Scholarships and Awards for Women
Zonta is dedicated to achieving gender equality in education and supports scholarships, fellowships and awards for women and girls pursuing education and careers in traditionally male-dominated fields.
The Zonta Club of Hamilton 1 offers the following awards to students in our area. For more information, please contact our awards chair at [email protected]
Zonta Young Women in Leadership
The goal of the Zonta Young Women in Leadership Award is to encourage young women to participate in leadership positions by recognizing the candidate’s commitment to the volunteer sector, evidence of volunteer leadership achievements and a dedication to building a better world for women and girls through service and advocacy. In order for more young women to be represented in key decision-making positions worldwide, we must encourage young women to pursue careers or seek leadership positions in public policy making, government and volunteer organizations and further their education with these aims in view.
Women aged 16-19 by April 1st each year are eligible to apply. The Zonta Club of Hamilton award is $1000.00. The award winner will be sent to district where their application may be considered for the Zonta International award of $5000.00 US.
YWLA 2027 application on ZI website
Due Feb 1, 2027
2026 YWLA Winner
Maple-Gin Benson
Maple-Gin’s school involvement centered on leadership, collaboration, and community-building. She served as Student Council President at Westmount Secondary School for the past two years, overseeing initiatives and execution of all major school events.
Maple-Gin plans to study Rotman Commerce at the University of Toronto, where she hopes to develop strong foundations in business, leadership, and ethical decision-making. Her experiences working with the City of Hamilton Recreation Department and engaging in over 500 hours of volunteer service have shaped her career interests toward leadership roles that combine strategic thinking with meaningful community impact.
Zonta Women in Business Leadership Award
Submit application to Zonta Club of Hamilton 1 by Nov 1, 2026
Women have made great strides in the pursuit of education, careers and leadership roles once denied. However, they still comprise a minority of leaders in the business world.
The Zonta Women in Business Leadership Award acknowledges and celebrates women who demonstrate exceptional leadership, entrepreneurial spirit, ethical conduct and make significant contributions to their respective industries while addressing global or local issues affecting women and girls or climate justice.
Women, aged 18-35 at the time of application, who demonstrate evidence of the following are eligible to apply:
Exceptional leadership in business related field of study or industry.
Entrepreneurial spirit.
Ethical conduct.
Significant contributions to addressing global or local issues affecting women and girls or climate justice.
Z club and Golden Z club members are eligible to apply.
Business Leadership Application on ZI website
2026 Business Leadership Winner
Mikaela Morelli
Mikaela Morelli’s path began in biomedical engineering, where she founded the University of Manitoba Biomedical Engineering Design Team, growing it to over 40 students and leading multiple award-winning assistive technology projects. She went on to co-organize the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) Design for Rehabilitation Competition, scaling it into an international event and securing sponsorships to ensure equitable access for student participants. These early experiences shaped her belief in applying entrepreneurial thinking to drive both innovation and inclusion.
Women’s health has long been under-researched and underfunded, leaving outdated tools, overlooked pain, and minimal innovation. She experienced this firsthand during her own healthcare journey, fueling her determination to improve the way women experience medical procedures. She has since built the technical, business, and leadership skills needed to design solutions that close these gaps and empower more women to lead in the process.
Zonta Hamilton 1 Student Award
In November 2019, in celebration of Zonta’s Centennial Anniversary and the naming of Dr. Beverly Jacobs as the Canadian Zonta Centennial Award winner, the Zonta Club of Hamilton 1 approved the establishment of an award geared towards a female, for an Indigenous student (grades 10, 11 or 12) from Bernie Custis Secondary School.
Value: $500
We were pleased to present Mahingan Lamarr this award in June 2026.
Zonta Women in STEM Award
Women, aged 18-35 years old at the time of application, who demonstrate groundbreaking research, pioneering discoveries and/or exemplary contributions to advancing knowledge and innovation in a science, technology, engineering or mathematic (STEM) field of study or industry, are eligible to apply. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Designated Degree Program List can be used to determine if your field of study is eligible: Full list of STEM fields recognized internationally.
Club Award: $1,000.00
Due Date: December 1, 2026
The local club award winner then becomes a candidate for the Zonta International award. Zonta International offers 16 international awards of US$10,000 each and a complimentary one-year supporting membership in Zonta International for the next financial year. There are no restrictions on the use of funds.
The application can be accessed here
2026 STEM Award Winner
Mary England
Mary is currently studying Integrated Biomedical Engineering & Health Sciences at McMaster University and is expecting to graduate this year. She achieved a high GPA and multiple honours, including the Terry Fox Humanitarian Award (2021) and Cansbridge Fellowship (2023). Her research includes an investigation of bone regeneration using DNA hydrogels, leading to a manuscript submission and she is currently working on nanoparticle systems for cancer treatment, focusing on drug delivery optimization.
