BEDFORD – Distinguished Young Women (DYW) is a scholarship program that combines the chance to win college scholarships with an opportunity to develop life skills training to prepare young women for the world after high school.
Each year, DYW gives approximately one billion dollars in scholarships to young women around the nation. DYW takes place in all fifty states and Washington, D.C. Young women participate in their senior year of high school.
Distinguished Young Women program evaluates participants in the following categories: Scholastics (25%), Interview (25%), Talent (20%), Fitness (15%), and Self-Expression (15%).
Local program winners advance to the state level. The Indiana State DYW program occurs in February. All state winners participate in the National Finals held in Mobile, Alabama. The national program is held in June after seniors graduate from high school.
DYW introduces young women to the Best Your Best Self program. Be Your Best Self includes workshops and online resources that participants can utilize to learn skills such as interviewing, public speaking, tips for a healthy and active lifestyle, self-confidence, and more. Be Your Best Self not only prepares participants for the program, but also teaches participants skills for life beyond high school and college.
The Lawrence County DYW program will be on November 14, 2026, for young women in the 2027 graduating class. The week prior to the program, there will be 4-5 practices to prepare for the program. These usually occur on Sunday-Thursday (November 8-12) of the week prior to the program and begin around 5-5:30 p.m. If you have a conflict with one night of practice or the start time of practice, please contact us and we can work through the conflict in the schedules.
The fitness routine will be uploaded to the Distinguished Young Woman Lawrence County group or sent via email so that you can begin learning it on your own and at your own pace. Applications can be found at distinguishedyw.org.
To apply, locate Indiana, Lawrence County, and click on “Apply Today.” Please complete your applications by October 14, 2026.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Anah Hewetson Gouty at anah.h.gouty@gmail.com.
