District 1 Zonta Women in Business Leadership Chair:
Patricia Pupek, Zonta Club of Quaboag Valley USA
EXCITING NEWS: At the 2026 Zonta International Convention in Vancouver, delegates voted to ELIMINATE THE AGE REQUIREMENT (18-35) and make this an ANNUAL award.
EFFECTIVE FOR 2027, the new criteria: Women undergraduate to master’s degree students 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: ice.gov/sites/default/files/documents/stem-list.pdf.
Each club is encouraged to solicit applications, offer a club award if possible (not required), and name a club Women in Business winner. Clubs then forward their winners to the District Chair – and a District winner is selected and forwarded to the Foundation for Women to compete for one of 10 $5,000 cash awards from the Zonta Foundation for Women.
Applicants from geographic areas within a Zonta district where no clubs are located may apply via a Zonta eClub or directly to the district to be eligible for the international awards. Club members and individuals with direct membership with Zonta International and employees of Zonta International and Zonta Foundation for Women are not eligible to apply for the Awards. Committee or jury members or any member involved in the selection process should follow the Zonta International Conflict of Interest Policy in the selection of awardees. Z club and Golden Z club members are eligible to apply. Previous scholarship recipients are not eligible to apply.
Clubs determine their own deadlines for submission of these applications based on decisions by the District Award Committee. Zonta International must have the District winner submitted no later than January.
All information and supporting documents for the Zonta Women in STEM award can be found at zonta.org under Our Programs/Education.