About the Program
The Harvard Club of Minnesota, teamed with a cross-section of approximately 85 high schools around the state, awards the Harvard Prize Book Award to a junior at each school who demonstrates excellence in scholarship and high achievement in other non-academic areas, such as community service. The recipient is selected by the school itself; HCM and its members provide the prize books. This program illustrates the commitment that Harvard alumni share with Minnesota educators to prepare students for productive and fulfilling personal, professional and civic lives. Harvard Clubs around the world participate in the program, awarding prize books to students in 1900 schools world-wide.
The award has a significant impact on the recipient and his/her school. The Prize Book Committee recently interviewed twenty-one school-based award coordinators. All reported that the program is valuable. Sample responses:
It’s a definite honor for the school as well as for the students.
It is prestigious and helps to inspire the students.
It’s an honor our students truly appreciate.
Any award that recognizes the high academic potential of students is great.
Most students who are recipients are aware of the award and see it as an honor. We have a school-wide awards program where students are publicly (in front of all HS students and many parents) acknowledged for their accomplishments. High flying sophomores may even set their sights on receiving a book prize as a junior.
Recent recipients say:
Thank you for the award of The Harvard Book Prize and for recognizing me as one of the top Junior students. I look forward to reading the book and the poems in it. I will continue to work hard on my academics and continue to achieve. Once again thank you! Sincerely, Edison High School recipient
Thank you for allowing me the chance to receive the Harvard Prize Book Award. I appreciate it tremendously.
Sponsor a Prize Book!
Thanks to our members who have sponsored prize books over the years. Each year, there are opportunities for new sponsors to get involved. You may sponsor any number of schools. The cost is $45 per school. Once you sponsor a school, you will have first option to continue sponsorship the following year. Many schools welcome the sponsor to present the book at the school's awards ceremony. The prize book holds a commemorative bookplate recognizing the sponsor as well as the recipient.
Schools participating in the 2012 - 2013 program, and their current sponsors, are listed
here. Schools without individual sponsors are sponsored by the club as a whole.
If you see a school you’d like to sponsor, click
here.
To download form and pay by check, click
here .
Note: You do not need to be a member of the Harvard Club of Minnesota to sponsor a prize book.
For Participating Schools
If you represent a school and would like to participate in this program, please contact the Harvard Club of Minnesota at 612-871-2914 or admin@harvardmn.org.
Please note: While we hope that recipients of the Harvard Prize Book Award will consider the opportunities available at Harvard at both the undergraduate and graduate level, receipt of the award is unrelated to admissions to Harvard College. We are confident that those who receive the award will have successful college careers at any of the many excellent private and public institutions where they might choose to pursue higher education. Harvard is just one such option.
