Will You Win the Next Brownells/NRA Outstanding Achievement Youth Award?

Which one of you junior shooters out there could use an extra $5,000? Three exceptional kids will win a total of $10,000 this year and you want to be one of them, right?

Alright, how? Through theBrownells/N RA Outstanding Achievement Youth Award, which recognizes juniors and young adults who take an active part in the shooting sports through individual participation and educational pursuits.

You don’t need to make it in the X-ring every time to qualify. The requirements are entirely reachable and will help you gain a greater appreciation for all the opportunities out in the shooting sports world.

There are a lot of different ways to be eligible for the award and they’re all listed below. After you’ve met the requirements, you’ll be eligible for the national contest and will receive an official NRA Youth Award Certificate and Medal recognizing your accomplishment. Out of this year’s contestants, the most outstanding youth will receive $5,000! Second and third places will receive $3,000 and $2,000 each.

So what do you have to do?

First, be under 21 or reach that age this year.

Second, complete the award’s six Core Requirements:

Eligible through the year of your 21st birthday.
Attend and complete one NRA Basic Firearm Training Course.
Participate in the Winchester/NRA Marksmanship Qualification Program by earning a rating in one discipline.
Attach an essay of no more than 1,000 words; the subject of the essay is “What the Shooting Sports has Taught Me,” describing why you began to participate in the shooting sports, the lessons learned and how you use these lessons in your everyday life.
Three letters of reference, including one from your coach, and one from a teacher.
A copy of your current school transcript.

Third, you must select five out of 19 Elective Requirements:

Earn an NRA Classification Card by competing in an NRA-sanctioned competitive shooting event.
Present the Eddie Eagle GunSafe® Program to a group of elementary school-age children between pre-Kindergarten and third grade.
Attend and complete an additional NRA Basic Firearm Training Course.
Earn an additional rating in the NRA Marksmanship Qualification Program.
Compete in an NRA-sanctioned Sectional, Regional, or State Championship.
Participate in an NRA Postal Match.
Attend or volunteer at an NRA Shooting Sports Camp.
Attend or volunteer at a Friends of NRA event.
Attend the NRA Annual Meeting.
Attend an NRA Youth Hunter Education Challenge event.
Enter a submission for the NRA Youth Wildlife Art Contest.
Be a current member of a local shooting club or team.
Participate in a summer camp shooting program.
Assist in a wildlife conservation, ECHO, or Hunters for the Hungry program.
Complete a state-sponsored hunter education course.
Participate in a shooting or hunting clinic.
Participate or serve as a volunteer at an NRA national shooting sports event.
Participate in a Boy Scout, Venturing, Law Enforcement Explorer, 4-H, FFA, DeMolay, American Legion, Jaycee, JROTC, or other recognized youth shooting program.
Visit the National Firearms Museum or another museum which features firearm displays.

An application form can be found here. The deadline to enter is May 1 of each year. You still have a few months but it’s best to get started early. These events can take a while and there’s a lot to do.

If you have any questions, contact the NRA Youth Programs Department at (703) 267-1505 or emailoayaprogram@nrahq.org.

NRAblog

NRAblog covers the 178 programs of the National Rifle Association. Whether it's the Youth Hunter Education Challenge, Women On Target, Hunters Rights, our National Competitions or a look at one of the thousands of guns in the National Firearms Museum, NRAblog is there to provide you an inside look to how it all happens at the NRA.