Luminari Summer Camps for Teens
Winchester Thurston Upper School, 555 Morewood Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15217
About
Luminari Summer Camps for Teens includes the I Want to be an Ambassador! camp, which takes place in Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C. in June 2026. The I Want to be an Ambassador! camp includes travel to Washington, D.C. to engage first-hand with ambassadors and foreign diplomats. Before departing for Washington, D.C., participants prepare in Pittsburgh with specialized leaders and educators who teach skills necessary to master the art of diplomacy.
• Ages: 12–16 years old
• Price: Each winner will receive a merit-based scholarship valued at $1,800 for an all expense paid admission to Luminari’s I Want to be an Ambassador! camp in summer 2026.
The Luminari Award is an annual scholarship competition that takes place between November and January and is a merit-based award open to students in 7th–11th grades. Winners of the Luminari Award competition are named Luminari Award Scholars and are invited to attend the I Want to be an Ambassador! summer camp in Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C., June 2026. One Luminari Award winner is selected from nominees who complete the Luminari Award Student Application and mail or email it by February 15, 2026, and the second Luminari Award winner will be a student enrolled in their school’s ESL (English as a second language) program. All students may enter the Luminari Award on their own by submitting applications and essays directly.
The Luminari Award application process requires a one-page essay describing interest in diplomacy and the ways in which the applicant will benefit from the I Want to be an Ambassador! camp in daily life. The application process also requires filling out an application form and having a parent or legal guardian sign it. Completed essays and application forms must be returned to [email protected] or mailed to Luminari, P.O. Box 81603, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15217 no later than February 15, 2026. The Luminari Award scholarship is non-transferable, can only be redeemed for admission to the 2026 I Want to be an Ambassador! camp, and no substitutions, exchanges or cash prizes will be awarded for the scholarship.
Luminari is a registered 501C3 organization and has a partner in education referred to as “Our Partner in Education.” Luminari also invites submissions of essays, short fiction, journalism, poetry, photography, cartoons and illustrations for publication in Lumos, its bi-monthly newsletter. For each issue of Lumos, one winning submission is selected, and the prize for the winning Lumos submission is a $25 Target gift card. Lumos considers all submissions under terms of right of first publication.
Last updated January 5, 2026.
• Ages: 12–16 years old
• Price: Each winner will receive a merit-based scholarship valued at $1,800 for an all expense paid admission to Luminari’s I Want to be an Ambassador! camp in summer 2026.
The Luminari Award is an annual scholarship competition that takes place between November and January and is a merit-based award open to students in 7th–11th grades. Winners of the Luminari Award competition are named Luminari Award Scholars and are invited to attend the I Want to be an Ambassador! summer camp in Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C., June 2026. One Luminari Award winner is selected from nominees who complete the Luminari Award Student Application and mail or email it by February 15, 2026, and the second Luminari Award winner will be a student enrolled in their school’s ESL (English as a second language) program. All students may enter the Luminari Award on their own by submitting applications and essays directly.
The Luminari Award application process requires a one-page essay describing interest in diplomacy and the ways in which the applicant will benefit from the I Want to be an Ambassador! camp in daily life. The application process also requires filling out an application form and having a parent or legal guardian sign it. Completed essays and application forms must be returned to [email protected] or mailed to Luminari, P.O. Box 81603, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15217 no later than February 15, 2026. The Luminari Award scholarship is non-transferable, can only be redeemed for admission to the 2026 I Want to be an Ambassador! camp, and no substitutions, exchanges or cash prizes will be awarded for the scholarship.
Luminari is a registered 501C3 organization and has a partner in education referred to as “Our Partner in Education.” Luminari also invites submissions of essays, short fiction, journalism, poetry, photography, cartoons and illustrations for publication in Lumos, its bi-monthly newsletter. For each issue of Lumos, one winning submission is selected, and the prize for the winning Lumos submission is a $25 Target gift card. Lumos considers all submissions under terms of right of first publication.
Last updated January 5, 2026.
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