Twenty-six Maine high school seniors have been named semifinalists in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced Wednesday.
The students are among more than 16,000 semifinalists nationwide who will compete for nearly $26 million in scholarships next spring. To advance to finalist status, students must submit a detailed application, maintain strong academic records, write an essay, and earn confirming SAT or ACT scores. About 95 percent of semifinalists are expected to become finalists, and roughly half will win scholarships.
The Maine semifinalists, listed by town and high school, are:
- Augusta, Cony High School: John Peter Caruso
- Bangor, Bangor High School: Zafir Bashir, Gaudenis A. Gricius, Jacob C. Klein, Jackson L. Whitney
- Brunswick, Brunswick High School: Anna Leslie, Nathaniel Rathbone, Marco Venegas
- Cape Elizabeth, Cape Elizabeth High School: Audrey Alberts, Liam Nudd, Wren Venter, Jack Wark
- Caribou, Caribou High School: Maggie L. Bell
- Cumberland Center, Greely High School: Finnian Lacy
- Falmouth, Falmouth High School: Molly E. Gerding, Elias A. Haller, Penelope J. Johnson, Amanda M. Liu, Connor M. Lund, Aadil Omar, Felicity L. Record, Pamela C. Sherman, Julia K. Tracy, Victoria E. Wahlig, Annika F. Wolak, Emmy J. Xu, Julia D. Young, Sierra R. Zamer
- Freeport, Freeport High School: Elsa Klein
- Kents Hill, Kents Hill School: Lucien Gross
- Lewiston, Lewiston High School: William Diamond-Stanic
- Limestone, Maine School of Science and Mathematics: Aubrey Ainsworth, Graham Reichert
- North Berwick, Noble High School: Collin McEvoy
- Old Town, Old Town High School: Reilly Ell
- Orono, Orono High School: Andrew M. Hayden
- Portland, Cheverus High School: Lainey Trieu
- Portland, Deering High School: Ellis C. Retzer, Alma J. Wallace, Ellis F. Wood
- Portland, Waynflete School: Jasper Nichols, Lucy Olson, George Tagtmeier, Leo Woolf
- Readfield, Maranacook Community School: Sawyer Rooney, Jack Thaller
- Saco, Thornton Academy: Elodie Falardeau
- Sanford, Sanford High School: Matthew J. Melvin
- Scarborough, Scarborough High School: Vaishnavi Kuppula
- South China, Erskine Academy: Elijah Pelkey
- South Portland, South Portland High School: Audrey LeBleu
- Thorndike, Mount View High School: Julia C. Richards
- Topsham, Mount Ararat School: Finn Dedek, Bryce Holden, Ryan Schultz
- Waterville, Waterville High School: Sam Withers
- Yarmouth, Yarmouth High School: Sabina Petrucci, Antonio Velazquez26 ME Semifinalists-NatlMeritPr…
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation, based in Evanston, Illinois, has operated the program since 1955. It is funded by the corporation’s own resources as well as nearly 300 business organizations, higher education institutions, and individual donors.
National Merit winners will be announced beginning in April 2026 and concluding in July.
