Essay ContestsLong shot

Anthem Essay Contest

Offered by Ayn Rand Institute · Free to apply

Award

Up to $2,000

one-time award

Deadline

April 30, 2027

deadlines recur around April each year

Estimated odds

1 in 2,000

Solyo estimate, not a published rate

Application effort

~6 hrs

about $0 of expected value per hour

Readers of Ayn Rand's short novella Anthem write a 600 to 1,200 word essay answering a set prompt, with first place worth $2,000, second $1,000, and third $500. Students in grades 8 through 12 anywhere in the world may enter, with no citizenship or residency test, as long as they are at least 13 and write in English. Because Anthem is a quick read, this is one of the more approachable national essay contests for younger high schoolers. The Ayn Rand Institute publishes a new prompt roughly every three months and the spring round closes April 30, so confirm which prompt is live before drafting. Essays must be entirely the student's own work, and plagiarism is disqualifying.

How hard is the Anthem Essay Contest to win?

A large applicant pool chases this award. Apply if the student is a genuinely strong fit, but build the plan around better-odds awards first.

Estimated odds: roughly 1 in 2,000 applicants
Modelled applicant field: ~11,000 students
Payoff per hour of work: $0 / hr

What drives the odds here

Odds on a scholarship are mostly a question of how many students can enter. Each rule below changes the size of that field.

More rivalsOpen nationwide, so the field is large
Fewer rivalsA long essay is required, and most browsers never finish one

How Solyo estimates this: We model the applicant field from how narrow the eligibility rules are, then divide the awards available by that field. Requirements such as essays and recommendation letters improve a serious applicant’s odds, because most browsers never complete them. These are estimates derived from each award's published structure, not reported acceptance rates, which almost no scholarship provider discloses. Treat them as a way to rank where the hours go, not as a guarantee.

Who can apply for the Anthem Essay Contest?

These are the eligibility rules Solyo verified against the official award page, translated into plain English. Your student must meet each one.

Open to high school freshmen, high school sophomores, high school juniors, and high school seniors
Age 13 or older

Confirm these before applying

Essays must be written in English, 600-1,200 words

Good to know

Also open to 8th graders; entrants must be at least 13 years old
Open to students worldwide with no citizenship or residency restriction
Essays must be solely the entrant's own work; plagiarism results in disqualification
Runs in seasonal rounds; each season's first-place winner becomes eligible for the annual grand prize

What the application takes

Essay required, about 1,200 words. The prompt centers on an open creative prompt.

Deadline and application cycle

The current deadline is April 30, 2027. This award runs on an annual cycle, with deadlines around April 30 each year. Applications open when the next seasonal prompt is published. Rounds rotate through the year, so check aynrand.org for the prompt that is currently open instead of assuming the April round.

New seasonal prompt published: About every three months
Spring round closes: April 30, 2027

Apply on the official site →Free to apply. Legitimate scholarships never charge a fee.

Does your student actually qualify?

See if your student qualifies in 30 seconds. Solyo checks 20+ criteria against their real profile: GPA, state, grade level, intended major, and more, across every award in this directory at once.

Match my student to scholarships →

Common questions about the Anthem Essay Contest

How much is the Anthem Essay Contest worth?

The Anthem Essay Contest awards up to $2,000.

When is the Anthem Essay Contest deadline?

When do Anthem Essay Contest applications open?

Applications open when the next seasonal prompt is published, and close April 30, 2027. Rounds rotate through the year, so check aynrand.org for the prompt that is currently open instead of assuming the April round.

Who is eligible for the Anthem Essay Contest?

Key requirements: Open to high school freshmen, high school sophomores, high school juniors, and high school seniors; Age 13 or older.

Does the Anthem Essay Contest require an essay?

Yes. The application requires an essay of about 1200 words. Expect to spend about 6 hours on it.

How hard is it to win the Anthem Essay Contest?

Solyo estimates the odds at roughly 1 in 2,000 applicants, against a modelled field of ~11,000 students. The pool stays that size because a long essay is required, and most browsers never finish one. At 6 hrs of work, that is about $0 of expected value per hour. This is an estimate from award structure, not a published acceptance rate.

Is the Anthem Essay Contest free to apply?

Yes. The Anthem Essay Contest is free to apply. Legitimate scholarships never charge an application fee, and Solyo verifies every listed award against its official page.

More essay contests

Lists this award appears on

Scholarships With April Deadlines

Award details are curated by Solyo and verified against the official scholarship page. Deadlines and requirements can change between cycles, so always confirm on the provider's site before applying.