She is an active volunteer for Covenant House, organizing food drives and fundraising events, raising over $7,000 since 2019 and has served as a McMaster Engineering ambassador. At her graduation this year she also was awarded the Albert Lager Prize for leadership, service and community.
The Zonta Club of Hamilton 1 and some of its members have also funded many awards and bursaries that are awarded by organizations and schools in our area.
McMaster University offers the following awards.
The Zonta Club of Hamilton 1 Frances Colter Memorial Bursary
Established in 2016 by members of the Zonta Club of Hamilton 1 in memory and recognition of dedicated member and supporter of our club, Fran Colter, who was a pioneer in the field of physiotherapy at Chedoke Hospital, Hamilton. To be awarded by the School of Graduate studies to students enrolled in the School of Rehabilitation Science Physiotherapy program who demonstrate financial need. Preference to be given to female students. Value of the award is approximately $2000 annually.
The Zonta Club of Hamilton 1 MBA Bursary
Established in 2006 by the members of the Zonta Club of Hamilton 1 to acknowledge the bequest from Muriel Stewart, her life and career in business, and honouring the lives of fellow Zontians, their careers, and their support to the Zonta Club of Hamilton 1 and its objectives. To be granted annually to a female student enrolled in the MBA program, who demonstrates financial need.
The value of the bursary is approximately $1,000.
The Zonta Club of Hamilton 1 Bursaries
($60,000 donation matched by Ontario Government)
Established in 1997 by the Zonta Club of Hamilton 1 in support of the McMaster Student Opportunity Fund initiative which provides financial support in perpetuity in the name of the Zonta Club of Hamilton l. We believe that all students, particularly women in non-traditional fields, should have the opportunity to pursue their educational goals.
These bursaries are granted annually to students who demonstrate financial need and are enrolled in the Faculty of Engineering, or in Business or are enrolled in a course in Indigenous Studies. Preference will be given to female students.
Value of awards: Bursaries are granted by the University Bursary Selection Committee on the basis of demonstrated financial need. They are intended to supplement resources when the student’s own financial contribution, parental assistance and government aid leave the student with insufficient funds to complete the academic year.
The Zonta Club of Hamilton 1 Bursaries trust fund grants funding to approximately five student recipients annually.
Mohawk College chooses three or four recipients each year.
Mohawk College – The Zonta Club of Hamilton 1 Awards
($40,000 donation matched by Ontario Government)
Established in 1998 by the Zonta Club of Hamilton 1 in support of Mohawk College’s Ontario Student Opportunity Trust Fund which provides financial support in perpetuity.
These awards are granted to students demonstrating financial need, with a minimum 80% average. Preference is given to students showing active involvement in community and consideration to others.
Olga Cloke Bursary at the YWCA
The bursary was established by Olga’s family on her 75th birthday in 1977. Upon her death in 1994, the YWCA established an endowment fund with contributions from the Cloke family and the Zonta Club of Hamilton 1. Olga is a past President of our Club, past Governor of District 4 and she also held International positions in Zonta. Olga was past chair of the YWCA Building Campaign as well as past District Commissioner of the Hamilton Girl Guide Association.
The 2019 Olga Cloke Bursary was not awarded by the YWCA in June of 2019. The YWCA decided to make this bursary part of the Totally Awesome Young Women’s Breakfast celebration in May 2020. The event itself was cancelled due to COVID-19 but there were several applications and they will be evaluated, and the winner will receive $750 in June 2020.
Zonta Club of Hamilton 1 Crown Ward Bursary Fund at the Children’s Aid Society of Hamilton
The Zonta Club of Hamilton 1, with a generous bequest from Helen Orban, established the Zonta Club of Hamilton 1 Crown Ward Bursary Fund at The Children’s Aid Society of Hamilton. Bursaries will be awarded on an annual basis, as determined by the Crown Ward Bursary Selection Committee, in the amount of $1,000 to a female student at the agency’s Annual General Meeting held in June.
Amelia Earhart Fellowship
Globally, women make up around 25 percent of the workforce in the aerospace industry. In an effort to carry out its mission that women have access to all resources and are represented in decision-making positions on an equal basis with men, Zonta International offers the Amelia Earhart Fellowship.
The Amelia Earhart Fellowship was established in 1938 in honor of famed pilot and Zontian, Amelia Earhart. The US$10,000 Fellowship is awarded annually to up to 30 women pursuing Ph.D./doctoral degrees in aerospace engineering and space sciences. It may be used at any university or college offering accredited post-graduate courses and degrees in these fields.
Since the program’s inception in 1938, Zonta has awarded 1,704 Amelia Earhart Fellowships, totaling more than US$11.3 million, to 1,275 women from 76 countries.
Our Fellows have gone on to become astronauts, aerospace engineers, astronomers, professors, geologists, business owners, heads of companies, even Secretary of the US Air Force.
For more information about qualifications, and how to apply please click here.