Atlas Shrugged novel Essay Contest

Award Amount
Application deadline
Awarded By:

Ayn Rand Institute

Number of Awards & Eligibility: Nine winners
In order to qualify, students must meet the following criteria:
  1. This award is for international and U.S. students.
  2. Must be a current high school senior or an undergraduate or graduate student.

In order to qualify, students must meet the following criteria:

Description: The Atlas Shrugged novel essay contest is for students with a passion for reading and writing. Contestants must choose a prompt and write an 800-1,600 word essay in which they analyze and make an argument about an aspect or plot point of Atlas Shrugged, a popular classic novel by Ayn Rand. The first-place winner will get $10,000, 3 winners will get second-place and $2,500 each, and 5 winners will get third-place and $500 each. 25 finalists will receive $100 each and 50 semi-finalists will get $25 each. Open to high school, undergraduate, and graduate students worldwide.

Application requirements for the Atlas Shrugged novel Essay Contest are:

  • Essay
  • Cover sheet
Additional Information: Essays will be judged on whether the student is able to argue for and justify his or her view—not on whether the Institute agrees with the view the student expresses. Judges will look for writing that is clear, articulate and logically organized. Winning essays must demonstrate an outstanding grasp of the philosophic meaning of Atlas Shrugged. Essay submissions are evaluated in a fair and unbiased four-round judging process. Judges are individually selected by the Ayn Rand Institute based on a demonstrated knowledge and understanding of Ayn Rand's works. Winners' names are unknown to judges until after essays have been ranked and the contest results finalized. The Ayn Rand Institute checks essays with Ithenticate plagiarism detection software. Winners, finalists, semi-finalists and all other participants will be notified via email in early August. Employees of the Ayn Rand Institute, its board of directors and their immediate family members are not eligible for this contest. Past first-place winners are not eligible for this contest.

Award Amount: Awards are for cash prizes in the following amounts: Top Prize: $10,000; Second Prizes (3): $2,500; Third Prizes (5): $500; Fourth prizes (25) $100; Fifth prizes (50) $50  The total dollars awarded for this scholarship is $25,000.

Deadline Information:

Deadline for this scholarship is Tuesday, November 7, 2023

Deadline Information:

Deadline for this scholarship is Tuesday, November 7, 2023

All materials must be submitted by the listed deadline. No late submissions will be accepted.
About Ayn Rand Institute:
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