ayn rand essay scholarships

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Ayn rand essay contests, atlas shrugged, top prize : $10,000, the fountainhead, top prize : $5,000, top prize : $2,000.

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Ayn Rand Essay Contests

Ages: High School, Undergraduate, Graduate

Type: Submission

Scope: none

[email protected]

Participate

Have you ever read one of Ayn Rand’s thought-provoking novels? Now’s the time! Enter an Ayn Rand Institute essay contest and you’ll have a chance to win thousands of dollars in prize money. ARI has held student essay contests on Ayn Rand’s fiction since 1986, awarding over $2.2 million in prize money to contest winners! This year we will award more than $40,000 to hundreds of students worldwide.

Students can select to write an essay relating to topics from two of Ayn Rand's novels: Anthem or The Fountainhead. For each novel, there are multiple topics that can be addressed in the essay. Students can select any of these topics. See the competition website for details on the topics. Essays must be 600-1200 words in length and written in English only. Essays must be solely the work of the entrant. Plagiarism will result in disqualification. Essays must be written in English only, and must be no fewer than 600 and no more than 1,200 words in length, double-spaced. Spelling errors and/or written corrections (by anyone) found on the essay will count against the final grade and should be omitted before submission.

Website: https://www.aynrand.org/students/essay-contests

Managing Organization: Ayn Rand Institute

Contact: [email protected]

Eligibility: Open to all 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students worldwide. Entrant must be 13 years of age or older.

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College Scholarship: Ayn Rand “Atlas Shrugged” Essay Contest

As college costs continue to soar, more and more students find themselves looking for additional ways to fund a college education. More than 85% of college students now receive some type of financial aid, but for many families, this still isn’t enough to cover college expenses. In fact, CNBC estimated in 2018 that 70% of students were graduating with student debt, and that the average graduate has $37,172 in student loans. One way to help defray these costs is through college scholarships.

About the Ayn Rand “Atlas Shrugged” Essay Contest

Students who have read Ayn Rand’s prolific novel “Atlas Shrugged” know that the book provides commentary on a number of complex philosophical themes, ranging from objectivism to capitalism and individualism. For over 30 years, the Ayn Rand Institute has held worldwide essay contests for students based on Ayn Rand’s fiction. In 2019, they will award over 230 prizes, totaling more than $70,000.

Participants submit an essay that addresses one of three prompts based on “Atlas Shrugged”. The prompts for 2019 are:

• Atlas Shrugged depicts a society of diminishing economic freedom. What is the philosophical motivation behind these controls and what is the practical result? What is hero John Galt’s answer, both practically and philosophically? Use the events in the novel to support your answer. In your answer, consider what Ayn Rand says in the lecture “ Faith and Force .”
• Dagny says to Rearden: “If I’m asked to name my proudest attainment, I will say: I have slept with Hank Rearden. I had earned it.” Why is she so proud, and what does she mean by having earned it? How and why does Rearden’s attitude differ from hers? How do their attitudes toward sex relate to the wider themes of the novel? Consider also what Ayn Rand has to say in her essay “ Of Living Death .”
• Atlas Shrugged is a story that portrays a dramatic conflict of characters and their values. What is the most significant conflict in the story? Is it the conflict between the creators and the looters? Is it the conflict the creators experience in their own souls? Is it something else? Explain your answer.

Essays are judged on the student’s ability to justify and provide evidence for his or her statement, not on whether the Institute agrees with the student’s perspective. Judges look for writing that is “clear, articulate and logically organized [and] winning essays must demonstrate an outstanding grasp of the philosophic meaning of ‘Atlas Shrugged’.”

The first place winner receives $25,000. Two second place winners receive $2,500, five third place winners receive $500, and 50 finalists receive $100 each.

“Atlas Shrugged” Essay Contest Requirements

Entires are open to students worldwide, but the essay must be written in English. All entrants must be 12th graders, college undergraduates, or graduate students.  All essays must be between 800-1600 words in length. Essays can be submitted by mail or online. If submitted by mail, be certain to include all of the elements outlined on the Contest Rules page. Submissions need to be submitted online or postmarked by September 19, 2019, no later than 11:59 p.m., Pacific Standard Time. Winners will be notified by January 2020. Be sure to see the complete Contest Details for all requirements.

Tips on Applying for the Ayn Rand “Atlas Shrugged” Essay Contest

Follow the directions.

It can be difficult to juggle the requirements of multiple scholarship applications, but it is absolutely paramount that you follow all directions for each scholarship exactly. Remember, most scholarships receive thousands of applicants, and it can be difficult to choose a single winner. Failure to follow directions gives the contest evaluators or scholarship judges good reason to pass you over.

