Unique, Silly & Fun Scholarships

Weird. Wacky. Outlandish. Some of the most ridiculous things in life are what you take notice of.

The same goes with scholarships. Some of the best are also some of the silliest, weirdest, oddball awards that often get a “I can get an award for what?!” type of reaction. This is exactly why they’re worth celebrating.

Here are some of Fastweb’s all-time favorite take-notice scholarships. These fall under the silly, outlandish and how’d-they-come-up-with-that? category of scholarship opportunities that may make you think or, perhaps, look twice. They make you wonder exactly who is applying for these scholarships and how on earth can you meet them?

But, at the end of the day, a scholarship is a scholarship! And these are nothing short of awesome.

You never know, one of the following awards could be perfect for you! If so, you are our hero.

Scholar-Chessplayer Outstanding Achievement Award

Deadline: 3/31/17
Available to: College Freshmen
Award Amount: 5 Awards of $1,500

The Scholar-Chessplayer Outstanding Achievement Award is available to high school juniors and seniors who excel in academics, chess play and sportsmanship. You must be a current member of the U.S. Chess Federation (USCF) and submit letters of recommendation and an essay describing the positive influence chess has had on your life.

Learn more about the Scholar-Chessplayer Outstanding Achievement Award.

Robert E. Thunen Memorial Illumination Scholarship

Deadline: 4/01/17
Available to: College Junior to Graduate Year 5
Award Amount: 2 Awards of $2,500

The Robert E. Thunen Memorial Scholarship is available full – time to juniors, seniors, and graduate students attending a four – year college in Northern California, Nevada, Oregon, or Washington State. You must be pursuing a career in illumination to be eligible for this award.

Learn more about the Robert E. Thunen Memorial Scholarship.

Duck Tape Promposal Sweepstakes

Deadline: 4/05/17
Available to: High School Juniors through High School Seniors
Award Amount: 3 Awards of $1,000

The Duck Tape Promposal Sweepstakes is available to high school students. To be eligible, you must come up with a clever promposal idea that incorporates Duck Tape in some way, then post a photo or video of your promposal on Twitter on Instagram.

Get more information on the Duck Tape Promposal Sweepstakes.

Fountainhead Essay Contest

Deadline: 4/26/17
Available to: Ages 16-18
Award Amount: 236 Awards from $50 – $10,000

The Fountainhead Essay Contest is open worldwide to 11th and 12th graders. You must write an essay of no fewer than 800 and no more than 1,600 words on a topic relating to Ayn Rand’s novel, “The Fountainhead.” Topics can be found on the sponsor’s Web site. Essays are judged on both style and content. The winning essay must demonstrate an outstanding grasp of the philosophic meaning of “The Fountainhead.” All information necessary to enter the contest is contained on the sponsor’s site.

Learn more about the Fountainhead Essay Contest.

Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest

Deadline: 4/28/17
Available to: Ages 16-18
Award Amount: $20,000

The Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest is open to high school seniors, college undergraduates and graduate students. You must submit an essay of between 800 and 1600 words on a topic related to Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged. The three topic choices are listed on the sponsor’s website and essays will be judged on style and content.

Learn more about the Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest.

Little People of America Scholarship

Deadline: 4/30/17
Available to: College Freshmen through College Seniors
Award Amount: 3 Awards from $205 through $1,000

The Little People of America Scholarship is available to hardworking and enthusiastic members of LPA who want to further their education. You must complete the scholarship application and submit a personal statement, three letters of recommendation and a transcript to be eligible for this award.

Learn more about the Little People of America Scholarship.

$5,000 Easy Scholarship: Create a Recycling Bin to Reduce Waste

Deadline: 4/30/17
Available to: Maximum Age 25 Years
Award Amount: $5,000

You could win an easy $5,000 scholarship just by creating a fun bathroom recycling bin that encourages people to recycle their empty beauty & personal care products! Use our tips to make an eye-catching bin and place it in a bathroom near you. That’ll significantly reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills and automatically enter you to win a $5,000 scholarship. Win-win! No minimum GPA or essay required. No minimum GPA or essay required. This $5,000 easy scholarship is open to people ages 13 to 25. You must also live in the U.S. or have U.S citizenship.

Get more information on the $5,000 Easy Scholarship: Create a Recycling Bin to Reduce Waste.

