Anthem Essay Contest - AynRand.org

Anthem
Essay Contest

Students > Essay Contests > Anthem

✓ Open to all high school students worldwide.

$2,000

Top Prize

TBD

Entry Deadline

105 pages

Book Length

Interested in participating in next year's contest?

Fill out the contact form below, and we’ll email you with more information about the 2024 contest—including instructions on how to enter.

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.

Learn

Improve your ability to write and think effectively. This contest will require you to reflect on philosophic themes, form your own opinion, and argue a thesis with evidence and clarity.

Compete

Test yourself against talented students from around the world and the high grading standards of our faculty. On average, only the top 1-3% of essays are awarded prizes each year.

Earn Cash

Win cash prizes among five placement categories. This is an excellent way to earn money for college and higher education. We place no restrictions on how the money is spent by recipients.

Choose Your
Essay Topic

Select one of the following three prompts about Anthem and write an essay in response to it.

Essays must be written in English only and between 600 and 1,200 words in length, double-spaced.

Questions? Write to us at essays@aynrand.org.

We are still working to finalize the essay topics for the 2024 contest.

Please check back later this summer for more information, or join our email list to receive updates as soon as the topics are made available.

Prompt #1
Prompt #2
Prompt #3

Ayn Rand once said that chapters XI and XII of Anthem contain the real anthem of the story. Consider several different definitions of the word “anthem” and then explain why you think Ayn Rand called the book “Anthem.” In what sense do you think chapters XI and XII (or the book as a whole) is an anthem? How does the book’s title relate to the themes and message of the story? Explain your answer.

For the following statement from Anthem, explain its role in the story, its relation to the themes and message of the story, and its relevance to your own life: “Indeed you are happy,” they answered. “How else can men be when they live for their brothers?”

Equality 7-2521 has committed some of the worst crimes there are in his society. If those crimes are discovered, he faces the risk of terrible punishment. Yet in the face of this danger, and despite how much Equality has suffered at the hands of his society, he resolves to bring his invention (and admit his crimes) to the World Council of Scholars. What motivates him to come forward? What does he hope to achieve? If you were Equality’s friend (like International 4-8818) or the person who loves him (like Liberty 5-3000), what would you want him to do, and why? What do you think would be right for him to do, and why?

$25

50 Winners

$50

25 Winners

$100

5 Winners

$500

3 Winners

$2,000

1 Winner

Semifinalist

Finalist

3rd Place

2nd Place

1st Place

$2,000

1 Winner

2nd Place

$500

3 Winners

3rd Place

$100

5 Winners

Finalist

$50

25 Winners

Semifinalist

$25

50 Winners

Master Our
Grading Standards

Essays are judged on whether the student is able to justify and argue for his or her view, not on whether the Institute agrees with the view the student expresses.

Our graders look for writing that is clear, articulate, and logically organized. Essays should stay on topic, address all parts of the selected prompt, and interrelate the ideas and events in the novel.

Winning essays must demonstrate an outstanding grasp of the philosophic meaning of Anthem.

01 Clarity

02 Organization

03 Understanding

04 On Topic

Entry Deadline

April 27, 2023

All essays must be submitted online by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time the night of the entry deadline. ARI reserves the right to provide deadline extensions on a case-by-case basis when deemed appropriate. Start your entry today.

Phase 1 Grading

May, 2023

The first round of grading typically takes us 3-4 weeks to complete. Be sure to add essays@aynrand.org to your contacts list to ensure you receive our updates regarding the status of your essay—including whether or not it is still in contention for a prize.

Phase 2 Grading

June, 2023

The second round of grading typically takes us 4-6 weeks to complete. This is when the finalist and semifinalist prize winners are determined.

Phase 3 Grading

July, 2023

The third (and final) round of grading typically takes us 2-3 weeks to complete. This is when the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prize winners are determined.

Final Results Announced

August, 2023

The final results of the contest will be revealed online via a special livestream event. Our faculty will discuss the common challenges students faced in answering this year's essay contest questions, and highlight some of the exceptional responses we received.

Students will also be notified of the final results via email shortly after the conclusion of the webinar.

