Student Scholarship Essay Contest
The ASCE San Jose Branch holds an essay contest every year for college students attending schools in the counties of Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Benito, and Monterey. Over the last 30 years, the San Jose Branch has awarded over $100,000 in scholarships thanks to the contributions of our generous members and corporate donors.
If you are interested in donating to our scholarship program or sponsoring our awards banquet, please visit one of the links below.
Links will be updated in early September.
2025 Essay Contest
The San Jose Branch is excited to hold the 38th Annual Student Scholarship Essay Contest (SSEC) for aspiring civil engineers or individuals in related fields. The competition aims to foster creativity, fresh perspectives, and a commitment to the field. Recognizing that grades don’t define potential, we invite applicants to submit an essay that addresses one of the thought-provoking prompts.
Scholarship prizes have ranged from $500 to $5,000 for award winners. Last year, more than $18,000 was awarded to 12 students. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to share and be recognized for your ideas!
Program Schedule
September 2, 2025 – Application Opens
October 24, 2025 – Application and Essays Due
November 13, 2025 – Awards Banquet*
* Admission to this event is free for Student Scholarship Essay Contest applicants. Applicants will receive a coupon code via email after submission and eligibility verification.
Links will go live in early September.
Eligibility
Students must meet the following criteria to enter the essay contest:
- Student must be currently enrolled with part-time or full-time status at a college or university in one of the following counties: Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Benito, or Monterrey.
- Student must be declared or have the intent to declare in Civil Engineering or a related major. Coursework as shown on the student’s resume must reflect this criteria.
- Student must be a registered ASCE student member in good standing at the time of application and award. Students can join ASCE for free here.
- Student must physically attend the Student Essay Awards Banquet to win.
Essay Prompts
Select one (1) of the following prompts below:
Prompt 1: Analyzing America’s Infrastructure using ASCE’s 2025 Report Card Methodologies and Findings
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) releases a comprehensive Infrastructure Report Card every four years, grading various categories of U.S. infrastructure such as roads, bridges, water systems, energy, and more. In their 2025 edition, ASCE evaluates infrastructure based on specific criteria: capacity, condition, funding, future need, operation & maintenance, public safety, resilience, and innovation.
Write a 1-2 page essay that critically analyzes how ASCE develops the Infrastructure Report Card, focusing on the technical methodologies used for data collection, scoring metrics, and category evaluations. Evaluate whether you believe the grading system effectively captures the actual state of the nation’s infrastructure and suggest potential improvements in how technical assessments could better reflect regional disparities, technological advancements, or lifecycle performance metrics. How can engineering best practices could be integrated into future assessments to make the report card more predictive rather than reactive?
Prompt 2: The Role of ASCE’s Infrastructure Report Cards in Shaping Public Perception and Policy
ASCE’s Infrastructure Report Card not only grades the condition of America’s infrastructure but also serves as a powerful communication tool to influence policymakers, business leaders, and the public. Its letter-grade system simplifies complex engineering evaluations into an accessible format, yet this simplification may also lead to misunderstandings about infrastructure challenges and solutions.
Write a 1-2 page essay exploring the societal impact of ASCE’s Infrastructure Report Card, particularly in how it shapes public awareness, political discourse, and infrastructure funding decisions. Discuss whether you believe the report card succeeds in mobilizing necessary action or if it oversimplifies nuanced issues. Is the report card effective? Additionally, reflect on how engineers and policymakers can collaborate to ensure that the technical realities of infrastructure needs are effectively communicated to non-technical audiences, ensuring informed decision-making and public engagement.
Submission Guidelines
The application and submission form for the 2025 Student Scholarship Essay Contest will be open on September 2, 2025 and close promptly on October 24, 2025 at 11:59PM.
All applicants must fully comply with the submission guidelines below. Failure to comply with any of the competition rules may result in disqualification.
- Submit an essay not to exceed two pages in length addressing one of the essay topics outlined above. Include only your ASCE membership number on each page in the upper right-hand corner (not your school name). Do not include a cover page or attachments.
- Submit a resume not to exceed one page in length. Student resumes may include name, address, phone number, work experience, interests, and coursework. Clearly indicate student membership of ASCE (provide membership number).
- Grade point average (GPA) or class standing must not be included anywhere in the essay.
- Submit a brief one paragraph personal biography and a headshot. Personal bio and headshot may be used at the Awards Banquet for presentation of the award winners.
- Applicants must be present in person at the Awards Banquet. Participating applicants will be given free admission to the event.
- Applications must be submitted online by the posted deadline.
Submit your application materials and essay by following the link below. Note the link will go live on September 2, 2025 and close on October 24, 2025 at 11:59PM.
Once you’ve submitted your materials, please be sure to register for the Awards Banquet. Participating students will receive a coupon code via email for free admission to the awards banquet. Guests will be subject to event ticket prices.
Awards Banquet
Date: TBD
Time: 5:30 – 8:00 PM
Location: Michaels Restaurant at Shoreline Golf Links
2960 North Shoreline Boulevard, Mountain View, CA
Evaluation Criteria
Essay submissions must be original, unpublished works created by the applicant themselves. Plagiarism will result in disqualification. Essays are judged by a panel of practicing professionals for content, clarity, narrative, spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Note that AI detection software may be utilized at the discretion of our evaluators.