2026 Kansas Financial Scholars Scholarship Winners Announced

The Kansas Office of the State Bank Commissioner (OSBC) has awarded five scholarships totaling $22,000 to five recent Kansas high school graduates. The students wrote essays demonstrating their knowledge of money management and the importance it has on their future in this year's Kansas Financial Scholars Essay Contest.

This year's winners were awarded $4,000-$5,000 scholarships by the Kansas Office of the State Bank Commissioner (OSBC) to continue their studies at a Kansas institution of higher learning.

Congratulations to our winners: Isaac Ibendahl of Wamego High School earned a $5,000 scholarship; Lexi Wright from Sublette High School and Ashlyn Prokop from Seaman High School each received $4,500; and Joshua Brookshire of Ness City High School and Lauren McCosh of Douglass High School were each awarded $4,000.

When asked about this year's scholarship contest, Bank Commissioner David Herndon said "I am delighted the Office of the State Bank Commissioner can provide these scholarships to such deserving high school graduates and wholeheartedly congratulate each winner. Kansas is fortunate its future is in the hands of such an impressive group and wish the best for these students as they continue their education."

Consumer Affairs Manager Kristy Hanshaw added, "Congratulations to the 2026 OSBC scholarship recipients for their excellent essays on financial literacy - we were impressed by the strong submissions again this year and wish all participants continued success."

To be eligible for this scholarship, students must have completed a financial literacy program that aligns with the Kansas financial literacy K-12 standards, and they must be attending a Kansas trade school, technical school, college, or university in the Fall of 2026. To enter, the students were asked to submit a two-part essay. The first part discussed how they learned about money management, and its effect on their approach to managing financial decisions for their continued education. For the second part, they described how they used the knowledge gained through their financial literacy program and personal experience. The essay also required research and the use of an educational cost calculator.

More information about the winners will be available on the website of the Kansas Office of the State Bank Commissioner, www.osbckansas.gov.

Educating Kansas consumers is an important part of the mission of the OSBC. There are many different financial literacy programs and curriculum used in high schools and this contest challenges students to use that knowledge to research and analyze decisions they will make for their futures. The scholarships are funded by fines imposed and collected from non-depository regulated institutions, or settlements reached with companies within the jurisdiction of the OSBC. No taxpayer monies or bank assessment funds are used.

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