Everything You Need to Know About The Davidson Fellowship
The Davidson Fellows Scholarship is one of the most prestigious and competitive competitions for students 18 or younger, featuring scholarship awards of $50,000, $25,000, and $10,000. Put on by the Davidson Institute for Talent Development, this scholarship is one of the largest in the world. It is catered to high-achieving students who have completed significant work in STEM or the Humanities.
This scholarship requires that students have completed significant work in their field, and applications will include research reports, writing samples, music composition, or instrumentalist recordings. Therefore, working towards the Davidson Fellowship not only gives you a chance to earn significant monetary assistance for college, it encourages you to create a research project or portfolio to showcase to your college admissions counselors.
What does it take to be a Davidson Fellow? Read on to learn what an application requires and how to craft one that will stand apart from the rest.
What Counts as Significant Work to the Davidson Fellowship?
Davidson Fellows Scholarships are awarded based on “significant work” in one of nine categories:
Science such as Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, Environmental Science, Geology, Medicine, Physics, Space Science, etc.
Technology such as Computer Programming, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, etc.
Engineering such as Bioengineering, Chemical, Civil, Electrical, Environmental, Mechanical, etc.
Mathematics such as Calculus, Fractals, Geometry, Number Theory, etc.
Literature, including Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Drama, and Screenplay
Music for Composers, Classical Instrumentalists, or Other Instrumentalists (not including vocalists)
Philosophy broadly, and
Outside the Box for projects which do not fit into any of the other categories but do not include community service, visual art, or performing art
Submissions to the Davidson Fellowship for STEM categories must include a formal research report, an APA-style bibliography, and a visual model representing your research and findings. If applicable, you must also submit well-documented computer code alongside the rest of your project components. Your work cannot include
Human subjects
Live vertebrates or invertebrates
Pathogenic substances
Controlled substances
Non-exempt recombinant DNA
Submissions to the Davidson Fellowship for Literature must include a 60-75 page portfolio displaying exemplary work in three of the following genres:
Fiction
Nonfiction
Poetry
Drama or Screenplay
Further, submissions in Literature must include a Literacy Narrative, a reflective piece documenting your growth and development in reading, writing, viewing, and interpreting literature. You can find more information about Literacy Narratives here and here, and the Davidson Fellowship leaves the length of the Literacy Narrative to your discretion.
Submissions to the Davidson Fellowship for Music will need to fall into one of the following domains:
Composer, including a minimum of three scores with recordings
Classical Instrumentalist, including an unedited video of a public performance involving a complete movement of a concerto, sonata, or solo piece from within the last year, as well as a video recording of at most 45 minutes in audition format playing at least one piece of music from three of the following four periods:
Baroque
Classical
Romantic, or
Contemporary
Other Instrumentalist, such as jazz musicians, bluegrass performers, etc., including an unedited video of a public performance filmed within the last year, as well as a video recording of at most 45 minutes in audition format involving at least one solo piece played from a written manuscript and performances of at least three additional pieces
If a live performance has been interrupted because of the Covid-19 pandemic, composers and instrumentalists may detail the organization they were going to perform with and when/where the performance was scheduled.
Submissions to the Davidson Fellowship for Philosophy are directed to submit a table of contents, as well as a portfolio containing three to five unique, written pieces related to philosophy, including an APA style bibliography, subject to the following guidelines:
Each piece should be no longer than 3,000 words
All pieces should be in English, in an 11 or 12-point standard font, and either 1.5 or double spaced
The Outside the Box category is reserved for work that blurs the lines between or falls out of the above categories. Submissions to the Davidson Fellowship for this category may require a formal research report or a portfolio of work demonstrating a university graduate level of knowledge, including a table of contents and any supplemental materials.
What Else Do I Need To Apply for the Davidson Fellowship?
Regardless of submission category, all applicants to the Davidson Fellowship must include two nominators who are familiar with your work and are not relatives. Further, applicants in all categories must submit three attachments.
