What Scholarships and Awards Does NYSAVT Offer?

NYSAVT (the New York State Association of Veterinary Technicians) lists four named scholarship and award programs on its website: The Dr. James Zgoda Memorial Scholarship, the Dr. James Zgoda Excellence in Tech Achievement award, Vet Tech of the Year, and a Student Scholarship. These appear as items under the "NYSAVT Awards" section of the site, alongside the association's other member-facing programs. The site does not publish eligibility rules, dollar amounts, deadlines, or application forms on the page where these programs are named, so anyone interested should treat the list below as a starting point and confirm current details directly with NYSAVT.

The four programs at a glance

The names themselves carry the main signal: two are scholarships (money toward education), and two are achievement awards (recognition of professional performance). The site does not state whether the scholarships are paid to the recipient, to a school, or as reimbursement, and it does not list award amounts.

What each program appears to be for

Dr. James Zgoda Memorial Scholarship

A scholarship named in memory of Dr. James Zgoda. Because it sits in the same awards block as the Student Scholarship, it is most plausibly aimed at people pursuing or continuing veterinary technician education, but the site does not spell out the criteria. If you are a student or a technician returning to coursework, this is the first one to ask about.

Dr. James Zgoda Excellence in Tech Achievement

An achievement award rather than a scholarship. The "Excellence in Tech Achievement" wording points to recognition of on-the-job performance or a notable contribution to the profession, which typically means nominees are already working licensed veterinary technicians.

Vet Tech of the Year

The most self-explanatory of the four: an annual recognition of one veterinary technician. Awards like this usually run on nominations from colleagues, employers, or the public, though NYSAVT's page does not confirm the nomination process.

Student Scholarship

A scholarship directed at students. Given NYSAVT also maintains a Student Center, VTNE information, a list of LVT schools in New York State, and student chapters, this scholarship likely connects to that student pipeline — but again, the site does not publish the terms.

How to actually apply or get details

The awards are listed on the site, but the page does not include application instructions, so the practical path is:

1. Go to nysavt.org and open the NYSAVT Awards section to confirm the programs are still current.
2. Check the Newsletters area — NYSAVT publishes a summer and spring newsletter (the site shows a Summer Newsletter dated 6/23/2026 and a Spring 2026 Newsletter dated 3/16/2026). Award and scholarship announcements, deadlines, and recipient stories commonly appear in member newsletters.
3. Check the Events Calendar and the Annual Spring Seminar pages, since awards are often presented at the spring seminar.
4. Contact NYSAVT directly at [email protected] or by mail at P.O. Box 17, West Sand Lake, NY 12196, and ask for the current criteria, deadline, and submission requirements for the specific program you want.

What the site does not tell you

To avoid wasted effort, note what is missing from the published page:

• No eligibility requirements (membership status, New York residency, enrollment proof, years of experience).
• No award or scholarship amounts.
• No application deadlines or cycles.
• No nomination forms or links.
• No statement on whether NYSAVT membership is required to apply.

Because of this, do not assume a program is open to non-members, or that a deadline falls at a particular time of year, until NYSAVT confirms it.

Related resources worth knowing about

If your interest in these awards is really about funding or advancing your technician career, the same site hosts adjacent resources:

• Student Center — VTNE information, LVT schools in New York State, and NYSAVT student chapters.
• Career Center — job listings (the homepage shows a "Featured Jobs" block).
• Continuing Education — NYSAVT self-study online CE, CE course evaluation, and course/speaker submission.
• Professional Resources — access your credits, NYS mandatory CE, license requirements, Commissioner's Regulations, and NYS Education Law.

For students specifically, the Student Center plus the Student Scholarship are the two most relevant stops. For working technicians, the achievement awards and the CE resources are the natural pairing.

Bottom line

NYSAVT names four scholarship and award opportunities — the Dr. James Zgoda Memorial Scholarship, the Dr. James Zgoda Excellence in Tech Achievement award, Vet Tech of the Year, and a Student Scholarship — but publishes no eligibility, amounts, or deadlines on the page where they are listed. Confirm the current terms with NYSAVT by email before you plan an application around any of them.