When most people think of college scholarships, they think of grants based on test scores, GPAs, or athletic achievements. There are, however, a few unusual scholarships that look for more unique requirements. Learn more about Unusual scholarships, where you can find them, and how they work in the categories below.
Table of Contents
- What is Unusual Scholarships?
- How to Apply for Unusual Scholarship?
- Shade Sail Design Challenge Scholarship
- Minecraft Scholarship
- Beauty & Wellness Professionals Scholarship
- American Board of Funeral Service Education – National Scholarship
- L. Ron Hubbard Writers of The Future Contest
- Theodore Gordon Flyfishers, Inc. Founders Fund Scholarship
- Chick and Sophie Major Memorial Duck Calling Contest
- Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Go Texan Scholarship
- Martin’s Famous Potato Rolls and Bread Video Scholarship
- Vegetarian Resource Group College Scholarship
- Tall Clubs International Student Scholarships
- Doodle for Google Scholarship
- FAQ
What is Unusual Scholarships?
While most scholarships are given to students based on academic criteria, such as merit scholarships or other regular awards based on musical, artistic, or other achievements, unusual scholarships have requirements that are not normal.
For example, the Stuck at Prom Scholarship Contest recognizes students who design stylish prom dresses out of duct tape. You don’t need to have high marks or a stellar essay in order to receive this scholarship – just a passion for fashion.
Some scholarships will award students based on particular characteristics over which they have no control. The Tall Clubs International Student Scholarship, for example, is awarded to a student who is eligible for Tall Clubs International membership. The minimum height for men is 6’2″, and the minimum height for women is 5’10”.
Because unusual scholarships are different from ordinary scholarships, it’s even more important to study the requirements so you know how to qualify and what to submit. Make sure to read the frequently asked questions and contact the scholarship administrator if you have any questions.
How to Apply for Unusual Scholarship?
Students that are looking for unusual scholarships can start searching for them before they begin their high school careers. Many of these scholarships are not simply for seniors or juniors in high school.
Many weird or unusual scholarships recognize students who are creative and unique. These scholarships are not always easier to get than regular grants, and they may require more creativity.
It is more difficult to find unusual scholarships because there are fewer of them offered. Start by searching for scholarships on US Scholarship Guide.org, which will automatically match you to unusual scholarships as well as any others for which you qualify. We also have a whole area of our Scholarship directory dedicated to scholarships based on unique features to make it easier for students to find the less standard rewards.
It’s hard to predict if you’ll get a scholarship, and this is true even if you’re applying for weird or unique scholarships. The best thing you can do is double-check all of the requirements, submit your application before the deadline, and try to stand out as much as possible.
Shade Sail Design Challenge Scholarship
Tenshon has the exciting and demanding challenge of merging design and function, innovation and practicality…and we have valued employees that glorify these jobs on a daily basis. Whether we’re working on major commercial projects like stadiums and corporate buildings or smaller domestic spaces, our designers must learn to adapt swiftly, perform creatively, and think practically. With this, we extend the same challenge to all college students worldwide.
Tenshon invites college students interested in architecture, design, and/or engineering to develop a one-of-a-kind shade sail structure using current standard-sized shade sails. The prize will be awarded to students who stand out and show a talent for shade sail design. Applicants must be full-time college students. The award is offered twice a year, in the spring and fall.
- Amount: $3,000
- Application Deadline: 7/15/2023
Minecraft Scholarship
Students can apply for a $2,000 scholarship, which can be applied to their next semester of college tuition. After the submission deadlines have passed, all drawings will be completed in early August each year. All interested students will be required to prepare a short essay discussing how Minecraft can help them with their academic and job development. Minecraft has been used in many different aspects of education, and we want to know how you think the game may be used to improve learning and development in the future.
We’d love to hear your opinions and experiences on how this fantastic game that we all love can be so much more than just a game. Apex Hosting believes that education is an essential component of living a full and fulfilled life. We have previously collaborated with educational institutions and libraries as part of our commitment to classroom instruction and the power of Minecraft through our Minecraft server hosting service. This has often taken the shape of sponsored gatherings, class projects, and similar projects at colleges, high schools, middle schools, and libraries.
- Amount: $2,000
- Application Deadline: 7/31/2023
Beauty & Wellness Professionals Scholarship
The Beauty & Wellness Professionals Scholarship is a $2,500 award given to students and professionals who are improving the lives of others through wellness and beauty. If you’re ready to start a successful and exciting job in the beauty and wellness sector, or if you’re continuing your education to pursue your next professional goal, fill out the application form below for a chance to receive a $2,500 scholarship for your tuition and education expenses.
Students who are presently enrolled in an eligible program; Prospective students who expect to enroll in an eligible program within the following year; Full-time or part-time students; all US residents, including DACA recipients and international students; students of all ages (with parental approval if under 18); and students of all ages (with parental consent if under 18). We choose one student for the $2,500 scholarship twice a year. This scholarship is given to your school on your behalf and can be used to cover any educational expenditures, such as tuition, books, or supplies.
- Amount: $2,500
- Application Deadline: 9/1/2023
American Board of Funeral Service Education – National Scholarship
The American Board of Funeral Service Education established the National Scholarship Program to grant cash prizes to students enrolled in funeral service or mortuary science schools to aid them in acquiring their professional education. Since beginning in the 1960s, the program has provided scholarships to hundreds of students. Scholarships typically range from $1,500 to $2,500 each academic year and are transferred straight to the student’s tuition expenses once enrollment certification is received from the college involved. Students may apply for consideration once per calendar year.