Proofreading is an essential piece of every scholarship application, but it is especially important for essay contests. Judges want to hear from students who can express themselves articulately and intelligently. Lapses in spelling or grammar may at best indicate that you rushed through your work, or at worst be a sign that you don’t know the proper spelling or grammar to begin with.

Research is an especially helpful part of the “Atlas Shrugged” Essay Contest. This is because the Ayn Rand Institute provides a number of resources to guide entrants. For one, they provide the actual essays of past winners. Read these carefully to learn more about the type and level of work expected from a winning entry. In addition, don’t miss the countless resources provided under the Resources tab . Although the Institute is careful to say that beyond “endorsing perfect punctuation and grammar” they offer no specific advice for the essay, they do provide a number of tools to help frame your thinking and enhance your essay content. Read these carefully before beginning.

Enlist Help

While your essay must absolutely be 100% your own work, there’s not doubt that having another set of eyes and ears to review your work is very helpful. Talk with a teacher, mentor, or friend about your essay content before you begin writing. You may get some helpful feedback to help shape the direction of your work. Then, once you’re done with the writing part, be sure to have someone else give your essay a good proofread and edit. Sometimes a fresh set of eyes will find typos that blended in when you reviewed your work.

Curious about your chances of acceptance to your dream school? Our free chancing engine takes into account your GPA, test scores, extracurriculars, and other data to predict your odds of acceptance at over 500 colleges across the U.S. We’ll also let you know how you stack up against other applicants and how you can improve your profile. Sign up for your free CollegeVine account today to get started!

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Ayn Rand Essay Scholarships: Atlas Shrugged novel Essay Contest

Website: AYN RAND Essay Contest

Description

The  Atlas Shrugged novel essay contest is for students with a passion for reading and writing.

How the selection works:

• Seasonal Prompts - every 3 months there is a new seasonal entry round, with its own unique essay prompt. You may compete in any or all of these entry rounds.
• Seasonal Winners - the top 3 essays from each season will be awarded a cash prize. The first place essay from each season will advance to compete for the annual grant prize.
• Annual Grant Prize - 1st place essays from each season will be eligible to contend for the annual first-place title, with an opportunity to secure a grand prize of $25,000.

Each entry round features a unique topic designed to provoke a deeper understanding of  Atlas Shrugged ’s central themes and characters. Essays must be written in English only and be between 800 and 1,600 words in length.

Eligibility

Open to all high school, college and graduate students worldwide. 

Our doors are open to participants coming from any part of the world. We have no restrictions on citizenship or nationality, welcoming essays from all, provided they are in English. We welcome submissions from both undergraduate and graduate students.

• Permanent Resident
• International or Other Visa Status
• Undocumented

Please visit the website to apply: https://aynrand.org/students/essay-contests/atlas-shrugged/

Contact Information

Questions? Write to [email protected] .

Award Details

Number of Awards: 9

Award Amount: $25,000 - $1,000

• 2024-06-14: Summer Entry Deadline
• June: National Summer Entry Deadline

Copyright © 2007–2024 University of Washington . Managed by the Center for Experiential Learning & Diversity , a unit of Undergraduate Academic Affairs .

Ayn Rand Anthem Essay Contest

Scholarship description.

What is Anthem?

Anthem is Ayn Rand’s classic tale of a dystopian future of the great “We”—a world that deprives individuals of a name or independence.

In all that was left of humanity there was only one man who dared to think, seek, and love. He lived in the dark ages of the future. In a loveless world, he dared to love the woman of his choice. In an age that had lost all trace of science and civilization, he had the courage to seek and find knowledge. But these were not the crimes for which he would be hunted. He was marked for death because he had committed the unpardonable sin: He had stood forth from the mindless human herd. He was a man alone. He had rediscovered the lost and holy word—I.

Participating in this contest isn’t just about winning prizes; it’s an opportunity to improve your ability to write and think effectively. You must be in middle school or high school to participate in this contest. Essays must be written in English only and between 600 and 1,200 words in length. You'll find the essay prompt of this round of contest on our website.

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Essays on Ayn Rand’s “Anthem”

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Copyright © 1985 – 2024 The Ayn Rand Institute (ARI). Reproduction of content and images in whole or in part is prohibited. All rights reserved. ARI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Contributions to ARI in the United States are tax-exempt to the extent provided by law. Objectivist Conferences (OCON), Ayn Rand Conference (ARC), Ayn Rand University (ARU) and the Ayn Rand Institute eStore are operated by ARI. Payments to OCON, ARC, ARU or the Ayn Rand Institute eStore do not qualify as tax-deductible contributions to the Ayn Rand Institute. AYN RAND, AYN RAND INSTITUTE, ARI, AYN RAND UNIVERSITY and the AYN RAND device are trademarks of the Ayn Rand Institute. All rights reserved.

