🖋️ How to Be Competitive in the Ayn Rand Essay Contest (Even If You’ve Never Read Her Before)

Jul 14

Because your ideas matter—and so does your financial future.

✨ Why It’s Worth It:

Each year, the Ayn Rand Institute awards over $40,000 in scholarships to high school and college students through three essay contests:

📘 Anthem (for grades 8–12)
📘 The Fountainhead (for grades 11–12)
📘 Atlas Shrugged (for 12th grade, college undergrad, or grad students)

📚 Do You Have to Read the Book?

Short answer: Yes. But the good news is, they’re not as long as they seem; and there are audiobooks, summaries, and breakdowns that can help you process the story faster and think critically about it.

Your job isn’t to agree with Ayn Rand. It’s to engage with the text in a meaningful, bold, and well-argued way.

🧠 Theme Angles That Hit Hard

Here are relevant, modernized prompts to help you write a thoughtful essay rooted in your own experience and insight:

💡 Anthem (Topics: individualism, conformity, self-expression)
- Modern Angle:
  - “What does it mean to discover your voice in a world that demands sameness?”
- Writing Path:
  - Connect to school dress codes, peer pressure, or TikTok trends.
  - Explore the tension between self-discovery vs. fitting in.
  - Tie in the use of “we” in the book as a metaphor for identity loss.
💡 The Fountainhead (Topics: independence, integrity, creativity)
- Modern Angle:
  - “How do you stay true to your vision when everyone expects you to follow the blueprint?”
- Writing Path:
  - Talk about student creativity—art, activism, or leadership.
  - Use Howard Roark as a flawed symbol of creative defiance.
  - Explore how real-world creators are punished or dismissed before they’re celebrated.

💡 Atlas Shrugged (Topics: purpose, production, ambition vs. sacrifice)
- Modern Angle:
  - “How do you pursue your goals in a world that often punishes ambition?”
- Writing Path:
  - Reflect on student burnout, hustle culture, or inequality.
  - Talk about the desire to make change vs. being told to just “get in line.”

You don’t need to agree with Rand—just explore her framework of personal purpose.

🛠️ Writing Tips That Work

✔️ Cite the text—even if you disagree with it
✔️ Ask bold questions—don’t just explain the plot
✔️ Draw real-life parallels—relate Rand’s characters to your own experiences or world issues
✔️ Don’t play it safe—the strongest essays have a clear point of view

📌 Final Note:

Ayn Rand’s ideas are polarizing—but that’s why these contests exist. They’re looking for students who can think critically, question boldly, and write clearly.

Whether you see yourself in the character or not, your lens matters; and your voice can win you up to $10,000 in scholarship money.

🎓 Want More Tools?

Get our free Scholarship Tracker, writing prompts, and planning templates by joining the De Jure Legacy mailing list.

Cassie Cappiello