Like the ALA Junior Member of the Year program, the Rising Star Junior Award recognizes our younger members and their active participation in the ALA’s mission. Five Rising Star Juniors — one in each ALA division — will be selected by the national Junior Activities Committee. The ALA’s five divisions:
 
Central
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, West Virginia, Wisconsin
 
Eastern
Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont
 
Northwestern 
Colorado, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming
 
Southern
Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia
 
Western
Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington
 

• Winners will receive a citation plaque and will be authorized, along with their chaperones, to travel to the national Junior meeting in their division during the 2026-2027 administrative year. 
• The application should be completed by the Junior member applying for the Rising Star Junior Award.
• Applicant must have been a Junior member at the start of the current ALA administrative year and be between the ages of 8-13.
• Applicant must be a Junior member in good standing of the American Legion Auxiliary.
• Applicant’s narrative should detail the Junior member’s ALA participation and activities during the past year, June 1, 2025 - May 31, 2026. Only activities from that time will be considered. Document with photographs, screenshots, and other evidence of the Junior’s ALA participation and activities.
• Essay questions should be the applicant’s original writing and will be checked for the use of AI. Essays deemed 20% or more written by AI will be disqualified.