Bet ya didn’t know that you could win scholarship cash for your “common knowledge,” but that’s exactly what the Common Knowledge Scholarship Fund is about. This scholarship sponsor awards students scholarships of all sizes on a wide variety of topics, including this article’s scholarship of choice: The FBI Common Knowledge Challenge.

This scholarship is used to promote student’s awareness and understand of the “inner workings” of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Whether you are interested in a career in the FBI or just know a lot about it from watching too many movies, it may be worth your time to apply your knowledge for a chance to win this scholarship.

The FBI Common Knowledge Challenge is open to students in both high school and college and the deadline for submission is in the 3rd week of October.

To prepare for the quiz simply visit the FBI’s website, to study and learn more about the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The more time you spend researching, the higher you’ll score on the quiz and the better your chances of winning the scholarship.

For each correct question students receive 500 points. Test results can be viewed immediately at the Common Knowledge Scholarship Foundation website.

The award is $250.

The Collegiate Inventors Competition has been awarding students for their creative ideas and designs since 1990. Each year different sponsors come together to support the explorations of students in the sciences and to contribute to the grand prize of $25,000. For 2007 the Abbott Fund and the United States Patent and Trademark Office are sponsoring the Collegiate Inventors Competition.

According to the website, “The Competition promotes exploration in invention, science, engineering, technology, and other creative endeavors and provides a window on the future technologies from which society will benefit in the future.”

Still interested in learning more?

There is one grand prize winner of $25,000 and one undergraduate and one graduate each receive a $15,000 award. In addition, advisors who help the students participate are eligible for awards ranging from $5,000 to $15,000!

To be eligible students must have been enrolled in a college in the United States or Canada for at least one year. Teams can participate, however, eligiblity rules vary, so be sure to check out the website..

The deadline for this years competition is June 15. But don’t forget, that this is an annual award, which means that if you miss the deadline this year you can simply get an early start on your invention and enter next year. Happy inventing!

The National Beef Ambassador Program gives students interested in the beef and cattle industry an opportunity to express their interest and to demonstrate their respective knowledge about the beef production industry. The program is sponsored by America’s Beef Producers through the Cattleman’s Beef Board and managed by American National CattleWomen, Inc.

According to the website, the overall goal of the program is to, “Utilize the National Beef Ambassadors to provide information about beef’s nutrition, safety and convenience to consumers.” Throughout the course of the program, selected candidates are given the opportunity to become spokespersons–ambassadors–for the beef and cattle industry. This is a great opportunity for students who are interested in further developing their public speaking and presentation skills in addition to furthering their knowledge on the cattle industry.

Cash awards are available and range from $250 to $2,500 for the top four qualifying candidates. To receive the awards students must fulfill the obligations outlined in the National Beef Ambassador Program brochure, which can be viewed on the organization’s website. Some of these requirements include: