Purpose: The “Books for the College Bound Scholarship” program, now in its 19th year, provides 5 one-year scholarships of $1500 each. Recipients will be five high school graduating seniors who meet the criteria below and will be attending an institution of higher learning the next year. The scholarship is intended to defray the cost of the recipients’ textbook purchases.  

Sponsor: Friends of the Hunterdon County Library  

Goal: The objective is to award five scholarships to students in public, private, or home schools.
Consideration will be given to geographic distribution among the five school/sending districts in Hunterdon County. The Scholarship Committee reserves the right to withhold scholarships at its discretion.  

Criteria: The community service-based scholarship will award students with a library connection. Potential recipients must meet one of the following criteria to be considered for an award:  

• Possess a library card from any library located in Hunterdon County.
• Do volunteer work at a Hunterdon County library or with the Friends of the Hunterdon County library.
• Be a library employee or a family member of a library employee or adult volunteer.
• Be nominated for the award by a Hunterdon County library employee, school or community librarian, or Friends of the Hunterdon County Library (FOHCL) member.

Self-nominations are accepted and encouraged as long as the applicant meets one of the above criteria.  
All submissions will be judged blind, and decisions will be based on adherence to the rules of the application and merit of the essays.  

Before funds are disbursed, each recipient must provide proof to the scholarship committee of acceptance to an institution of higher learning.  
Each recipient is requested to attend the late spring meeting (either virtual or in person) of the Friends of the Hunterdon County Library for a publicity photo. Recipients will be notified of the exact date and time in advance and will be asked to provide a photo and signed photo release.
 
Rules:  
All submissions will be through Google forms.    

Both essays must be answered completely and each must adhere to a 200 word limit. Essay questions will be posted February 5th, 2025

To access the rubric by which all essays will be judged, go to this document.

Applications must be received no later than Friday May 2, 2025. Recipients will be notified no later than May 19, 2025.