Eligibility Requirements
The Coastwise Prize for Investing Excellence scholarship is available to sophomore, junior, and senior students who are enrolled in the following 4 qualified La Jolla, California high schools:

La Jolla High School
La Jolla Country Day
The Bishop's School
The Preuss School

Guidelines and Requirements
Students must respond to the official essay topic in 1,000 words or less.

Students must submit their typed, printed essay along with the completed Scholarship Application to:

Coastwise Capital Group, LLC
Coastwise Prize for Investing Excellence
888 Prospect Street, Suite 201
La Jolla, CA 92037

Download the official Essay Topic & Scholarship Application beginning September 14, 2011.

Your essay and application must be submitted together and received by January 13, 2012. Essays received after January 13, 2012 will not be accepted.

We strongly suggest you submit your application and essay via certified mail.

Essays received via email will not be accepted.

Coastwise Capital Group, LLC and the Coastwise Prize for Investing Excellence are not responsible for lost, stolen, or misplaced mail.

Applications and essays from students who do not meet the eligibility requirements will not be accepted.

Essay Criteria
Essays submitted for the Coastwise Prize for Investing Excellence scholarship must be typed, 1,000 words or less, and will be judged on the following criteria:

1. Intellectual Content (original, thought-provoking)
2. Topic Relevance
3. Passion
4. Organization, Presentation, and Style

Winners and Prizes
There will be 6 winners chosen, with over $10,000 in scholarship prizes being awarded.

SOPHOMORES:
1st place will receive a scholarship prize of $1,500
2nd place will receive a scholarship prize of $1,000

JUNIORS:
1st place will receive a scholarship prize of $2,000
2nd place will receive a scholarship prize of $1,500

SENIORS:
1st place will receive a scholarship prize of $2,500
2nd place will receive a scholarship prize of $2,000

In addition to receiving a cash prize, all associated winners will be invited to attend the Annual Financial Horizons Conference at the University of California San Diego. The objective of the conference is to motivate students to take charge of their financial lives by exposing them to real life, practical situations. The conference offers a line up of professional speakers, hands-on financial workshops, networking sessions with UCSD alumni, and an exhibition of top companies from the finance industry.

Further, the top 30 finalists and their parents will be invited to attend an informative and entertaining Awards Ceremony where the winners will be announced. The Ceremony will include dinner, a brief investment seminar, and special guest speakers.

Prize Conditions
To encourage savings and continue the personal financial education process subsequent to winning the scholarship award, winners will be required to invest their prize money in a 529 Plan*, managed for free by Coastwise Capital Group, LLC, to save for college expenses. The prize money must be invested until the student has graduated high school. The student has the option of investing longer if the money is not needed immediately.

* Acceptable 529 Uses of Money
Room and board, tuition, books, computer (if university says it is required), and so forth. Students must keep receipts and paperwork on hand. The beneficiary is required to keep track of all expenses to make sure they are only withdrawing money to be spent specifically for school related expenses. Acceptable uses of 529 funds are not policed by Coastwise Capital Group, LLC or American Century.