How to Make a Big Check for a Scholarship Presentation
Foundations, booster clubs, and community groups hand out scholarships every graduation season — here's how to design a check that photographs well and stays reusable year after year.
Scholarship ceremonies are one of the most common places you'll see a giant check — school assemblies, booster club banquets, foundation award nights, and community scholarship dinners all lean on the same format: a student's name, an amount, and a room full of proud parents with phones out.
What to include
- Awarding organization — the foundation, booster club, or committee name in the bank field
- Student's full name — as the payee, large and centered
- Award amount — numerals plus the written-out form
- Scholarship name in the memo — be specific rather than generic (see FAQ below)
- Date — the ceremony date, or graduation year
- Signature — typically the committee chair, principal, or foundation director
Design considerations for an academic setting
The classic "Standard" green-and-white theme tends to fit school and civic settings best — it reads as traditional and credible without competing with the school's own colors or branding. If your program has a specific school color scheme, consider whether the check's accent color will clash on stage before locking it in.
Reusing one design for multiple recipients
Most scholarship nights hand out more than one award. Rather than starting from scratch for each student, keep the organization name, theme, and layout fixed, and change only:
- The student's name
- The award amount (if it varies by scholarship tier)
- The specific scholarship name in the memo, if multiple funds are being awarded that night
Export and print each version separately — since there's no software to reinstall or template file to re-download, updating and re-exporting between recipients takes under a minute per check.
A tip for programs with many recipients
If a single ceremony is awarding scholarships to ten or more students, consider printing a smaller "tabletop" size (24" x 12") for individual photo ops at a check-in table, and reserve one full 36" x 18" version for the highest-value or headline award announced from the stage.
Build this year's scholarship check
Set the organization name and theme once, then swap in each recipient's name and amount — export a fresh file per student in minutes.
Open the Free Designer →$10 for the clean, print-ready download · no signup required
Frequently asked questions
What should a scholarship check memo say?
Keep it specific: the scholarship's name (e.g., "Riverside Community Foundation Merit Scholarship") rather than a generic "Scholarship Award," so the check doubles as a record of exactly which fund or committee awarded it.
Should the check be made out to the student or the school?
For the ceremony photo, make it out to the student by name — it's more personal and the moment is about them. The actual funds are usually disbursed to the college's financial aid office separately; the giant check is a symbolic presentation piece, not the real payment instrument.
How many scholarship checks do we need for one ceremony?
One reusable design works for multiple students — export a template with the committee name and theme locked in, then swap just the student's name and award amount for each recipient and print each as a separate file.