Lone Peak High School seniors face a deadline of 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 21, to submit online applications for the Sterling Scholar program, according to a September 16 report. Candidate interviews are scheduled to take place from Thursday, Oct. 22, through Friday, Oct. 30.
The Sterling Scholar program was launched in 1962 by the Deseret News and KSL Television to recognize seniors statewide for scholarship, leadership, and citizenship. Each high school is permitted to nominate one student per category across 14 fields, such as math, science, English, dance, visual arts, and world languages.
Applicants are required to build a portfolio that includes a life-enrichment essay, a 500-word essay on a chosen category, leadership and community-service records, and a letter of recommendation. Lone Peak High School counselor Jolynn Wright has encouraged students to embrace difficult challenges to prepare for life after high school.
Regional category winners may receive significant tuition assistance. Based on the 2024-25 award schedule, potential benefits include a renewable $5,000 annual scholarship from the University of Utah worth approximately $20,000 over four years, one year of full LDS tuition from BYU, $4,000 per year for four years from Utah Valley University, and a one-year $2,000 scholarship from Weber State. These figures have not been updated for the 2026-27 cycle.
Lone Peak has previously been represented in the program; Deseret News reported that senior Isabelle Brucker reached the finals in the dance category.
Interested seniors must connect with their counselors before the Oct. 21 deadline, as the school selects nominees internally. Applications are submitted online via a link on the Lone Peak High School announcement page.
