Ayn Rand Institute Essay Contests 2011

The Ayn Rand Institute has announced essay contests for We The Living, Anthem, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. The Institute offers 521 prizes and $ 81,000 in prize money.

We the Living Essay Contest Information

Eligibility: 10th, 11th and 12th Graders

Entry Deadline: May 5, 2011
FIRST PRIZE: $3,000
5 SECOND PRIZES: $1000
5 THIRD PRIZES: $300
25 FINALISTS: $50
75 SEMIFINALISTS: $25

Topics

Select ONE of the following three topics:

The Communist war hero and much feared Party member Andrei Taganov is completely dedicated to the Party’s cause. Why then does he lose respect for the Party — and why does he fall in love with Kira Argounova?

Although the USSR has collapsed, many people still argue what was argued throughout much of the 20th century: communism is a noble theory that men unfortunately fail to live up to in practice. By reference to the story and specific events of We the Living, explain why you think the novel’s author would accept or reject this argument.

What does Kira Argounova mean when she says that communism forbids “life to those still living”?

Anthem Essay Contest Information

Eligibility: 8th, 9th and 10th Graders

Entry Deadline: March 20, 2011
FIRST PRIZE: $2,000
5 SECOND PRIZES: $500
10 THIRD PRIZES: $200
45 FINALISTS: $50
175 SEMIFINALISTS: $30

Topics

Select ONE of the following three topics:

Contrast Equality’s view of morality at the end of the novel to the morality exemplified by his society’s institutions, practices, and officials.

Anthem’s theme is, in Ayn Rand’s own words, "the meaning of man’s ego." Explain the ways in which the characters and story in Anthem illustrate this theme.

To fully control a man, dictators must not only enslave his body, but also destroy his mind. Discuss how the leaders and society in Anthem seek to accomplish this tyrannical end.

The Fountainhead Essay Contest Information

Eligibility: 11th and 12th Graders

Entry Deadline: April 26, 2011
FIRST PRIZE: $10,000
5 SECOND PRIZES: $2,000
10 THIRD PRIZES: $1,000
45 FINALISTS: $100
175 SEMIFINALISTS: $50

Topics

Select ONE of the following three topics:

After the Stoddard trial, Dominique Francon marries Peter Keating. Given her love for the integrity of Howard Roark's buildings and person, why does she do this? What is she seeking from the marriage? How does her action of marrying Peter relate to her deeper convictions and conflicts?

In dynamiting Cortlandt Homes, Howard Roark breaks the law. What is his moral and philosophical argument for the rectitude of his action?

Choose the scene in The Fountainhead that is most meaningful to you. Analyze that scene in terms of the wider themes in the book.

Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest Information

Eligibility: 12th Graders, College Undergraduates, and Graduate Students

Entry Deadline: September 17, 2011
FIRST PRIZE: $10,000
3 SECOND PRIZES: $2,000
5 THIRD PRIZES: $1,000
25 FINALISTS: $100
50 SEMIFINALISTS: $50

Topics

Select ONE of the following three topics:

What do you think is meant, in Part III of Atlas Shrugged, by the phrase “utopia of greed”?

Why does Francisco D’Anconia, heir to the greatest fortune in the world and a productive genius with boundless ambition,change his course and pose as, of all things, a playboy?

What does the story of Atlas Shrugged have to say about the relative powers of good and evil and the conditions under which one is victorious over the other?.