Discover, Preserve, and Celebrate!
The Napa Landmarks Student Scholarship celebrates student voices and the places that matter most to them in Napa County. This program invites graduating students to share personal stories about a landmark that has shaped their life, perspective, or sense of belonging. What makes our county’s heritage special and why does it matters to your community? Submit an essay, poem, video, or narrated slideshow to qualify.
We can’t wait to see your creative and inspiring submissions. We offer $1000 scholarships to 15 students annually and have awarded $72,000 to aspiring scholars in our community since the beginning of the program in 2019. That’s 72 lives changed. Together, we are supporting the next generation of storytellers and community stewards. We look forward to hearing your voice and learning about how you see Napa through your own eyes.
Applications for 2026 will open soon! Read the 2025 Award Winners Here. See below for more information about the scholarship and selection process.
Application Details:
Step 1: Discover a Local Landmark That Speaks to You
- Think about a place in Napa County that inspires you, tells a story, or feels like the heart of your community. Your landmark does not need to be old or officially designated. It could be a building, a stone bridge, a beloved neighborhood, a park, a garden, or any site tied to a favorite memory or a special place to visit with your family, for example. Identify and describe the landmark.
Step 2: Share Its Story and Future
- Tell us why this landmark matters—both to you and to Napa County. What makes it irreplaceable? How does it connect to your community identity or history? What would you say, do, or create to ensure its legacy lives on through historic preservation or similar community efforts?
Step 3: Choose Your Format to Shine
You can express your vision in one of these ways. Submissions should be original, personally created work and not machine-generated or produced using artificial intelligence tools.
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- Written Essay: Write approximately 500 words capturing the landmark’s importance and its role in your community. This is not a formal college essay—we value honesty, creativity, and lived experience over polish or academic tone.
- Narrative Poem. Submit an original narrative poem that tells a story connected to a meaningful landmark in Napa County. Your poem might explore memory, place, identity, or change over time. Free verse or structured poetry is welcome. What matters most is clarity of voice and a strong sense of place.
- Creative Video or Slideshow: Film a video or narrated slideshow where you bring the landmark’s story to life—give a tour, interview others, or even act out a community rally. Be creative! Three to five minutes is a good length. See more instructions below on submitting video or other media.
Step 4: Submit your Entry
- Written Essay: Use the submittal box on the online form for your written essay. We suggest you write it in another program, save the file, and copy the text to the online form.
- Video or Other Media: See the instructions and use the link below to submit video or other media.
- If you prefer to send your essay or video via email or hard copy, submit the online application with your name and information, and label your essay or state your name in your video. Then email your entry to info@napacountylandmarks.org with the subject line “Landmarks Scholarship Application.” Or send your materials to Napa County Landmarks, PO Box 267, Napa, CA, 94559. Entries must be emailed or postmarked by March 17 to be eligible for review.
