Scholarships

The US Go Congress is the ultimate Go playing experience, especially for young participants. The Congress features many special activities to attract and engage young players including:

• The Youth Team Tournament, just like in Hikaru no Go.

• Daily pro lessons, simuls and special events in a supervised, specially designated "Youth Room."

• The Redmond Cup live onsite championship games, between the top two finalists in the 12 and under and 13-18 categories.

Young Congress-goers can also play in the US Open, the Self-Paired, Pair Go, Lightning Go and other tournaments while enjoying other lectures and teaching events.

Scholarships are available to any Congress attendee under the age of 18. Most under-18s come with their families, but "singletons" can also attend, as long as someone at the Congress agrees to act in loco parentis.

The AGF wants to help bring young players to congress, especially ones who could not otherwise attend. We provide $200 scholarships for contestants in the North American Kyu Championships, or the Redmond Cup. We also offer up to twenty essay scholarships of $300 each, with an additional five scholarships allocated for kids from Mexico or Canada. Youth who both compete in the tourney and write an essay can get a total of $500

The scholarship application process is as follows:

1. Registration: Register for the US Go Congress and identify the family member or designated adult who will act as your guardian at the Congress.

2. Application Essay: Write an essay about your involvement in Go. Where did you learn? How often do you play? What do you like best about Go? Have you taught your friends or others to play? What do you hope to gain by attending the Congress? What have you done and what are your goals as a player and member of the American Go community? Essays become the property of the AGA/AGF and may be used for promotional purposes. We welcome essays from very young children, and do not expect them to be writing at the level of older children. E-mail your essay to mail@agfgo.org, and please include contact information in the e-mail.

After the Congress scholarship recipients may write a post-Congress essay, if they wish, telling us about their positive Congress experiences and what they learned. Essays become the property of the AGA/AGF and may be used for promotional purposes.

We hope that we will be able to meet all the scholarship needs so every child who is truly interested can attend the Congress. It's important to apply early because scholarship money is limited! Scholarships are funded solely through donations to the American Go Foundation. The AGA and AGF are committed to making the Congress available to all who wish to come.

To support our efforts click here.

The American Go Foundation has created a competitive merit scholarship program of $1000 to recognize high school students who have served as important youth organizers and promoters for the Go community. Students whose enthusiasm and ambition spread Go in under-served areas have greatly helped the American Go community. To apply, download and complete the application form below and describe your accomplishments and volunteer work in a short essay. Letters of recommendation may also be included. Applicants who have started clubs and promoted Go in areas where there is not a current, strong Go community will be given special consideration. Strong players who spend much of their time voluntarily teaching will also be considered, although the award is focused more on Go promoters and organizers who have substantially contributed during their Go career.

Please e-mail completed application forms by Nov. 16th to mail@agfgo.org.

Download the AGF Scholarship form.

Eligibility and Rules for the American Go Foundation College Scholarship

Eligibility

• Applicant must be a U.S. Citizen currently a junior or senior in high school in the United States of America or its territories.

• Applicant must be no more than 20 years of age as of January 1 of the year the award is made.

• Applicant must be planning to attend a college or university.

Rules

• Scholarship winners will receive a scholarship of the amount of $1,000.

• Each year the AGF will conduct an application process for players who have shown excellence in Go organization, promotion, and teaching particularly in underserved areas. The AGF may choose to award one or more scholarships in any given year or none depending on the quality of the candidates and the availability of funds.

• Scholarship funds must be spent on college expenses.

• A player may apply twice but can only receive the scholarship once.

• Winners will claim their scholarships by submitting receipts for at least $1000 in college-related expenses, including tuition, books or other expenditures. Winners who elect to delay college matriculation may defer receipt of the award funds for up to five years.

Scholarships are available for American Go Association Summer Go Camp. Interested campers should submit their applications directly to the camp coordinators. Those requesting assistance should complete the scholarship application process described below. Each scholarship will be in the range of $50 to $250 depending on the requested amount and the number of the requests. Campers are encouraged to raise additional funds from their local go clubs.

The scholarship application consists of:

1. Summer Go Camp Registration Form

2. Deposit of $75

3. Application Essay: An essay (1+ page, double spaced, 1-inch margins, 12-point font) written by the applicant about their involvement in the local go community. For example, did they start a go club in their local school? Do they share their knowledge with other players? Have they taught others how to play? Do they play in local, regional, or national tournaments? What achievements or awards have they won in go? What do they hope to gain by attending go camp? Essays become the property of the AGA/AGF and may be used for promotional purposes.

4. Parent Statement: Please tell us how much you feel you will be able to pay towards camp costs and how much you will need in scholarship support so that your child(ren) will be able to attend. How much is the cost of transportation to the camp? Please give us any additional information about your child's go activities and interest in the game.

After the completion of the camp, scholarship recipients will be expected to write an post-camp essay (1+ page, double spaced, 1-inch margins, 12-point font) about their positive camp experiences, learning experiences, and a review of their instructor(s). Essays become the property of the AGA/AGF and may be used for promotional purposes.

We hope that we will be able to meet all the scholarship needs so every child who is truly interested can attend go camp. It's important to apply early because scholarship money is limited! Scholarships are funded solely through donations to the American Go Foundation. The AGA and AGF are committed to making go camp available to all children who wish to come.

Note: To donate specifically to the Summer Camp Fund, mention Go Camp on the donation page.