In case you missed it... NGPF has officially launched the 2021 Payback Challenge with $75,000 of scholarship funding for high school students! Check out the one-minute video below that quickly summarizes the steps:

Note: The deadline is 11:59PM local time on November 19th, 2021

HOW TO ENTER:

STEP 1: Teachers Complete Registration Form

• Once you've filled out the 2021 PAYBACK Challenge Registration Form, you will receive the 2021 Submission Template for your students as well as detailed next steps via email.

STEP 2: Have Your Students Play PAYBACK in class or at home

• Short on laptops in your classroom? PAYBACK is now mobile-friendly!
• PAYBACK can also be played in Spanish

STEP 3: Students Write a 250-Word Essay OR Create a 2-Minute Video

• A prompt for the essay/video will be included in the 2021 Submission Template that you will receive via email

STEP 4: Teacher Collects Student Responses & Nominates ONE Student Entry

• One Teacher = One submission
• If you have more than one great essay, you can have any other teacher in your school submit on your student's behalf
• You will receive an email with instructions on how and where to send in nominations AFTER you register (see STEP 1)

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Scholarships:

$75,000 in cash prizes available! Winners will be announced in December 2021. The following awards will be provided:

National Grand Prize: 2 winners at $2,500 each. All entries eligible. 

Honorable Mention: 45 winners at $1,000 each. Remaining entries eligible. 

FEE Grant Districts: 25 winners at $1,000 each (5 per district). FEE Grant districts eligible. See below for more details! 

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FEE Grant Recipients:

As part of NGPF’s commitment to equity, all school districts that have been awarded a Financial Equity & Empowerment (FEE) Grant will be included in a pool of applicants from their same district for 5 chances to win $1,000 Honorable Mention grants. These will only open after ALL applicants have been considered for the National Grand Prize Awards first. 

NOTE: Teachers in FEE Grant districts must have a verified NGPF Teacher Account to be eligible. 

FEE Grant Districts are: 

• Denver Public Schools (CO)
• Miami-Dade County Public Schools (FL)
• Prince George's County Public Schools (MD)
• Clark County School District (NV)
• Milwaukee School District (WI)

About the Author

Yanely Espinal

Born and raised by Dominican, immigrant parents in Brooklyn, Yanely is a proud product of NYC public schools. She graduated from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School in 2007 before going on to receive her bachelor's degree at Brown University in 2011. As a Teach For America corps member, Yanely taught third and fourth grade in Canarsie, Brooklyn. She received her master's degree from Relay Graduate School of Education in 2013. She spends her spare time making YouTube videos about personal finance on her channel, MissBeHelpful. Yanely also loves to dance, sew, paint, listen to podcasts, and babysit her 10 nieces and nephews!

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