• The applicant must be of JAMAICAN heritage or born of JAMAICAN parentage and be a resident of the state of Maryland.
• The applicant must be currently enrolled in an accredited educational institution with eligibility for high school graduation or currently attending a two-year or four-year college, a vocational institution or a university.
• The applicant must submit proof of acceptance to a post-secondary school, in the form of a copy of an enrollment letter / letter of acceptance from the post-secondary school, along with the scholarship application.
• The applicant must have a minimum scholastic average of a “C” for high school or a “2.5” GPA for college, vocational institution, or university, and submit proof by way of a transcript from the institution the applicant is enrolled in.

• The applicant must submit an essay of one hundred (100) words or less explaining:
  1. The reasons for applying for the Claude McKay Scholarship,
  2. The benefits that would be derived from it,
  3. The reasons why the applicant deserves the scholarship award

The essay must be typed in 1.5 or double line spacing and must be submitted with the application. The applicant’s essay will be carefully vetted for these three (3) aspects. Failure to include them could disqualify the application.

• The applicant must submit two (2) letters of recommendation written by:
  1. A member of the academic staff of the institution being attended
  2. A member of the applicant’s community (for example, a religious leader, an employer, a supervisor, etc.)

These letters must be submitted with the application and include:

• How long has the applicant known the writer.

• The relationship between the applicant and the writer.

• The application must be received by hand or electronically no later than Friday, September 19, 2025

• Applications may be submitted by hand to a Jamaican Association of Maryland Scholarship Committee member or electronically to one of the email addresses listed below.

• Preliminary screening will be performed by the Jamaican Association of Maryland Scholarship Committee. Selected finalists will be reviewed by the Committee and a choice of applicants will be recommended to the Jamaican Association of Maryland Board of Directors. The recipient(s) will then be determined, and, in the case of more than one recipient, the scholarship will be divided appropriately.

• • Once a recipient has been chosen by the Scholarship Committee, the recipient will be contacted by email or by US Postal mail to notify them of their selection.

• The applicant is encouraged to give, in return, 2 hours of voluntary service to the Jamaican Association of Maryland, during the academic year of receiving the scholarship award.