2026 Scholarship Now Open!

NWAEP's DEI Scholarship aims to support the professional development of students who are underrepresented in environmental careers (i.e., racial and ethnic minorities), by covering one year of NWAEP membership fees and participation expenses (registration, travel, hotel) to attend the National Association of Environmental Professionals annual conference, held this year from May 11 to May 14 in Anchorage, Alaska.

Requirements:

• Applicants must be enrolled in a degree program in Oregon or Washington state.

• At least one applicant from Oregon and one applicant from Washington will be selected.

• Applicants' major field of study must be relevant to science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) and/or environmental science

• Applications need to be completed and submitted by the deadline January 13, 2026.

Expectations:

• Recipients should commit to attending the 2026 NAEP Annual Conference, held from May 11 to 14 in Anchorage, Alaska

• Recipients will provide an update describing their use of scholarship funds and/or conference experiences

Optional: 

• Scholarship recipients will be given the opportunity to partner with a professional in their field to prepare a poster to present at the NAEP Conference

Application due by Monday, January 13, 2026; scholarship(s) to be awarded in early February. 

Scholarship History

In 2021, NWAEP launched the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Student Scholarship (DEI Scholarship) to support diversity in the environmental professions by sending students to the National Association of Environmental Professionals (NAEP) annual conference.

The DEI Scholarship is open to undergraduate and graduate students in Oregon or Washington, whose major field of study is relevant to environmental science/STEM and who are underrepresented (i.e. BIPOC, women, minorities) in environmental careers. The program is ideal for students in their final year of their program because it guarantees a spot for a poster highlighting their research. The scholarship covers registration, travel, hotel, mentoring assistance leading up to the conference, and 1-year membership with NAEP & NWAEP.

NWAEP is committed to the ongoing success of its scholarship recipients through internship and job referrals, mentoring, and leadership opportunities within NWAEP.  We hope you would consider sponsoring the scholarship program or referring exceptional students to apply!