Discover the Power
of Anthem

The main character, Equality 7-2521, tells us he is a sinner and criminal. But what crimes has he committed? Being alone, writing, having personal preferences. He is “cursed” with an active, questioning mind in a society where every institution aims to crush independence and instill obedience to the authority of the collective.

Intelligent and inquisitive, Equality 7-2521 longs to become a scientist and devote his life to discovery and invention. Instead, he is beaten by his teachers and assigned the life work of street sweeper. When, against all odds, he rediscovers the secret power of a lost relic from the ancient past, he must confront the full reality of his society’s ideals.

Learn more and request a free digital copy of the book today.

“I thoroughly enjoyed reading Anthem, especially as a teenager. I feel that this novel is a must for any other young adult because it is almost a coming of age story for the main character, Equality. A teenager reading this book can begin to think about the world around them and it can completely change their perspective on life. Or at least, that's what my experience reading Anthem was. You get to watch a man begin to think and it is a super cool story to read about when you're learning about yourself as a person too.“

GabrielleHigh school student at Roncalli High School

“Anthem was one of those books that made me recalibrate 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.“

JoshuaHigh school student at Philippine Science High School

“I really enjoyed Anthem. Not only was the story engaging and interesting, but Ayn Rand's stylistic choices were incredible and her philosophy even more so. I think it was the implications of the book which attracted me the most. I first read the book in ninth grade for school, and again in twelfth for fun. I loved discussing it with my class and exploring it on my own to write this essay. I am extremely appreciative of the opportunity to explore Ayn Rand's philosophy provided by this essay contest.“

SydneyHigh school student at Patrick Henry High School

“I read Anthem as a high school AP Literature student, and I remember being so struck by Rand’s succinct yet powerful style of storytelling. I’ve always been drawn to dystopian tales, and Rand’s message about the value of individuality in our society rang true to me. I would love the opportunity to read her last and much longer fictional work Atlas Shrugged, and continue to learn about her philosophical ideologies.“

PrashilaGraduate student at UC Riverside

“Reading Anthem was a truly eye-opening experience. This book made me realize that things and traits I once considered selfish were actually not. It helped shift my views of society, how the world works, and how our way of life can so quickly be swept away from us under the excuse of collectivism. I intend to check out more of Ayn Rand's works with the intention of furthering my knowledge on the topic.“

EvanHigh school student at Homeschool

Learn from
Past Winners

Curious to know what makes for a winning essay in the Anthem contest? Check out some of the essays written by our most recent grand-prize winners.

To varying degrees, they all display an excellent grasp of the philosophic meaning of Anthem.

2022

Lauren Lee

9th grade student

Busan Foreign School

Busan

South Korea

Read Winning Essay

2021

Jungwoo Yoo

11th grade student

Global Vision Christian School

Mungyeong-Si, Gyeongsangbuk-do

South Korea

Read Winning Essay

2020

Ashley Yuen

11th grade student

Irvine High School

Irvine, California

United States

Read Winning Essay

2019

Cynthia Lu

11th grade student

Belmont High School

Belmont, Massachusetts

United States

Read Winning Essay

2018

Katrice Wasgatt

10th grade student

Towle Institute

Hockessin, Delaware

United States

Read Winning Essay

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Improve Your Writing Skills

Other than endorsing perfect punctuation and grammar in English, the Ayn Rand Institute offers no advice or feedback for essays submitted to its contests. However, we do recommend the following resources as ways to improve the content of your essays.

Anthem

This video lecture course is an introduction to Anthem that includes background material on Rand and the era in which she wrote, an overview of the story, an analysis of the characters, a discussion of the story’s themes and brief comparisons to other well-known dystopian works.

Go to Course Homepage

Writing: A Mini-Course

Learning to write requires not only an understanding of the proper principles, but also the ability to apply those principles to one’s actual writing. These lectures feature exercises on six different aspects of good writing.

Go to Course Homepage

Sign Up for Contest Updates!

Want to stay up-to-date on any new developments to the contest? Sign up to our email list below.

We’ll send you periodic reminders about the contest deadline, as well as helpful resources to ensure you get the most out of your experience reading and writing about Ayn Rand’s Anthem.