Students > Essay Contests > Atlas Shrugged
✓ Open to all high school, college, and graduate students worldwide.
Top Prize
Entry Deadline
Book Length
Fill out the contact form below, and we’ll email you with more information about the contest—including instructions on how to enter.
The astounding story of a man who said that he would stop the motor of the world—and did.
Tremendous in scope, breathtaking in its suspense, Atlas Shrugged is unlike any other book you have ever read. It is a mystery story, not about the murder of a man’s body, but about the murder—and rebirth—of man’s spirit.
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.
Test yourself against talented students from around the world and the high grading standards of our faculty. On average, only the top 5–10% of essays are awarded prizes each year.
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.
Select one of the following three prompts about Atlas Shrugged and write an essay in response to it.
Essays must be written in English only and be between 800 and 1,600 words in length.
Questions? Write to us at essays@aynrand.org.
50 Winners
25 Winners
5 Winners
3 Winners
1 Winner
Semifinalist
Finalist
3rd Place
2nd Place
1st Place
$10,000
1 Winner
$2,500
3 Winners
$500
5 Winners
$100
25 Winners
$50
50 Winners
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 Atlas Shrugged.
Atlas Shrugged is a mystery novel like no other. You enter a world where scientists, entrepreneurs, artists, and inventors are inexplicably vanishing—where the world is crumbling.
And what you discover, by the end, is an uplifting vision of life, an inspiring cast of heroes, and a challenging new way to think about life’s most important issues.
Learn more and request a free digital copy of the book today.
Curious to know what makes for a winning essay in the Atlas Shrugged 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 Atlas Shrugged.
Click here to see the full list of 2022 contest winners.
2022
Jacob Fisher
Graduate Student
Stanford University
Stanford, California
United States
2021
Mariah Williams
Graduate Student
Regis University
Denver, Colorado
United States
2020
Nathaniel Shippee
Graduate Student
University of Illinois
Chicago, Illinois
United States
2019
Samuel Weaver
Graduate Student
St. John’s College
Annapolis, Maryland
United States
2018
Patrick Mayles
College Student
Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Bogata
Colombia
2017
Christina Jeong
College Student
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana
United States
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.
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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 Atlas Shrugged.
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