Attachment One in the Davidson Fellowship application is a process essay where applicants must answer the following questions:
Part One:
What inspired you to pursue this work?
How much time (hours/days/months) did it take you to complete this work?
How did you organize the work that went into doing it?
What difficulties did you encounter and how did you handle them?
Part Two:
Where was the work completed?
What help have you received in doing this work?
Attachment Two in the Davidson Fellowship application is an essay detailing the significance of the work and its benefit to society, where you may describe how your work is
exceptionally creative
a new idea with high impact and/or broad implications
an innovative solution with regional, state, and/or national implications
a significant advancement that can be replicated and built upon
an interdisciplinary discovery with the potential to effect positive change
a prodigious performance
and you may explain how your work contributes positively to society or has social relevance.
Finally, Attachment Three in the Davidson Fellowship application is a video describing your work. This attachment should be at most 10 minutes long and of home-production quality. Here you can be creative and talk about anything that was not addressed in other parts of your application or that you feel is especially important. You may, for example
Briefly summarize your submission, why it was done, its significance or social relevance
Describe how you became interested in the project, how it evolved, or how the work helped you develop as a scholar and as a person
Detail how your submission fits into the larger field of study, and discuss any influences your work had
Elaborate on how you will continue the project, future work, etc.
This portion is to be submitted as an unlisted video on Youtube.
How Do I Set Myself Apart in my Davidson Fellowship Application?
Now that you know the different aspects of the submission, take a few minutes to brainstorm how your interests might apply to the categories and submission requirements outlined above. As you can see, a lot of work goes into the Davidson Fellowship. Here are a few tips to help bring this work above and beyond.
Pick a Topic That Excites You
Do you have any work that is already worthy of submission? If not, can you think of a passion that continues to capture your interest? The Davidson Fellowship asks you to hone in on one area of study to develop work at the level of a college graduate, so you must have a strong passion for your project. You can expect this project to take months, maybe more, to complete. With your passion driving you, you are sure to set yourself up for success!
Find a Mentor or Advisor
Mentors are crucial to the research process, and your Davidson Fellowship project will push your mind to its limit. Find someone that can help push your thinking and provide guidance and perspective as you complete your work. Mentors could range from teachers to professors or Ph.D. students at local academic institutions to those found in 1:1 mentor matching programs.
Choose Your Research Focus Wisely
Choosing a good research question or focus for your Davison Fellowship project is one of the most challenging and critical parts of the research process. Without a clear focus, you might find yourself feeling aimless, unsure of what the next steps are, or unsure of how to tackle them.
A well-crafted research question will be (1) specific so that you never lose sight of it, (2) researchable, ensuring that you have all the resources and time you need, and (3) demonstrative of the depth and breadth of your knowledge. To craft a research focus that meets these criteria, enlist the help of your mentor or advisor.
Take Initiative – And Show It Off in Your Davidson Fellowship Application
There is a reason colleges love when applicants show initiative by starting a club, launching a community service event, contacting mentors, or starting a research project – it shows that you have leadership skills, inventiveness, and the ability to follow through. But these skills are just as important for developing significant work for the Davidson Fellowship. Don’t be afraid to start a research project that requires you to be bold. Davidson Fellows have developed work with a clear impact on society, which is hardly ever done without leaving your comfort zone.
Winning Isn’t Everything
Win or lose, you will have created an outstanding portfolio of work that demonstrates your specialized and generalized knowledge, unique voice, and raw talent. Utilize this body of work to the fullest. Submit your work to science fairs, journals, competitions, and college admissions offices. Whether or not you win the Davidson Fellowship, you will become an outstanding researcher.
If you are interested in developing a research project for the Davidson Fellowship, consider applying to the 1:1 Mentorship Program at InspiritAI! Our mentors – hailing from the world's top research institutions and tech companies – will walk you through an entire research project from start to end. Whether you are a coding novice or a virtuoso, our individualized mentorship program will help you develop an exceptional research project. For more information, do not hesitate to contact InspiritAI with questions.
