Scholarships...some are more competitive than college admissions! Each scholarship is competitive in its own right, so it will require an incredible applicant to take the cake in each case (unless it is an unknown scholarship that has a total applicant pool of... one student).
So let's go about this logically. Scholarship committees provide criteria. This is how they judge who wins and who gets their application tossed aside (it's not that harsh but the impact is the same). Read the criteria. Study the criteria. Apply for scholarships when you know you meet and excel at such criteria. Each word has a purpose, so be aware of this. If a scholarship is solely seeking students who have "demonstrated a commitment to community service", then your two-hour participation in a local breast cancer charity walk is not enough to merit a winning application! For example, I founded Bridge Education, a non-profit SAT tutoring organization that provides assistance to disadvantaged students in Central Florida (we are still operating, so if you are interested in the program, send an email to Bridge.Education@GMail.com!) My involvement in Bridge totaled over 750 hours of community service and showed true initiative. This program was probably impressive to the folks at Prudential and allowed me to earn the Prudential Spirit of the Community Award. For a program that focuses solely on community service, your GPA, extracurriculars and job mean nothing! Pay attention to the criteria.
Okay so... other criteria? Well fortunately the criteria for scholarships generally mirrors what colleges want. A high GPA/class rank. High test scores. Rigorous course load. Diverse and meaningful extracurricular activities. Athletic involvement. Dedication to your community. And more...
But it's not just about college-related criteria. Some scholarships award students who are left-handed or have a certain ethnic heritage. Also, financial need factors into many programs such as the program run by the National Elk's Lodge (a very generous scholarship, by the way, that can be worth up to $60,000!).
Once you meet the criteria for a scholarship, make sure you present yourself in the best way possible. This includes your application, interview and essays. Neatness is key because if your application is not legible or causes any difficulty for the people reviewing your application, then what's to stop them from tossing it into the "Sorry, not good enough" pile? Being neat means showing up from start to finish. So make your papers crisp (avoid dog ears!) and place them without bending in a large envelope that fits your app (you can bend if necessary but just do it in the most professional way possible). Presentation goes beyond physical conditions, so consider how legible your writing is...on your application, on your cover letter and on the envelope cover. Chances are that you have typed most of the materials within the envelope, so make sure that the outside matches the neatness of the inside.
At the end of the day, your content and substance mean more than anything else. More on the criteria, your interview and your essays in the near future...