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Trouble uploading my Atlas shrugged essay contest scholarship

So, as the title reads I tried submitting my Atlas shrugged essay to aynrand.org only for everytime i try to submit it for it for the website to hang or stall and I haven't gotten a confrimation yet that my essay was submitted, this has been happening since June 13th. I've applied to a couple scholarships from the Ayn rand institute in the past and know how the process works to an extent but I've never ran into such an issue before. I sent an email of my essay to " [email protected] " explaining that I can't submit my essay and attached it to the email but I'm afraid I wont be able to send in my final draft, I've tried using different browsers going incognito, nothing works. If anyone knows how I can submit my essay before the deadline of June 14th tonight that would be much appreciated.

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Top 100+ Graduate School Scholarships in June 2024

Will Geiger is the co-founder of Scholarships360 and has a decade of experience in college admissions and financial aid. He is a former Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at Kenyon College where he personally reviewed 10,000 admissions applications and essays. Will also managed the Kenyon College merit scholarship program and served on the financial aid appeals committee. He has also worked as an Associate Director of College Counseling at a high school in New Haven, Connecticut. Will earned his master’s in education from the University of Pennsylvania and received his undergraduate degree in history from Wake Forest University.

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One of the biggest misconceptions about student debt is that it is mostly impacting college students. The reality is that the graduate school student debt is growing at an even more rapid pace. Luckily there are a number of great graduate student scholarships available!

These graduate school scholarships, when combined with graduate assistantships and fellowships and institutional aid, can make graduate school much more affordable. So, whether you are a masters student or a doctoral student, you can receive funding to help pay for college and eliminate your student debt burden with these opportunities!

Don’t forget to try out our filter buttons to browse scholarships for med school, business school, law school, and more.

Why choose Scholarships360

We helped over 4 million students find scholarships in 2023

We've spent over 4,000 hours reviewing 3,000 scholarship programs

13+ years of experience helping students make smart education decisions

The Scholarships360 Research Team reviews all scholarships individually and strives to exclude any scholarship where any of the below applies:

• The scholarship requires a fee to apply
• The scholarship provider’s privacy policy allows for the misuse of student data
• The scholarship requires paid membership in an organization (with certain exceptions for reputable trade organizations and others)
• Student are required to sign up for a site or service to apply*
• The scholarship seems primarily used for lead generation** or idea harvesting purposes***
• The scholarship website has many grammatical errors and/or advertisements
• The scholarship or scholarship providing organization seem untrustworthy
• There is no evidence the scholarship was previously awarded
• The scholarship has not been awarded in the past 12 months
• There is no available contact information

If you believe a scholarship has been published in error, please reach out to [email protected] and we’ll take a look!

* There are certain exceptions to this, for example if the sponsoring organization is a major corporation or nonprofit with its own scholarship application system. ** Lead generation scholarships will require students to sign up for an app or website and require minimal (if any) application requirements. ***Idea harvesting scholarships will require students to submit blog posts or other materials that companies may use for marketing purposes.

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Top 10 overall grad school scholarships

We pick our grad school scholarships by finding trustworthy organizations who offer big rewards and have been offering their scholarships for a long period of time. Here are our editors’ picks for the top 10 grad school scholarships overall:

• Ayn Rand Institute Novel Essay Contest (Atlas Shrugged)  – For students who submit an essay about the novel Atlas Shrugged. Worth $25,000
• Stokes Scholarship Programs  – For students pursuing fields relevant to work in the CIA. Worth $25,000
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• Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers Scholarships  – For high school seniors and above who are Hispanic and pursuing a STEM degree. Worth $25,000
• Thermo Fisher Scientific Antibody Scholarship Program  – For college and graduate students studying life sciences or related fields. Worth $10,000
• Tylenol Future Care Scholarship  – For students enrolling in medical, nursing, or pharmacy school, worth $5,000-$10,000
• Earnest More Than a Scholarship – For students enrolled in a Title IV undergrad or grad program. Worth $5,000
• El Cafe Del Futuro Scholarship  – For undergraduate and graduate students attending Hispanic-Serving Institutions in the US. Worth $5,000

Program-specific graduate school scholarships

If you are pursuing a specific graduate program, you can check out these program-specific scholarship guides:

• Accounting Scholarships
• Computer Science Scholarships
• Law School Scholarships
• MBA Scholarships
• Medical School Scholarships
• Nursing Scholarships
• Dentistry scholarships
• Pharmacy school scholarships

How to win scholarships for graduate students

As someone who has already gone through the process of earning your undergraduate degree, you probably have some experience with applying for scholarships. However, students applying for graduate scholarships would do well to emphasize a few different points to help ensure successful applications.

