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 scholarship prize money. ARI has held essay contests on Ayn Rand’s fiction for more than thirty years, awarding over $2 million in total prize money to students around the world! This year we will award more than $30,000 to student winners.
Questions? Write to us at [email protected].
“Anthem was one of those books that made me re-calibrate my way of thinking. I read it during a pretty dark time of my life when I was starting to feel the burden of expectations. It definitely made me open my mind to the idea of living for myself, of aspiring to be free beyond the opinions of others. I loved it, and I hope to still incorporate the lessons I’ve learned there in my daily walk through life.”
—11th grade student, Philippine Science High School
“I loved reading The Fountainhead. I thought the ideas presented were extremely unique to anything I had seen before, especially with the direction modern society is taking. As an artist, I appreciated that these themes were explored through the lens of architecture, and I related with Roark’s struggle to find people who found his art to be beautiful and meaningful. I am usually good at guessing plots in books, but this novel kept surprising me with every page. The ending was completely unexpected and I felt like it tied up the concepts nicely. I have already recommended The Fountainhead to two people and I plan to eventually purchase a physical copy of the book to add to my personal collection.”
—12th grade student, University of North Carolina School of Arts
“I read Atlas Shrugged for the first time this summer, and I stumbled on the essay contest as I was looking for resources to help me analyze the book. It was the perfect reason for me to take the time to engage with the ideas in the book and think about questions that matter. I put more thought-work into my essay than most of the essays I have ever written, and the process was extremely satisfying. After finishing, I realized that whether or not I placed in the contest, I had been more than compensated by the lessons I had learned from grappling with the essay questions and finding answers (and more questions). Thank you for organizing such a meaningful, growth oriented experience for me.”
—College student, Brigham Young University
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 philosophical meaning of Anthem.
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Other than endorsing perfect punctuation and grammar in English, the Ayn Rand Institute offers no advice or feedback on contest essays.
The following links are recommended to improve your essay content:
To submit an essay electronically, please complete the steps below:
Entrants are responsible for keeping copies of their essays, as duplicate copies will not be provided. If you have difficulty submitting your essay electronically, or if you have not received an email notification confirming receipt of your electronically submitted essay within 24 hours, please email [email protected].
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 philosophical meaning of The Fountainhead.
Protected by Ithenticate Plagiarism Detection Software
Other than endorsing perfect punctuation and grammar in English, the Ayn Rand Institute offers no advice or feedback on contest essays.
The following links are recommended to improve your essay content:
To submit an essay electronically, please complete the steps below:
Entrants are responsible for keeping copies of their essays, as duplicate copies will not be provided. If you have difficulty submitting your essay electronically, or if you have not received an email notification confirming receipt of your electronically submitted essay within 24 hours, please email [email protected].
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 philosophical meaning of Atlas Shrugged.
Protected by IThenticate Plagiarism Detection Software
Other than endorsing perfect punctuation and grammar in English, the Ayn Rand Institute offers no advice or feedback on contest essays.
The following links are recommended to improve your essay content:
To submit an essay electronically, please complete the steps below:
Entrants are responsible for keeping copies of their essays, as duplicate copies will not be provided. If you have difficulty submitting your essay electronically, or if you have not received an email notification confirming receipt of your electronically submitted essay within 24 hours, please email [email protected].
Yes! Foreign students may enter our essay contests, except where void or prohibited by law. We have no citizenship requirements. Please enter the contest for your current grade level. If you’re not sure which contest you’re eligible for, please write to the Education Department at [email protected].
Yes! Homeschooled students may enter our essay contests. Please enter the contest for your current grade level. Instead of writing your school name and address in your application, simply write “Homeschooled.” If you’re not sure which contest you’re eligible for, please write to the Education Department at [email protected].
All of Ayn Rand’s novels can be purchased via links from our website. They should also be available in your local bookstore or library.
When you submit your application using ARI's online portal, you are automatically sent a confirmation email indicating our receipt of your essay. If you have not received an email within 24 hours of submission, please first check your Spam folder. It's sometimes the case that our messages are filtered there. If you still can't find it, please write to the Education Department at [email protected].
Yes
We do not accept essays submitted after the deadline. If you have a valid reason why your essay could not be submitted by the deadline, please write to the Education Department at [email protected].
No. You may submit one essay for each contest, each year.
Yes! You are more than welcome to enter multiple contests, provided you do not exceed any of the grade level restrictions.
No. The contest guidelines ask that you select ONE of three topics. Please select only one topic.
No. Essays not written on one of the three topics will be disqualified.
You may enter if you are in a lower grade, but not if you are in a higher grade.
Yes, as long as you were not previously a first-place winner. In fact, some students have won prizes two years in a row!
You do not need to reference page numbers for quotes from the essay topics. However, if you use any quotes from the novel you are writing about, you should cite the page numbers and place quotation marks around the quoted material. You do not need to include a bibliography unless you quote from a source besides the novel you are writing on. (Please note that you do not need to reference any additional material other than the assigned novel to write your essay. See the next question.)
You do not need any source material other than the novel you are writing on. However, you may quote and reference other sources if you like. If you do, please cite your sources and include a bibliography with your essay.
Yes, you may have your essay proofread. It is not plagiarism to have someone check your essay for spelling and grammatical or structural errors. However, it is plagiarism to have someone else write your essay for you, or to use someone else’s words as if they were your own (see above regarding citing outside sources).
We typically contact all the Atlas Shrugged contest entrants by January of the contest year, and all the Anthem and The Fountainhead contest entrants by July of the contest year.
No. All awards are cash prizes. We place no restrictions on how the prize money is spent by recipients.
No, this will have no effect on your chances of winning. Judges look for writing that demonstrates a clear understanding of the novel, not whether the student agrees with it.
Please send your comments or questions about the essay contests to the Education Department at [email protected]. In most cases, we should be able to respond within two to five business days.