How to Word Scholarship Award Certificates

Scholarship award certificates are given to outstanding students for a variety of achievements, community contributions and volunteer work. The wording of an award certificate will depend upon the type of scholarship. Financial contributions are often given to honor and recognize athletes with high academic standing or students demonstrating strong service and leadership skills. Whatever the cause or contributing organization, award certificates often follow similar wording that highlights the success and commendable qualities of the scholarship recipient.

Choose a format for the award certificate layout. The design selected for the certificate will dictate the specific order of text, depending on the placement of the recipient's name and organization's information. Most certificates begin with the name of the sponsoring organization, including the name of the scholarship foundation.

Use the words "presented to" to indicate the person to whom the scholarship is being given.

Provide information about the specific criteria sought among candidates, highlighting the qualities to be recognized in scholarship recipients. Appropriate phrasing to introduce the service, achievements or contributions of the recipient may include "in honor of," "to recognize," or "celebrating."

Use strong adjectives to describe the specific qualities and achievements of scholarship recipients. Examples include "outstanding service," "dedicated leadership," "generous contributions," "exceptional performance," or "inspiring commitment."

Include the date, amount awarded and any other relevant details about the purpose of the scholarship. Certificates are generally sealed and signed by a representative of the organization.