Three Hawaii students were among the first group of scholarship recipients announced today in the 56th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.

Mark D. Grozen-Smith of Iolani School won the General Dynamics Scholarship; Ashley A. Miyasaki of Punahou School, the National Distillers Distributors Foundation Scholarship; and OJ G. Haugen of Punahou, the Pfizer Inc. Scholarship.

They were among about a thousand high school seniors who won corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarship awards, financed by some 200 corporations, company foundations and business organizations, according to a National Merit announcement.

On May 4, the corporation will name recipients of National Merit $2,500 scholarships. On May 25 and July 11 it will announce winners of college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards.

By the conclusion of this year’s competition, about 7,800 students will have received scholarships worth nearly $35 million, the announcement said. Most of these awards are renewable for up to four years of college undergraduate study and provide annual stipends that range from $500 to $10,000 per year; and some provide a single payment between $2,500 and $5,000, according to the announcement.

Scholars were selected from students who advanced to the finalist level in the competition and met criteria of their scholarship sponsors.