Ayn Rand Institute Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest 2024 ($25,000 prize) Deadline: 27 December, 2024

Applications are open for the Ayn Rand Institute Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest 2024. Every three months there is a new seasonal entry round, with its own unique essay prompt. Each entry round features a unique topic designed to provoke a deeper understanding of the book’s central themes and characters. You may compete in any or all of the entry rounds.

Winter Prompt: The story of the Twentieth Century Motor Company is about how a private business and its employees voluntarily decide to adopt a supposedly moral plan. What are the ideas, especially the moral ideas, that lead to the company’s destruction? How can we see these ideas at work in business, culture, or politics today? Explain how you think their consequences will be similar to, and/or different from those suffered by the Twentieth Century Motor Company.

Prizes

• Annual Grand Prize: $25,000
• First Prize: $3,000
• Second Prize: $2,000
• Third Prize: $1,000

Eligibility

• Open to all high school, college, and graduate students worldwide.
• Essays must be written in English only and be between 800 and 1,600 words in length.

Judging Criteria

• Essays are judged on whether the student is able to justify and argue for his or her view, not on whether the Institute agrees with the view the student expresses:
  • Clarity
  • Organization
  • Understanding
  • On Topic
• Their graders look for writing that is clear, articulate, and logically organized. Essays should stay on topic, address all parts of the selected prompt, and interrelate the ideas and events in the novel.
• Winning essays must demonstrate an outstanding grasp of the philosophic meaning of Atlas Shrugged.

Application

Click here to apply

For more information, visit Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest.