Holiday Classic Scholarship
The State Farm Holiday Classic
Scholarship
The Holiday Classic Scholarship Fund was created by the State Farm Holiday Classic basketball tournament and currently awards $1,500 scholarships each year to student-athletes from participating schools in our tournament. One winner from each of the four tournament brackets is awarded a scholarship each year.
The Fund is administered through the local Illinois Prairie Community Foundation, and scholarships are made directly to the college or university the recipient attends.
Established to recognize and award scholarships to four eligible high school seniors who would have participated in this past year’s tournament, a selection committee of current and former educators choose the winners based on their leadership skills and academic performance. Applicants are asked to demonstrate their experiences in student activities and community service, and are required to submit an essay titled “How my high school sports experience helped prepare me for success in higher education.”
2027 Scholarship Applications will be open late 2026/early 2027
All eligible applicants must:
- have been on the roster of a participating team in the 2026 State Farm Holiday Classic
- be a graduating senior in spring/summer of 2027
- maintain a grade point average of 2.75 or above on a 4.0 scale
- be admitted to and plan to attend a 2- or 4-year college
- have earned a varsity letter in basketball this year
Questions can be directed to: scholarship@theclassic.org