The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, sponsored by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals, was created in 1995 to recognize the exemplary volunteer work of middle level and high school students. The awards have been granted annually for the past 22 years on the local, state and national level.

"We've learned over the past two decades that young people are doing innovative, important work to improve communities at home and abroad," said Prudential Chairman and CEO John Strangfeld. "We honor their contributions in the hope that their example will inspire others to consider what they can do to make a difference."

Georgia's top youth volunteers of 2017 were Amal Bhatnagar, 18, of Duluth, who created a student organization that has provided more than a thousand first-aid kits to people in the U.S. and overseas who lack access to basic healthcare, and Kelsey Norris, 13, of Bonaire, who overcame a challenging start in life to provide more than 1,000 volunteer hours and raise more than $20,000 for a wide variety of causes aiding children and others in difficult situations. Read more about Amal and Kelsey's trip to Washington, D.C. – where they were also named two of America's top 10 youth volunteers of 2017.

How to Apply

To apply for a 2018 Prudential Spirit of Community Award, students and certifiers must complete the following steps:

• Students complete the online application by November 7, 2017.

• Then, students submit the application for certification to their principal or head of a local participating organization.

• Certifiers review all applications for their school or organization, then select a Local Honoree to nominate for state-level judging by November 17, 2017.

Applications can be certified by a middle or high school principal or head of a Girl Scout council, county 4-H organization, American Red Cross chapter, YMCA or an affiliate of Points of Light's HandsOn Network. (Students can request a paper application by calling 855-670-4787.)

The 2018 Awards Program

On February 6, 2018, the top middle level and high school volunteer from each state and the District of Columbia will be named State Honorees. They will receive $1,000, engraved silver medallions and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., with a parent or guardian for four days of recognition events from April 28-May 1, 2018.

In Washington, a distinguished national selection committee will name 10 of the 102 State Honorees as America's top youth volunteers of the year. These National Honorees will receive additional awards of $5,000, gold medallions, crystal trophies for their nominating schools or organizations, and $5,000 grants from The Prudential Foundation for nonprofit charitable organizations of their choice.

Several Distinguished Finalists in each state will receive bronze medallions, and runners-up will receive Certificates of Excellence. Local Honorees selected by schools and participating organizations for state-level judging will be presented with Certificates of Achievement; they will also receive President's Volunteer Service Awards if they have served the minimum number of volunteer hours to qualify (26 hours for age 10 and younger, 50 hours for ages 11-15 and 100 hours for older students).

"NASSP is proud to honor middle level and high school students who go above and beyond to better the lives of others," said JoAnn Bartoletti, executive director of NASSP. "We are inspired every year by their stories of service, and look forward once again to celebrating young volunteers across America."