ELIGIBILITY:

Open to students worldwide.

9th grade, 10th grade, 11th grade, 12th grade, College freshman, College sophomore, College junior, College senior, Graduate student

Choose the contest that matches your grade level and the Ayn Rand novel you want to write about.

Read the novel carefully and take notes on themes, characters, and passages that stand out to you.

Apply to the Contest: Create an account and submit your application.

 They offer three essay contests based on Ayn Rand’s novels. New topics are released each season. Each is tailored to specific grade level. The current open contests are:

Anthem: The annual 2025 Anthem Essay Contest

The Fountainhead: The Summer 2025 round of The Fountainhead Essay Contest

Open to all 8th- through 12th-grade students.

Atlas Shrugged: The summer 2025 Atlas Shrugged contest

Open to all 9th grade through graduate school students.

Choose the contest that corresponds to your grade level. If you’re eligible for multiple contests, you may enter all of them, but each requires reading the corresponding book.

BENEFIT:

First-place winners in the flagship contests — The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged— will receive $3,000 for winning their season’s contest. The grand prize winner among these will be selected to receive an additional $22,000, making a full grand annual prize of $25,000. The Anthem contest’s grand annual prize is $2,000. In addition, all contests offer substantial prizes for runners-up, with details available on each contest’s page.