In its 32nd year, The Gazette Charities Foundation’s Best & Brightest scholarship has become a well-known competitive challenge for graduating high school seniors in El Paso and Teller counties.

Not only is being selected as one of the

20 winners an accomplishment to list on resumes, the award has become a signal that recipients are on their way to great things.

The annual competition draws “the best of the best,” said Deb Mahan, executive director of Gazette Charities Foundation, a philanthropic organization born out of The Gazette newspaper.

Over the years, Best & Brightest awardees have gone on to become local, state and national leaders in politics and other government roles, as well as successful key figures in business and industry, and nonprofit work, she said.

Coming out of the pandemic, this year’s applicants will need to show academic excellence, public service in their communities and resilience.

“We’re looking for kids who have exhibited that spirit of resilience, given what the last few years have handed them, and their ability to move on and do great things in our community,” Mahan said.

The 20 graduating high school seniors will be awarded $500 each, along with a personal profile in The Gazette and a celebratory banquet for families on May 23 at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum.

The application period is open, and the deadline to apply is March 17. Applications are available online at https://gazettecharities.org/ best-brightest.

Students who apply must attend a public or private school in El Paso or Teller counties.

Applicants will provide basic information, include one letter of recommendation and write an essay answering three questions about their community service efforts, a defining moment or lesson in adversity and their vision for the future.

Applications and supporting documents requested must be mailed or delivered to The Gazette, and instructions on how to do so are on The Gazette Charities Foundation website, gazettecharities.org.

“We really want to encourage families, community members, teachers, counselors, principals, coaches and others who know a stand-out kid to encourage them to apply,” Mahan said.

A selection committee of key community leaders will select the recipients.

“It’s current leaders choosing the next generation of leaders,” Mahan said.

Winners will be announced in The Gazette on April 23.

This year’s award is sponsored by The Gazette Charities Foundation and the ARDI Foundation, which, in support of academic excellence, provides endowed academic chairs at the Air Force Academy.

For more information, contact Giuliana D’Agostino at giuliana.dagostino@gazette.com or 719-476-4840.