Unusual Scholarships in the US

Education costs may be climbing, but in the meantime college scholarships seem to be getting ever more weird and wonderful. While usually US scholarships are allocated based on academic merit and/or financial need, there are some much more unusual scholarships out there – based on everything from duck imitation skills to feats of engineering brilliance.

We’ve collected the most unusual scholarships we could find for students in the US, with details of what you’ll need to do to be in with a chance of success. Read our list below and discover how you could win US$2,000 for writing an essay about zombies, and a whopping US$25,000 for making a peanut butter sandwich!

American Fire Sprinkler Association Scholarship Program – scholarship contest for US college students who write a winning ‘fire sprinkler essay’.

Chick and Sophie Major Memorial Duck Calling Contest – prospective college students in the US can take part in the Arkansas annual duck calling scholarship contest, in order to win awards totaling US$4,250.

Create-A-Greeting-Card $10,000 Scholarship Contest – scholarship contest for US college students to design a winning greeting card.

Duct Tape “Stuck At Prom” Scholarship Contest – Funded by Duck Tape, this gives graduating high-school students the opportunity to gain college scholarships by dressing entirely in duct tape for their prom.

Illustrator of the Future contest – US college scholarships are awarded to winners of this science fiction illustration competition.

Jif Most Creative Sandwich Competition – A massive US$25,000 in college scholarship funding is awarded annually to the creator of the best peanut butter sandwich.

Junior Duck Stamp Contest – another duck-related scholarship contest, this initiative gives US$1,000 to the student who creates the best drawing, sketch or painting of a duck.

National Marbles Tournament – This marble tournament awards US scholarships to the winning ‘mibster’ (marble shooter).

Rube Goldberg Machine Scholarship Contest – US scholarship contest to make a winning Rube Goldberg machine. Open to incoming students at the Milwaukee School of Engineering.

Writer of the future contest – creative US scholarships contest for science fiction and fantasy writers.

Zombie Apocalypse Scholarships – US scholarships worth US$2,000, offered by ScholarshipsExpert.com. To win, students must write a creative application essay on how they would survive if a zombie apocalypse broke out in their school.

Collegiate Inventors’ Scholarship – annual US scholarships awarded to full-time US students with an idea for an original invention in a STEM subject or other field.

Little People of America Scholarships – offering scholarships for current undergraduate or graduate US students, with preference given to LPA members medically diagnosed with dwarfism, immediate family members of an LPA member, or non-member students with dwarfism.

Optimist International Communication Scholarship – college scholarships for deaf and hard of hearing students graduating from high school in the US or Canada.

Starfleet Scholarships – opportunities to gain US$1,000 scholarships for US students who are members of the International Star Trek Fan Association, Starfleet.

TCI Foundation Tall Scholarships – unusual scholarships for tall, first-year university students in the US with a height of over 6 foot 2 inches (for men) or 5 foot 10 inches (for women).

Vegetarian Resource Group Scholarships – US scholarships for current students who are vegetarian and actively promote a vegetarian way of life at their university.