Mira Costa Senior Wins National Scholarship
May 13, 2026 06:38AM ● By MB News Staff
Mira Costa senior Emilia Malis has been named one of this year's National Merit $2,500 scholarship winners. She is one of only 2,500 seniors nationwide to receive the honor.
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced this year’s winners this morning. The Merit Scholar designees were chosen from a talent pool of more than 15,000 finalists in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program.
Back in September, eight Mira Costa seniors, including Malis, were named National Merit semi-finalists.
The scholars were selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors, who appraised a substantial amount of information submitted by both the finalists and their high schools: the academic record, including difficulty level of subjects studied and grades earned; scores from the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®); contributions and leadership in school and community activities; an essay written by the finalist; and a recommendation written by a high school official.
2026 National Merit Scholarship Competition
Today marks the second announcement of winners in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program. On April 22, about 700 recipients of corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards were named, and on June 3 and July 13, some 3,500 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship winners will be announced. By the conclusion of this year’s competition, about 6,700 academic champions will have won National Merit Scholarships worth approximately $24 million. By the conclusion of the 2026 program, about 6,700 finalists will have earned the “Merit Scholar” title and received a total of nearly $24 million in college scholarships.
