Application Deadlines:
Anthem Entry Deadline: MARCH 20th, 2015
Fountain Head: Entry Deadline: APRIL 26th, 2015
Atlas Shrugged Entry Deadline: October 23rd, 2015
Have you read one of Ayn Rand’s thought-provoking novels? Now’s the time! Enter an Ayn Rand Institute essay contest for your chance to win thousands of dollars in cash prizes.
Ayn Rand Institute (ARI) has held worldwide essay contests for students on Ayn Rand’s fiction for thirty years. This year there will award over 500 prizes totaling more than $90,000.
Anthem
Eligibility
8th, 9th and 10th GRADERS
Entry Deadline: MARCH 20th, 2015
1st place $2,000 1 Winner
2nd place $500 5 Winners
3rd place $200 10 Winners
Finalists $50 45 Winners
Semifinalists $30 175 Winners
Select ONE of the following three topics:
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- In chapter 8, why does Equality laugh when he remembers that he is “the Damned”?
- Aside from very rare exceptions, there is literally no opposition to the leaders in this society. Why is this? What ideas must the people in this society have accepted to live a life of obedience, drudgery and fear?
- Why does the Council of Vocations assign Equality the job of Street Sweeper? Is it due to error, incompetence or a more sinister motivation? Explain.
The Fountain Head:
Eligibility : 11th and 12th GRADERS
Entry Deadline: APRIL 26th, 2015
- 1st places : $10,000 1 Winner
- 2nd places: $2,000 5 Winners
- 3rd places: $1,000 10 Winners
- Finalists: $100 45 Winners
- Semifinalists $50 175 Winners
Topics:
- Select ONE of the following three topics:
- At the end of part 2, Ellsworth Toohey confronts Howard Roark and says, “Mr. Roark, we’re alone here. Why don’t you tell me what you think of me?” To which Roark replies, “But I don’t think of you.” Explain how this brief exchange relates to the novel’s theme.
- Gail Wynand is a brilliant individual who rose out of the slums by means of his own talent and effort. But despite his reverence for man’s noblest achievements, his newspaper, The Banner, presents the most lurid and loathsome values. Why does Wynand pander in this manner?
- In dynamiting Cortlandt Homes, Howard Roark breaks the law. What is his moral and philosophical argument for the rectitude of his action?
Atlas Shrugged
Eligibility
12th Graders, College Undergraduates, and Graduate Students
Entry Deadline: October 23rd, 2015
- 1st place $20,000 1 Winner
- 2nd place $2,000 3 Winners
- 3rd place $1,000 5 Winners
- Finalists $100 25 Winners
- Semifinalists $50 50 Winners
Topics
Select ONE of the following three topics:
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- At his trial, Hank Rearden declares: “The public good be damned, I will have no part of it!” What does he mean? How does this issue relate to the novel’s theme?
- Who is John Galt?
- What is the meaning of money to Francisco d’Anconia? To James Taggart? How do these characters’ views on money relate to the events of the story?
Submit Your Entry Online:
For More Information:
Visit the Official Webpage of the 2015 Ayn Rand Institute Essay Contest