Sunflower Scholarships to Our Native Plants Conference
Graduate and Undergraduate Students and Interns -- Share Your Projects and Discoveries!
The Sunflower Scholarships are designed for university students and interns working in native plant-related fields. It is intended to make the state native plant conference more accessible and to give applicants a participatory role. Applicants must display a poster at the conference and are expected to be present at their poster during designated breaks to explain its content to conference participants.
Below is a description of each scholarship:
Local Scholarship: This scholarship is for students in the region hosting the state conference and covers the full cost of the conference, including field trips, workshops, meals, the banquet, and $30 toward poster costs. In 2026, the Gila Chapter (Silver City) is hosting the conference.
Participants from Other Chapters: This scholarship is nearly identical to the one above but includes $150 toward poster and travel costs.
Requirements:
- Applicant must be a current college/university student, an intern with a government organization, or an intern or assistant with a nonprofit group. The application must be approved by an appropriate instructor, professor, or supervisor.
- If selected for a scholarship, the applicant agrees to present an illustrated poster displaying a project or study they are involved in that pertains to native plants or their habitats, conservation, genetics, interactions, adaptations, etc. This poster presentation may be cited in your CV or resumé.
- Please submit your application by July 1. The project or study does not need to be concluded. Presentation of a need, a plan, background information, and work in progress can be very interesting and educational.