Brianna Hernandez | Opinion Editor
December 6, 2023
Senior year is one of the hardest yet most exciting years for students. As of November, millions of high school seniors across the world were occupied filling out college applications. With multiple California State and UC schools on their list, everyone rushed to get their applications in before the deadline on November 30th. It’s relieving when you finish applying for college– until you realize that you still need to apply for scholarships. Although applying for scholarships can be boring and stressful, students often forget that there is such a thing as wacky and fun scholarships. Here is a list of 5 scholarships that will make essay writing easier and more enjoyable for you!
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Stuck at Prom Scholarship
Worth: $10,000
Deadline: June
Sponsored by the Duck Brand Tape, students need to create a unique prom wear outfit using the brand’s duck tape. After creating an outfit, students will write an essay that gives more insight into their creation. There is a grand prize of $10,000 for each of the two finalists and $500 for four runner-up students. Students don’t have to go to prom for this scholarship, but must be at least 14 years old and attend high school.
Zombie Apocalypse Scholarship
Worth: $2,000
Deadline: October 31st
The Zombie Apocalypse Scholarship consists of writing an essay that answers the following prompt: “Imagine that your high school or college has been overrun with zombies. Your math professor, the cafeteria ladies, and even your best friend have all joined the Walking Dead. Flesh out a plan to avoid the zombies, including where you’d hide and the top five things you’d bring to stay alive,” (Zombie Apocalypse). Students must live in the United States, be over 14 years of age, and their responses must be under the 250-word limit.
Doodle 4 Google Scholarship
Worth: $30,000
Deadline: March 14th
Get artistic and participate in the Doodle 4 Google Scholarship! This scholarship is awarded to artistic students in high school who must illustrate the Google logo using any materials. Students also need to submit an essay describing their illustration and the process of creating it. The doodles are criticized based on creativity, theme communication, and artistic merit. Senior Natalia Reyes shared that, “[She’d] consider [the scholarship] especially for artists like [her] because it gives [her] a chance to use [her] ability to design a logo in the style [she] believes will captivate people’s attention and it’s a great opportunity to be able to win [a prize] that can help her throughout college.” So to all artistic students out there, do not miss this opportunity!
Getting Real About Distracted Driving
Worth: $1,000
Deadline: December 31st
The Getting Real About Distracted Driving Scholarship raises awareness of distracted driving and its consequences. Students must create an advertisement that displays the importance of the possible dangers that could be faced if a driver is distracted. Although the advertisement focuses on a very important issue, students need to add humor or irony to it to have a good chance to win.
Create-a-greeting-card
Worth: $10,000 & an additional $1,000 for your school
Deadline: March 2nd
If you’re a creative person, show your artistic skills by creating a greeting card and submitting it to receive a prize! Students must be able to illustrate their creativity and are encouraged to submit their original work to qualify for the prize. Contestants need to be over 14 years old and can be either in high school or college!
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All in all, I hope this essay gives you some motivation to apply for scholarships that will not only give you the money you need but will be fun while applying. Senior Yara Hernandez exclaimed that “[She] would apply to these unusual scholarships because other scholarships usually want you to evaluate how well you do in school, but the scholarships listed allow you to express yourself as a person and give others an insight of your identity.”
So, If you’re a senior who’s struggling to find some scholarships to apply to, don’t hesitate to participate and let your creativity flow!
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