Milton Fisher Scholarship for Innovation and Creativity

Deadline: 4/30/17
Available to: High School Juniors through College Freshmen
Award Amount: 6 Awards from $1,000 – $5,000

The Milton Fisher Scholarship for Innovation and Creativity is available to high school juniors and seniors, and entering and current college freshmen. You must be a resident of, or be planning to attend school in Connecticut or the New York City metropolitan area. To be eligible, you must demonstrate how you have solved artistic, scientific, or technical problems in new or unusual ways; how you have come up with distinctive solutions to problems faced by your school, community, or family; or how you have developed an innovative way to save the environment or improve people’s health.

Learn more about the Milton Fisher Scholarship for Innovation and Creativity.

America the Great?! Scholarship Slam

Deadline: 5/10/17
Available to: Ages 13-25
Award Amount: $1,000

“Does that star-spangled banner yet wave / O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?” The United States of America has always been on a mission to achieve greatness through reconstruction. But change comes slowly, and not all change is for the better. More than 7.6 million people are unemployed in the United States, and only 35% of high school students continue to pursue studies in college while 75% of citizens agree that race relations in the country are at an all-time low. So how well does the state of the nation reflect the national anthem? What is your personal relationship with the country? We want to know if you think America is great as-is, or if there are areas that need to be improved upon. Tell us in a poem if there are changes that need to be made to the country and why, for your chance to win.

Learn more about the America the Great?! Scholarship Slam.

Live Más Scholarship

Deadline: 5/12/17
Available to: Ages 16-24
Award Amount: 100 Awards from $5,000 – $25,000

The Live Más Scholarship is available to innovators, creators, and dreamers between the ages of 16 and 24. To be considered, you must create and submit a video of up to two minutes in length that tells the story of your life’s passion.

Learn more about the Live Más Scholarship.

Space Explorers’ Memorial Scholarship

Deadline: 6/15/17
Available to: College Freshmen through Graduate Students, Year 5
Award Amount: $1,000

The Space Explorers’ Memorial Scholarship is available to students pursuing studies in a field that may not be covered by one of the other STARFLEET scholarship types (engineering, medicine, art, business). Applicants must be members in good standing with STARFLEET and must have been so, for at least one (1) year before the application deadline.

Learn more about the Space Explorers’ Memorial Scholarship.

Gene Roddenberry Memorial/Sir Patrick Stewart Scholarship for Aspiring Writers and Artists

Deadline: 6/15/17
Available to: College Freshmen through Graduate Students, Year 5
Award Amount: $1,000

The Gene Roddenberry Memorial/Sir Patrick Stewart Scholarship for Aspiring Writers and Artists is available to students pursuing studies in acting, dance, music, writing, literature, graphic arts and other media related fields. Applicants must be members in good standing with STARFLEET and must have been so, for at least one (1) year before the application deadline.

Learn more about the Gene Roddenberry Memorial/Sir Patrick Stewart Scholarship for Aspiring Writers and Artists.

Andrew Flusche Scholarship Contest

Deadline: 6/30/17
Available to: High School Seniors through Graduate Students, Year 5
Award Amount: $500

The Andrew Flusche Scholarship Contest is available to high school seniors and students currently enrolled in a college or university. You must create a public service advertisement video (PSA) which raises awareness of the dangers of texting and driving to qualify for this award. The video must be uploaded to YouTube and be no longer than three minutes long.

Learn more about the Andrew Flusche Scholarship Contest.

Parry and Pfau Left-Handed Scholarship

Deadline: 7/31/17
Available to: High School Seniors through Graduate Students, Year 5
Award Amount: $1,500

The Parry and Pfau Left-Handed Scholarship is open to high school seniors, college and graduate students. You must submit a one- to two-minute YouTube video on why it is better to left-handed than right-handed and will be judged on creativity, humor and overall quality. You do not have to be left-handed in order to apply for this award.

Learn more about the Parry and Pfau Left-Handed Scholarship.

Writers of the Future Contest

Deadline: 9/30/17
Available to: College Freshmen through Graduate Students, Year 5
Award Amount: $5,000

The Writers of the Future Contest is open to amateur writers. Your entry must be a new short story or novelette with a science fiction, fantasy, horror or speculative fiction theme, that has not been previously published. Poetry and children’s literature cannot be accepted for this contest. There are four quarterly deadlines each year (September 30, December 31, March 31 and June 30) with three prizes per quarter of $1000, $750, $500 and a yearly grand prize of $4000 is offered.

Learn more about the Writers of the Future Contest.

“Hit the Books” Scholarship

Deadline: 9/30/17
Available to: Ages 18-25
Award Amount: $500

The “Hit The Books” Scholarship is available to students between the ages of 18 and 25. To be considered, you must submit a maximum 500-word essay on the importance of education in your life and how the scholarship money will assist you in achieving your goals. Bonus points will be awarded to students who find a creative way to include their passion for coffee within their essay without losing sight of the primary topic.

