Seniors Amelia Byers, Alyssa Carr, Lindley Dalton and Carson Vogelpohl have been named Semifinalists in the 71st annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Over 1.3 million high school juniors in about 20,000 schools across the country entered this year’s scholarship competition by taking the PSAT qualifying test last fall. As four of the highest-scoring entrants in Arkansas, these young women join the group of more than 16,000 Semifinalists – representing less than one percent of the Class of 2026 nationwide – that has the opportunity to advance in the competition for some 6,930 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million that will be offered next spring.
Next Steps in the 2026 Competition
To become a Finalist, the Semifinalist and a high school official must submit a detailed scholarship application, in which they provide information about the Semifinalist’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received. A Semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a school official, write an essay, and earn SAT or ACT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.
From over 16,000 Semifinalists, more than 15,000 are expected to be announced as Finalists in February. All National Merit Scholarship winners will be selected from this group of Finalists. Merit Scholar designees are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies, without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference.
National Merit Scholarships
Three types of National Merit Scholarships will be offered in the spring of 2026. Every Finalist will compete for one of 2,500 National Merit $2,500 Scholarships that will be awarded on a state-representational basis. About 830 corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards will be provided by approximately 150 corporations and business organizations for Finalists who meet their specified criteria. In addition, about 150 colleges and universities are expected to finance some 3,600 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards for Finalists who will attend the sponsor institution.
The National Merit Scholarship winners of 2026 will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July. These scholarship recipients will join more than 389,000 other distinguished young people who have earned the Merit Scholar title.
Congratulations to Amelia, Alyssa, Lindley and Carson!
