Now accepting entries for the 2022 Anthem, The Fountainhead, and Atlas Shrugged essay contests!
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. Apply today!
Anthem The Fountainhead Atlas Shrugged
Questions? Write to us at essays@aynrand.org.
“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
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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 submitted essay within 24 hours, please email us at essays@aynrand.org.
Protected by IThenticate Plagiarism Detection Software
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 submitted essay within 24 hours, please email us at essays@aynrand.org.
Protected by IThenticate Plagiarism Detection Software
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 submitted essay within 24 hours, please email us at essays@aynrand.org.
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 us at essays@aynrand.org.
Yes! Home-schooled 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 “Home-schooled.” If you’re not sure which contest you’re eligible for, please write to us at essays@aynrand.org.
Free digital copies of Ayn Rand’s novels can be requested by students at aynrand.org/freebooks. All you have to do is say a few words about who you are and why you want to read the book, and we'll send you a copy within one business day. If you would prefer a physical copies instead, you may purchase them via the links on our website. They are likely also available at your local bookstore or library.
Absolutely! Early submissions are always welcome.
We do not accept essays submitted after the contest deadline. If you have a valid reason why your essay can not be submitted on time, please write to us at essays@aynrand.org.
No. You may submit one essay for each contest, each year — provided you are eligible to enter.
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 the three topics. Essays written on more than one topic will be automatically disqualified.
No. Essays written on a topic other than the three listed for the contest will be automatically 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 are still eligible for the contests and 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).
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 us at essays@aynrand.org.
We typically announce the final results via email to all Atlas Shrugged participants by the end of December, and to all Anthem and The Fountainhead participants by the end of August.
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 us your comments or questions about the essay contests at essays@aynrand.org. In most cases, we are able to respond within two to five business days.
1ST PLACE
JUNGWOO YOO
Global Vision Christian School
Mungyeong-Si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea
1ST PLACE
SOO YEON CHUN
Deerfield Academy
Deerfield, MA, United States
1ST PLACE
MARIAH WILLIAMS
Regis University
Denver, CO, United States
1ST PLACE
GEORGIA MIRICA
American International School of Bucharest
Voluntari, Bucharest, Romania
1ST PLACE
ASHLEY YUEN
Irvine High School
Irvine, CA, United States
1ST PLACE
CORA USURELU
Thornhill Secondary School
Thornhill, ON, Canada
1ST PLACE
NATHANIEL SHIPPEE
University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, IL, United States
1ST PLACE
MADELEINE PRESCOTT
Technical Senior High School
Saint Cloud, MN, United States
1ST PLACE
CYNTHIA LU
Belmont High School
Belmont, MA, United States
1ST PLACE
JITAE YOU
Shepherd International Education
Gangdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea
1ST PLACE
SAM WEAVER
St. John’s College
Annapolis, MD, United States
1ST PLACE
KATRICE WASGATT
Towle Institute
Hockessin, DE, United States
1ST PLACE
PATRICK MAYLES
Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Bogota, Colombia
1ST PLACE
ELISABETH SCHLOSSEL
The Spence School
New York City, NY, United States
1ST PLACE
ADELINA FENDRINA
High School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics “Dobri Chintulov”
Sliven, Bulgaria
1ST PLACE
CHRISTINA JEONG
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN, United States