IBS College Scholarship

Purpose

The Iowa Barbecue Society (IBS) is pleased to sponsor a college scholarship program. These funds can be used for any 2 or 4-year institutions.

Eligibility

The 2026 Iowa BBQ Society Scholarship program is open to graduating High School seniors (class of 2026/2027) and returning College students who meet the following criteria set by the Board of Directors of the IBS:

A parent must be a member in good standing of IBS, (or) the student must be member in good standing of IBS
The student must have carried a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) in the last school year.
The student can show evidence of their good character by being involved in public service or extra-curricular activities.

Awards

There will be a total of 2 scholarships of $500 each available for the 2027/2028 academic year.

Scholarship(s) may only be used to support undergraduate post-secondary education.

Deadline

Applications must be received by 11:59 pm on December 31, 2026. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.

Application Process

Students interested in applying for the IBS Scholarship must complete the attached IBS Scholarship Form that includes: 1) Student contact information; 2) IBS Membership information; 3) One essay question; 4) Transcript; and 5) Two letters of recommendation. Each student is asked to submit their responses (up to 500 words) to the following statement:

Prepare a typed 500-word essay outlining your career goals and future endeavors. The essay should focus on how these goals and career objective might pertain to or benefit the barbecue industry, and/or the meat science industry.

Iowa BBQ Society Scholarship Form

The entire application must be completed in full, in order to be considered for the scholarship award. Please email the entire application to:

scholarship@iabbq.org
Email Subject Line: IBS Scholarship Application (Recipients Name)

Letters of Recommendation

In order for your application to be considered complete, we require two letters of recommendation. Each letter must be signed by the person submitting the recommendation. Letters should be directly addressed to IBS Scholarship Committee.

One letter may be from teacher or coach, employer, religious leader, volunteer supervisor, or other individual (who is not a family member or relative) that can attest to your character and community contributions. This letter MUST indicate what that person's relationship is to you (supervisor, teacher, clergy).

Please give the following email address to your letter writers and ask that they email their letter of recommendation no later than December 31, 2026.

Email Subject Line: IBS Letters of Recommendation for (Recipients Name)
scholarship@iabbq.org

Review Process

Please note that the IBS Board of Directors will evaluate each application before any Scholarships are awarded. Extra consideration may be given to students entering agriculture or meat science programs.

All decisions are final.

Notification Process

The Student selected for the IBS Scholarship Award will be required to submit proof of enrollment.
The check for the IBS Scholarship will be issued at the Annual Awards Banquet held in January 2027.