• Purpose:  The purpose of the Helen J. Stewart Award is to engage high school seniors in their community by encouraging voter registration among eligible Nevada high school students. Nevada is leading the way in youth participation in elections, and making their voices heard across our state and country.

• Criteria:  The Helen J. Stewart Award is presented to any Nevada high school that gets at least 85 percent of eligible students in the senior class registered to vote in Nevada.

• Eligibility:  In order to register to vote in Nevada, you must be a U.S. citizen, be at least 18 years old, and have continuously resided in Nevada at least 30 days in your county and 10 days in your precinct. Pre-registration is available to all 17-year-olds. Those who are pre-registered to vote will automatically be registered to vote on their 18th birthday. Individuals with a felony conviction can register to vote as long as they are not currently serving a term of imprisonment for a felony conviction.   

About Helen J. Stewart 

Helen J. Stewart married and moved to Nevada in 1873 from California and resided with her husband and three children in the Pioche, Nevada area.  In 1882 Helen moved with her husband and children to the Las Vegas Valley to take possession of the Las Vegas Ranch.  Two more children were born in the Las Vegas Valley.  Helen operated the Ranch after the death of her husband in 1884.  Helen Stewart became the first woman elected to the Clark County School District’s Board of Trustees in 1916.  She donated land in 1922 for the Las Vegas Grammar School, which became the first public school attended by Native American students from the Southern Paiute Indian Colony.  The building still stands and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

The Helen J. Stewart Award 

 The Helen J. Stewart award was established in 2016 and is available annually to any NV high school.         

If your high school wishes to apply for the Helen J. Stewart Award, please complete and submit an                award nomination form using this spreadsheet template. 

The deadline to submit the application for the 2025-2026 School Year Recognition is approximately two weeks prior to the last day of school. Dates by county listed below:

May 9, 2026, for the following counties: Lincoln, Nye, Churchill and Clark

May 16, 2026, for the following counties: Lander, Eureka, and Storey

May 23, 2026, for the following counties Mineral, Carson, Esmeralda, Humbolt, Pershing, Washoe, White Pine and Elko

May 30, 2026, for the following counties: Douglas & Lyon                                                                       

Questions about the Helen J. Stewart Award can be sent to nvelect@sos.nv.gov or call 775-687-8683.

Helen J. Stewart Award Recipients

2024-2025 School Year

Equipo Academy, Las Vegas
Shadow Ridge High School, Las Vegas

2023-2024 School Year

Equipo Academy, Las Vegas
Shadow Ridge High School, Las Vegas

2022-2023 School Year

Battle Mountain High School, Battle Mountain
Equipo Academy, Las Vegas
Shadow Ridge High School, Las Vegas

2021-2022 School Year

Battle Mountain High School, Battle Mountain
Equipo Academy, Las Vegas
Shadow Ridge High School, Las Vegas

2019-2020 School Year

Shadow Ridge High School, Las Vegas

2018 -2019 School Year

Shadow Ridge High School, Las Vegas
Southwest Career and Technical Academy, Las Vegas      

2017-2018 School Year

Lake Mead Christian Academy
Shadow Ridge High School
Somerset Academy of Las Vegas - Sky Pointe
Southwest Career and Technical Academy

2016-2017 School Year

Somerset Academy of Las Vegas - Sky Pointe