Three annual essay contests based on Ayn Rand's novels, run through the Institute's own application portal: the Anthem Contest and The Fountainhead Contest (middle and high school students worldwide, ages 13+), and the Atlas Shrugged Contest (high school, college, and graduate students worldwide). The program has drawn more than 475,000 entrants over its history. Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged each pay $3,000 for a season's first place, with one grand annual prize across those two of $25,000; the Anthem contest's grand annual prize is a separate $2,000. All prize money is unrestricted cash with no requirement to spend it on college.
Eligibility
Fields of studyPhilosophy · Literature
DemographicsThere is no entry fee. Open worldwide, not US-restricted. Anthem and Fountainhead are open to ages 13+, middle or high school; Atlas Shrugged is open to high school and above. A younger student may request a grade-level exception by emailing essays@aynrand.org. Prize money carries no restriction on use.
Applying
Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged pay $3,000 for a season's first place, with a combined $25,000 grand annual prize (the $3,000 plus an additional $22,000). Anthem's grand annual prize is $2,000 -- the $25,000 figure does not apply to Anthem. Runner-up amounts are not published site-wide. There is no entry fee.