Scholarships, Awards, and Degrees

Louisa FFA student Emma Alexander received two plaques as the 2025 Virginia FFA State Employment Skills Winner.

"...with a faith born not of words but of deeds..."

The FFA Creed is the foundation of of our belief system in this organization. It is true that through hard work, not just words, you can accomplish great things. Louisa FFA believes that students should not perform work for the sole purpose of recognition, reputation, prizes, or awards. Instead, the Louisa FFA promotes humble servant work, giving 110% in everything, and seeking quality and integrity for the better of the members and community. However, Louisa FFA believes it is important to celebrate successes and reward those who have worked hard. The FFA and agriculture program offers many opportunities for rewards. Explore this page to see about opportunities you may qualify for!

Scholarships

Scholarship Timeline

Currently, the program offers two scholarships: One for high school seniors and one for those students who are already in their college programs. These scholarships are both sponsored by the FFA Alumni chapter. Students must complete the application and other requirements written in the application by the deadline.

Degrees

Star Awards

Star Discovery, Star Greenhand, and Star Chapter Award

Competition Prizes

Additional Awards

Outstanding Alumni Award

Honorary Chapter Award

Proficiency Award

National Chapter Award

Scholarships

National and Virginia FFA Scholarships-Due Early 2026

Scholarship applications are now available to current active senior FFA members and collegiate level former FFA members. In addition to any qualifications set forth by the FFA Scholarship Committee, you must be registered as an FFA member to qualify. If you have not already done so, please complete the application and pay your membership dues. You may also need to enter in your SAE information. Be sure your Agricultural Experience Tracker account (AET) is updated.

Next, go to this website for the application:

When you click on the red button with the words "Scholarship Center", you'll be directed to this page.

You'll need to create an account with FFA. The chapter number is VA0112 for Louisa County High School. Or, you can reach out to an FFA advisor who can share with you your FFA membership ID.

Once logged in, just follow the instructions for filling out the application.

Scholarship Timeline

State Fair Scholarships-

This is a unique scholarship for students who have competed at the Virginia State Fair. For more information or to see if you qualify, see this link: https://www.statefairva.org/p/other/state-fair-of-virginia-scholarship-program

OPEN! Louisa FFA Alumni Scholarships

Currently, the program offers two scholarships: One for high school seniors and one for those students who are already in their college programs. These scholarships are both sponsored by the FFA Alumni chapter. Students must complete the application and other requirements written in the application by the deadline.

Virginia Soybean Association--

https://vasoybean.com/scholarship/

"We will award the following scholarships:

(1) $500 scholarship to a student who plans to pursue an associate’s degree

(1) $1,000 scholarship to a student pursuing an undergraduate degree

(1) $1,000 scholarship pursuing a graduate degree."

Application deadline is April 30. Please send all completed application materials to Rachel.gresham@vasoybean.com or via mail to:

Virginia Soybean Association

PO Box 923

Goochland, VA 23063

Rappahannock Electric Cooperative

See their website for more details: https://myrec.coop/scholarships

LC Ruritan Club

Eligibility: To be eligible for a Louisa County Ruritan Club College & Trade School

Scholarship a student must live within Louisa County. Exceptions may be made at the discretion

of the scholarship committee.

Value: Scholarship money may be used to finance expenses at any college or trade school.

Criteria: The scholarship award will be based on financial need, merit, leadership, academic

standing, and community service.

Selection: The recipient or recipients will be selected in accordance with the above criteria by

the Scholarship Committee of the Louisa County Ruritan Club.

Ruritan HS scholarship.pdf

Degrees

FFA Degree Applications

The high school FFA program offers two types of FFA degrees, the Greenhand and the Chapter Degree. Students wishing to seek these degrees should make sure they are qualified by reviewing the documents below, complete the application, and turn it in to an FFA advisor.

The State and American FFA Degree applications are provided through theaet.com in the Reports tab. State Degree applications are typically due by April, and is a long application, so students should start working on their applications in the new year. More information regarding the state degree application and submission requirements can be found here: https://www.vaffa.org/state-degree Information about the American FFA Degree can be found here: https://www.ffa.org/participate/awards/american-ffa-degree/

Star Awards

Star Discovery, Star Greenhand, and Star Chapter Award

The Star Discovery Award is presented to active middle school FFA members who demonstrate dedication and passion for the FFA chapter through participation in FFA events and meetings.

The Star Greenhand Award is given to FFA members who are the chapter’s most active first-year member who has a strong supervised agricultural experience program and has demonstrated leadership. The Star Greenhand is selected by the advisors. The Star Greenhand Award is given to first year members who have applied and received their Greenhand Degree

The Star Chapter Award is given to FFA members who are the chapter’s most active member, who has a strong supervised agricultural experience program and has demonstrated leadership. The Star Chapter is selected by the advisors. The Star Chapter Award is given to any student with the Chapter Degree.

There is no application or interview process for this award, as it is selected by the FFA advisors.

Competition Prizes

Many contests, such as those done at the State Fair or State FFA Convention, will offer their own awards and certificates to students. The Louisa FFA Chapter will also share recognition and celebrate their participation in the event at the annual banquet or awards ceremony. In addition, students or teams placing at the top of their competition or category may be awarded by tokens such as ribbons, pins, trophies, or plaques.

Additional Awards

Outstanding Alumni Award

Each year, the chapter nominates an Alumni member who has provided exceptional support to the members of the chapter. This individual may have offered much of their time to help out at events, provided food, transportation, chaperoned a trip, coached a CDE/LDE team, judged a contest, sat on a committee, advocated for agriculture, the program, or the alumni, provided SAEs or apprenticeships for students, donated, or otherwise provided outstanding service for the alumni and students.

Honorary Chapter Award

The Honorary Chapter Award is presented to teachers, parents, sponsors, community members, or anyone who has provided support to the organization. Much like the Outstanding Alumni Award (above) support can be provided in a variety of ways. This award is conferred at the annual FFA banquet or awards ceremony and is selected by the membership.

Proficiency Award

Proficiencies are awards provided at the state and national levels for students who apply and submit their SAE records. Proficiency awards look directly at the student's progress in their Supervised Agricultural Experience program. There are many different award areas for students to apply for based on their SAE type. The goal for students is to not only have an outstanding project demonstrating skills and technical knowledge, but to show growth over a period of time. If you think you have an outstanding SAE, meet with an advisor to help get you started on the Proficiency Degree Application. The application can be accessed through the students' theaet.com account in the Reports section. Students should get started on their applications early (they are usually due in April) as the application process is long.

National Chapter Award

An chapter's goal in planning out the year's events should involve consideration of the standards of the National Chapter Award. We know that it's not just about the award. This program challenges chapters to be well-rounded in their events and opportunities and emulate the true mission and motto of the National FFA Organization. It's not about how much money a chapter has earned, how many members a chapter has, or how many CDEs your chapter has won. Instead it's about how a chapter grows leaders, builds communities, and strengthens agriculture. Review the quality standards to see what types of events the program needs in order to qualify for the National Chapter Award. Chapters can receive a bronze, silver, or gold placing for their application.

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