, not a transcript minimum.

When is the No Sweat Scholarship deadline?

Quarters close at 11:59 p.m. Pacific on 31 March, 30 June, 30 September, and 31 December. The next close is 31 December 2026. Winners are named about five to six weeks later, on or near 15 May, 15 August, 15 November, or 15 February, depending on the quarter.

How much is the No Sweat Scholarship?

One winner receives $2,500. It is a cash scholarship, handed over in person or mailed as a cashier's check. It is not paid to your school. You owe the taxes, and Cirkled In issues a 1099. The prize cannot be transferred.

Can you apply for the No Sweat Scholarship more than once?

Yes. You can apply every quarter, and reapplying does not hurt you. You can win only once in a calendar year. Employees of Cirkled In, their immediate family, and anyone at the same address cannot enter.

Can international students win the No Sweat Scholarship?

Only if they are legal residents of the 50 states or the District of Columbia and meet the age and school rules. The rules do not open the award to students who live outside the United States. Citizenship by itself is not what they ask for. Legal residence is.

Who picks the No Sweat Scholarship winner?

A panel of judges picks one eligible profile about five to six weeks after the quarter closes. They look at your story and your points. Cirkled In can award nobody if the pool is too thin. The decision is final. If a winner fails the affidavit or the identity check, the next-highest profile can be named.

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Always verify scholarship details on the official source before applying. Information on this page may change.

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