Learn more about the “Hit the Books” Scholarship.

Morgan/O’Neill Underwater Photography Grant

Deadline: 11/18/17
Available to: College Freshmen through Graduate Students, Year 5
Award Amount: $2,000

The Morgan/O’Neill Underwater Photography Grant is open to female students who are looking to continue their development in the field of underwater photography. You must be a certified diver in order to qualify for this award.

Learn more about the Morgan/O’Neill Underwater Photography Grant.

UNIMA-USA Scholarship

Deadline: 12/01/17
Available to: College Freshmen through Graduate Students, Year 5
Award Amount: $1,000

The UNIMA-USA Scholarship is available to members of the Union Internationale de la Marionnette (UNIMA) – USA. You must be a North American citizen over the age of 18 and a second-level puppeteer (i.e. some experience and/or a university degree). This award is to support study with a recognized puppetry professional or professional program outside of North America. To apply, you must indicate professional experience, provide three letters of recommendation from professionals in your field, photos of your completed work, indication of motivation for studying and information about the program or professional with whom you intend to study.

Learn more about the UNIMA-USA Scholarship.

Vegetarian Resource Group Scholarship

Deadline: 2/20/18
Available to: High School Seniors through College Freshmen
Award Amount: 3 Awards from $5,000 – $10,000

The Vegetarian Resource Group Scholarship is available to graduating high school seniors. You must have been active in promoting vegetarianism in your school and / or community; and have demonstrated compassion, courage, and a strong commitment to promoting a peaceful world through a vegetarian diet / lifestyle to be considered for this award.

Learn more about the Vegetarian Resource Group Scholarship.

CKSF Scholarship Competition

Deadline: Varies
Available to: High School Freshmen through Graduate Students, Year 5
Award Amount: $2,500

The CKSF Scholarships are available to high school, undergraduate, and graduate students in the U.S.

You must register to participate in scholarship quizzes that test your knowledge of topics ranging from general “common knowledge” to specific academic subjects, books, websites, and even movies.

You will be scored based on a combination of time and accuracy. Students with the highest scores at the end of each competition win.

Learn more about the CKSF Scholarship Competition.

Alice McArver Ratchford Scholarship for What You Don’t Do

Deadline: Varies
Available To: College Freshmen through College Seniors
Award Amount: Varies

The Alice McArver Ratchford Scholarship is open to female students at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro.

You must live on campus and have never been married.

You must also not have a car and have received no other scholarships to be eligible for this award.

Get more information on the Alice McArver Ratchford Scholarship.

Twin/Triplet Dorm Room Waiver

Deadline: Varies
Available to: College Freshmen
Award Amount: Varies

The Twin/Triplet Dorm Room Waiver is available to full-time entering freshmen at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College.

You must be a twin or triplet and all must attend NEO together (but you don’t have to room together) to be eligible for this award.

Learn more about the Twin/Triplet Dorm Room Waiver.

Chick and Sophie Major Memorial Duck Calling Contest

Deadline: Varies
Available to: High School Seniors
Award Amount: $2,000

The Chick and Sophie Major Memorial Duck Calling Contest is available to high school seniors who demonstrate talent in duck calling.

You must participate in a duck calling contest in Stuttgart, Arkansas to be considered for this award.

Get more information on the Chick and Sophie Major Memorial Duck Calling Contest.

Prom Pics Contest

Deadline: Varies
Available to: High School Juniors through High School Seniors
Award Amount: $250

The Prom Pics Contest is open to high school students. To be eligible, you must submit a high resolution photo from your prom event. Prizes will be awarded in each of the following categories: promposal, pre-prom, prom dance, and post-prom.

Get more information on the Prom Pics Contest.

Rodeo Club Scholarship

Deadline: Varies
Available To:College Freshmen
Award Amount: Varies

The Rodeo Club Scholarship is open to entering freshmen or transfer students enrolled in the Michigan State University, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

You must be majoring in animal science, be enrolled full time, have a minimum GPA of 2.5 and be planning to participate in the Rodeo Club NIRA sanctioned events to be eligible for this award.

Get more information on the Rodeo Club Scholarship.

Mycological Society of America Graduate Research Prize

Deadline: Varies
Available to: Graduate Students, Year 1 through Year 5
Award Amount: 4 Awards of $100

The Mycological Society of America Graduate Research Prizes are available to student members of the MSA who present the best research papers or posters in mycology.

You must be a student member of the MSA and be a M.Sc. or Ph.D. candidate to be eligible for this award.

Learn more about the Mycological Society of America Graduate Research Prize.

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