The SBO Scholarship Essay Contest is an annual essay competition for high school students in the United States. The contest is sponsored by School Band & Orchestra (SBO) magazine, a publication that covers music education in schools. The essay contest is designed to encourage students to reflect on the importance of music education and its impact on their lives. To enter the contest, students must submit a 250-word essay responding to the prompt provided by SBO magazine. The prompt may vary each year, but typically asks students to describe how music has influenced their lives, or to explain why music education is important.
The prize for the essay contest varies each year, but typically includes a cash award and a feature in SBO magazine. The winning essay is selected by a panel of judges appointed by SBO magazine, based on the quality of the writing and the relevance to the essay prompt.