For writers, an essay assignment is a thrilling opportunity to express yourself.
No matter what your level of experience, writing has many positive elements! Some novice writers enjoy a mental health or mindfulness boost by journaling. Other writers excel at technical writing and sharing important research through term papers.
Writing is an essential skill you'll use throughout school—from high school to attending college onto your career. In the professional world, a candidate that can write well is highly sought-after—no matter the industry.
All of the below scholarships require an essay entry – some as short as only 250 words – with interesting essay topics. For writers, a few hundred (or even a thousand) words is no biggie. If you're looking for tips to win scholarship essays, we have you covered.
If you're not a fan of essay writing, we have a list of scholarships that require no essays, too!
Pencil to paper, typewriter, journal or computer, whatever your preferred method, if you enjoy expressing your opinions through writing, check out these essay scholarships below:
- Sustainability Essay Contest Deadline: 10/27/24
- AU Student Essay Contest Deadline: 11/4/24
- James L. Allhands Essay Competition Deadline: 11/15/24
- Overseas Press Club Foundation Scholarship Deadline: 12/1/24
- Rubincam Youth Writing Competition Deadline: 12/15/24
- Studybay Annual Autumn Essay Contest Deadline: 12/20/24
- Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest Deadline: 12/27/24
- MarvelOptics.com Scholarship Essay Contest Deadline: 1/5/25
- Make A Ripple, Change the World Essay Competition Deadline: 1/10/25
- Profile in Courage Essay Contest Deadline: 1/17/25
- Texas History Essay Contest Deadline: 1/31/25
- Optimist International Essay Contest Deadline: 2/25/25
- Stossel in the Classroom Essay Contest Deadline: 3/21/25
- Rover College Scholarship Deadline: 5/1/25
- Pulse of Perseverance Scholarship Deadline: Rolling
- The Washington Advocates Scholarship
- American Legion National High School Oratorical Contest
- Alert Scholarship Deadline: Varies
Award Amount: $1,000
The Sustainability Essay Contest is open to high school students. You must submit an essay on a sustainable construction - related topic to be considered for this award.
Award Amount: $500 - $1,500
The AU Student Essay Contest is open to high school and undergraduate students. To be considered, you must submit a 750 - to 1000 - word essay or two - four minute video responding to the three-part prompt provided by the sponsor to be eligible for this award.
Award Amount: $500 - $1,000
The James L. Allhands Essay Competition is open to full - time college seniors enrolled in an ABET or ACCE accredited construction or construction - oriented civil engineering program. You must submit a maximum 10 - page essay on the following topic: "Why should a career in construction be attractive to today's students, and what changes by the industry and individual employers would make it even more attractive?"
Award Amount: $3,000
The Overseas Press Club Foundation Scholarship is available to undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in a career as a foreign correspondent. You must submit a 500 - word writing sample to be considered for this award.
Award Amount: $500
The Rubincam Youth Writing Competition is available to high school students. To be considered, you must submit a genealogy in a biographical narrative format for one family line; include four generations, beginning with you, as the first generation.
Award Amount: $500 - $1,500
The Studybay Annual Autumn Essay Contest is open to full - time students who are at least 18 years of age. You must submit a 550 - to 1,000 word essay on one of the three topics listed on the sponsor's website to be considered for this award.
Award Amount: $10,000
The Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest is open to high school seniors, undergraduate, and graduate students. You must write an essay of between 800 and 1,600 words on one of the three topics listed on the sponsor's website in order to be considered for this award.
Award Amount: $1,500 The MarvelOptics.com Scholarship Essay Contest is available to full - time students enrolled at an accredited four - year university or college. You must submit a response to the following prompt "Helen Keller said, "The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision." What does that mean to you?" on your preferred social media platform in order to be considered for this award.
Award Amount: $1,000 The Make A Ripple, Change the World Essay Competition is available to high school seniors residing in the Kansas City metro area. To be considered, you must submit an 800 - to - 1200 - word essay that answers the following three questions: "What is your kindness project? - who, what, when… How did it / does it make a ripple to change the world? How did the ripple impact you and others?"
Award Amount: $10,000 The Profile in Courage Essay Contest is open to high school students. To be eligible, you must submit a 700 - to 1000 - word essay that describes and analyzes an act of political courage by a U.S. elected official who served during or after 1917. GED students under the age of 20 may also apply.
Award Amount: $2,000 - $4,000 The Texas History Essay Contest is open to graduating high school seniors. To enter, you must submit a 1500 - to 2000 - word essay that reflects your research and study of Texas history and its relevance to the development of Texas.
Award Amount: $2,500 The Optimist International Essay Contest is open to students who are under the age of 19. To be considered, you must submit a 700 - to 800 - word essay on the following topic: "How Optimism Has Paved My Road to Success."
Award Amount: $2,500
The Stossel in the Classroom Essay Contest is open to students between the ages of 10 and 18. You must submit a 500 - to 1000 - word essay on one of four topics to be considered for this award.
Award Amount: $2,500
The Rover College Scholarship is available to graduating high school seniors and current college freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. To be considered, you must submit a 400 - to 500 - word essay on the following topic: "How did growing up with a pet in your life (could be a friend's or family member's) impact the person you are today?"
Award Amount: $1,000
The Pulse of Perseverance Scholarship is available to high school and college students. To be considered, you must read the book, "Pulse of Perseverance: Three Black Doctors on Their Journey to Success" and submit a 250 - word essay focusing on how you are currently making a difference in your community and why you believe you have the #pulseofperseverance. You must also submit a 60 - second video on why you possess the #pulseofperseverance and what the scholarship will mean to you.
Deadline: VariesAward Amount: $1,000 The Washington Advocates Scholarship is available to students enrolled at an accredited college or university in the state of Washington. You must submit a 300-500 word essay on the following topic: "What are some ways YOU can contribute to making our roads and highways safer? What are some of the ways the laws can be changed to accomplish that goal?"
Deadline: Varies Award Amount: From $14,000 - $18,000 The National High School Oratorical Contest is open to junior high and high school students who are under the age of 20 and citizens or lawful permanent residents of the United States. You must prepare an oration on some aspect of the U.S. Constitution, with some emphasis on the duties and obligations of citizens to our government. A complete list of topics are available on the Legion's Web site. Each individual state winner certified into and participating in the first round of the national contest receives an additional $1,500 scholarship.
Award Amount: $500
The Alert Scholarship is available to high school seniors in Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming. To be considered, you must submit a 650 - to 800 - word essay about a personal encounter you, or someone you know, has had with drug and / or alcohol abuse, how it was dealt with, and, in your opinion, what was right or wrong about the way the incident or problem was handled. You must have a minimum 2.5 GPA to be eligible for this award.
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Shawna Newman
Managing Editor, Contributing Writer
Shawna Newman covers various topics related to post-secondary education, including trade schools, the military, and college. She details strategies for paying for school, such as scholarships, financial ai...