Graduate students typically have a more specific idea of their future career goals than undergraduate students. Make sure to emphasize this in your application and include all the particular things you hope to accomplish. If you have gained work experience between undergraduate and graduate school, frame your pursuits in this context. The more you demonstrate that you are working towards the plans you hope to further with your graduate degree, the more impactful your applications will be.

Writing strong applications

While your circumstances may have changed since undergraduate, the principles of writing a strong essay haven’t! We have a whole host of guides for writing strong scholarship essays and applications. That includes writing 250 word essays, 500 word essays, writing essays about yourself , or starting or finishing your essays. We also have a guide on writing a winning scholarship essay and can help you with finding local scholarships .

Graduate school funding sources

Students will generally pay for graduate school using a few different funding sources. The most common sources are private scholarships, need-based financial aid and grants, and university-specific scholarships.

Private graduate school scholarships

There some great private organizations that offer scholarships for students pursuing their masters or doctoral degrees! These scholarships support graduate students of all stripes including medical school students, law school students, business school students, masters students, and doctoral students!

Need-based financial aid for grad school

Need-based financial aid is another important way to pay for graduate school. For graduate school, need-based aid can include both grants (that don’t need to be repaid) and student loans (that do need to be repaid).

For need-based graduate school financial aid, students must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA . This allows students to be considered for both need-based grants and federal student loans. Some colleges may also require additional forms, so always check with your specific graduate program for more details about their financial aid process.

Many colleges may also require students to submit the CSS Profile , which is a financial aid application that is hosted by the College Board. The CSS Profile is how students can access institutional financial aid from the universities.

University-specific merit scholarships

Many graduate schools will also offer university-specific scholarship opportunities. You should check with the graduate programs that you are applying for for more information about scholarship opportunities that you may be eligible for.

Some graduate students may qualify for fellowships or assistantships that allow them to gain valuable experience and also receive funding to pay for grad school.

Tips for paying for graduate school

Paying for graduate school has a few key differences from paying for undergraduate. Here are some tips to help you take advantage of every form of financial aid out there:

Look for scholarships and fellowships at your school

Check out your school’s website and reach out to the financial aid office to learn about scholarships and fellowships. They may refer you to institutional opportunities, or, since they are experts in the field, they may know about specific opportunities that suit your interests or demographics. You can’t go wrong by reaching out to the financial aid office for advice.

Also see: How to win local scholarships

Apply for scholarships early and often

Remember, it’s never too early or late to apply for scholarships. Each opportunity has a different deadline, so you should be looking for opportunities regularly. Our scholarship finder is a great way to keep up with the latest opportunities. We will match you with vetted scholarships that automatically update as deadlines pass and new scholarships open.

Proofread your application essays!

Essays are one of the best ways to stand out from the crowd in a scholarship application! Check out our guides to writing about yourself , writing a 250 word essay , and writing a 500 word essay . We also have a guide to writing a winning scholarship essay . Even if you are a confident writer, it’s a good idea to check out these guides. Scholarship essays are written with a different intent than the essays you write in school.

Check with your employer about tuition reimbursement

An increasing number of employers now offer tuition reimbursement . With tuition reimbursement, your employer will help pay for your continued education. Since employers generally prefer hiring from within instead of hiring new employees, this works out for both employer and employee.

Some employers only offer opportunities to pursue education to advance your career at their company. But others, such as Starbucks , Chipotle , or Amazon , allow you to pursue different fields of education that you can use to get hired elsewhere.

Consider inexpensive online options

Online educational programs are becoming increasingly popular, especially after the pandemic. You can find a lot of reputable online graduate programs through Coursera . Schools offer a wide breadth of programs through Coursera, including iMBAs. There are also many scholarships available specifically for online students .

Consider certificate programs as an alternative

For some students, graduate school might not be a financial option at the moment. But there are still ways to advance your career through further education. College alternatives , such as certificate programs and coding bootcamps , can raise your earning potential with significantly less time and financial commitment.

Investigate graduate assistantships

Graduate assistantships , including teaching and research assistantships, are great opportunities to help pay for college while gaining firsthand experience in your field of study. As an added bonus, they help you to forge relationships with professors and other accomplished professionals in the field. Helping to teach undergraduate courses can help complement your graduate studies and decrease your loan debt!

Frequently asked questions about graduate school scholarships

Is graduate school worth it, how do i get a full ride to grad school, does fafsa pay for grad school, can i get scholarships for a master’s program, when can i start applying for graduate school scholarships, do graduate students get pell grants.

Related: Grad school financial aid options

Explore these other scholarship categories:

• Top law school scholarships
• Top med school scholarships
• Scholarships for college seniors
• Easy scholarships to apply for
• Top scholarships for women

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