New York State Association of County Fairs Scholarship Program

Ten scholarships will be awarded by the State Fair association. The scholarships will be awarded to current New York State high school seniors or to students presently enrolled in college. The qualifying students must have been active at the county fair in any capacity. All applications must be submitted to the Columbia County Fair by May 1 to be considered. Application information will be available from the guidance office at any school in Columbia County, through the fair office in Chatham or on the State website. All applications to be submitted must be completed and printed from the state website at www.nyfairs.org. They are available in pdf format. No handwritten applications will be accepted.

This program is designed to make resources available to students from Columbia County who are pursuing further education and the fair is happy to be a part of the program. Applicants can call the fair office at 518-392-2121 for further information and the submission of the application.

Columbia County Agricultural Society Scholarships

The Columbia County Agricultural Society offers a college scholarship program to support Ag Education. It awards $1,000 merit scholarships to two students who have been active in the Columbia County Fair as an exhibitor, presenter, volunteer, or in some other capacity.

Applicants must be Columbia County residents completing their senior year at any high school in 2024 and must be enrolled as a full-time student in an accredited two or four-year college to commence in the fall of 2024, pursuing a field of study related to agriculture.

Applications will be scored based upon the following criteria:

• Fair Participation, 40%
• Essay, 30%
• Academic Achievement, 20%
• Community Service, 10%.

Recipients will be announced during a ceremony at the 2024 Columbia County Fair. Payment will be made upon completion of the recipient’s Fall 2024 semester.