Virginia Heinlein Memorial Scholarship
Scholarship Sponsored by Heinlein Society
Introduction
The Heinlein Society is accepting entries for its 15th annual scholarship essay competition for the 2026–2027 academic year. Five $4,000 scholarships will be granted to full-time undergraduates at accredited four-year institutions. Four awards are named (including the Robert A. Heinlein, Dr. Yoji Kondo, and Dr. Jerry Pournelle scholarships); a fifth, the Virginia Heinlein Memorial Scholarship, is reserved for a female student studying engineering, mathematics, or the physical or biological sciences. The other named awards and the additional (bonus) scholarship may be awarded to applicants of any gender. Scholarship recipients will be announced on July 7, 2026.
Important note: incoming first-year students are not eligible. Applicants must be entering their sophomore, junior, or senior year for 2026–2027.
Purpose and award
- Purpose: To provide financial support to five deserving full-time students enrolled at four-year colleges.
- Award: Five scholarships of $4,000 each, chosen by the Heinlein Society Scholarship Committee.
Eligibility
To qualify, applicants must meet all of the following:
- Be enrolled (or planning to enroll) as a full‑time undergraduate at an accredited institution that awards Bachelor of Science degrees for the 2026–2027 academic year, entering their sophomore, junior, or senior year.
- Be majoring in Engineering, Mathematics, or the Physical or Biological Sciences.
- Be a resident of any country (international applicants welcome).
- Not be incoming freshmen.
- Not already hold a bachelor’s degree in any field.
- Previous entrants, including prior winners, may reapply but must submit an essay on a different topic than any earlier submission.
Application requirements
Submit a single PDF that includes:
1. A completed application form (the form incorporates the items below).
2. A short statement describing your career goals and a brief biographical/background summary.
3. A 500–1,000 word essay responding to one of the prompts listed below.
Essay prompts (choose one)
A. How has Robert Heinlein influenced your career path? Cite specific Heinlein works that helped spark your interest in science or technology.
B. Social media and pervasive devices now enable tracking of movements and private conversations and encourage clustering into isolated “tribes.” Identify Heinlein stories that anticipated these trends and discuss how they relate to today’s metadata-driven society.
C. Heinlein wrote that “The Age of Science has not yet opened.” Assess that claim in relation to your technical field. Do you believe this “golden age” will occur within your lifetime?
D. Heinlein foresaw or inspired many commonplace items (for example, waterbeds or cellphones). Using specific passages, explain how elements from his fiction have manifested in the modern world.
E. Heinlein’s portrayals of women have been criticized by some. Is that criticism justified, or does it mostly reflect changes in societal expectations over the last seventy years? Analyze his depiction of female characters using examples from at least two different novels.
F. Heinlein said, “Specialization is for insects.” While specialists are vital, many breakthroughs arise from interdisciplinary collaboration. Describe how knowledge of other fields could benefit you in your chosen discipline.
Deadline and submission
- Application deadline: 11:59 p.m. PDT on April 1, 2026. Submissions received after this time will not be considered.
- Send the completed application PDF to: scholarships@heinleinsociety.org
Questions
If you have questions about the application or eligibility, email scholarships@heinleinsociety.org.