Applicants must have completed at least one semester (or quarter) of study in a program in funeral service or mortuary science, have at least one term or semester remaining in his/her program that will begin after the award date, and be a US citizen to be eligible for the American Board of Funeral Service Education – National Scholarship. The deadlines for applications are March 1 and September 1.
- Amount: $2,500
- Application Deadline: 9/1/2023
L. Ron Hubbard Writers of The Future Contest
L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Contest provides an opportunity for budding science fiction and fantasy writers to have their work judged by some of the genre’s masters and found by a large audience. There is no entry fee, and all publication rights are retained by the entrant. Only professional writers judge entries in the Writers of the Future Contest. Every three months, $1000, $750, and $500 are awarded.
Each year, a panel of judges chooses one tale as the grand prize winner from the four quarterly 1st Place winners. The author of the grand-prize-winning story receives the L. Ron Hubbard Golden Pen Award as well as a cash award of $5000. Entries must be works of prose of up to 17,000 words in length to be eligible. We are sorry that we cannot examine poetry or works for children. Only those who have not professionally published a novel or short novel, more than one novelette, or more than three short stories in any form are eligible to enter the Contest.
- Amount: $5,000
- Application Deadline: 9/30/2023
Theodore Gordon Flyfishers, Inc. Founders Fund Scholarship
The Theodore Gordon Flyfishers, Inc. Founders Fund Scholarship is awarded annually to a single person who shows skills and great dedication in a field of study within a school or department’s environmental field. The founders hoped that the recipient would use the scholarship to help with his or her studies and then look for employment in the tri-state region in either the public or private sector, improving the goals of protecting the environment and riverbanks habitat conservation for the benefit of all.
Students entering their first or second year of graduate or law school are eligible for this grant. The major of the qualifying applicant must be in environmental studies, including but not limited to ecology, hydrology, conservation biology, natural resource management, zoology, or environmental law and policy. The applicant must have a current 3.5 GPA in the environmental focus courses and an overall minimum 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale. The scholarship is just available to US citizens.
- Amount: $5,000
- Application Deadline: 10/1/2023
Chick and Sophie Major Memorial Duck Calling Contest
At the Chick and Sophie Major Memorial Duck Calling Contest, all high school seniors are eligible to compete for college scholarships worth $4,250. A copy of the contestant’s high school transcript, as well as sufficient identification, must be submitted upon registration.
The first-place winner will receive $2,000 in prize money. The second place receives $1,000, the third place receives $750, and the fourth place receives $500.
The prestigious tournament has granted more than $73,000 in scholarships to young duck callers attending 32 different schools and universities in 13 different states over its 43-year history. The tournament began in 1974, in memory of Stuttgart’s famous champion duck callers and duck call makers, Chick and Sophie Major, with a single $500 scholarship awarded to the winner. The competition is part of the World’s Champion Duck Calling Contest and will be held on the Main Street Stage next to the Stuttgart Chamber of Commerce.
- Amount: $2,000
- Application Deadline: 11/25/2023
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Go Texan Scholarship
The educational programs of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo are an important element of the Show’s mission of helping kids, supporting education, and facilitating better agricultural practices through exhibitions and presentations. All Show scholarship recipients must demonstrate academic potential, citizenship/leadership, and financial need, as well as attend a Texas college or institution.
To be eligible for the Go Texan Scholarship, applicants must be a US citizen, a graduating senior from a public high school in one of the 68 participating counties, and plan to attend an accredited, not-for-profit Texas college or university (accredited by The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges), and participate in a curriculum leading to a bachelor’s degree (online colleges and universities, even if not-for-profit, are not eligible).
- Amount: $20,000
- Application Deadline: 1/31/2024
Martin’s Famous Potato Rolls and Bread Video Scholarship
Martin’s® is awarding up to $3,000 in scholarship money to qualified students who film a video clip promoting Martin’s® new Sweet Dinner and/or Sweet Party Potato Rolls. Students can make a video advertisement for either YouTube or Instagram Reels. The student who creates the greatest advertising in each category will receive $3,000. Each category will also have two runners-up, who will get $1,500 and $500, respectively. Martin’s® Sweet Mini Moments campaign will feature videos throughout April.
Technical Specifications for Video: YouTube advertisement: 30 seconds to 1 minute, horizontal video (19201080), mp4 file; Instagram Reels advertisement: 15-30 seconds, vertical video (10801920), mp4 format. Applicants must be a legal resident of the United States, 18 years of age or older at the time of enrollment, a full-time or part-time undergraduate student, and enrolled in a marketing, communications, or advertising program at the time of entry. At the time of entrance, applicants must be attending a college or institution within 100 miles of Martin’s Chambersburg, PA bakery or Martin’s Valdosta, GA bakery.
- Amount: $3,000
- Application Deadline: 2/1/2024
Vegetarian Resource Group College Scholarship
The Vegetarian Resource Group will provide $20,000 in college scholarships to graduating U.S. high school students who have promoted vegetarianism in their schools and/or communities each year, thanks to the generosity of an anonymous benefactor. Vegetarians do not consume meat, fish, or poultry. Vegans are vegetarians who do not consume any animal products, including dairy or eggs. There will be three awards granted. Only students graduating from high school in the spring may submit entries.
Applicants will be selected depending on their compassion, courage, and dedication to promoting a peaceful world through a vegetarian diet/lifestyle. Payment will be provided to the student’s college (only in the United States). Scholarship winners accept the consent for their identities to be released to the media. The Vegetarian Resource Group owns the applications and essays. We may request further information from the finalists. Scholarship recipients are contacted by email or phone.
- Amount: $10,000
- Application Deadline: 2/20/2024
Tall Clubs International Student Scholarships
Tall Clubs International Foundation grants annual scholarships to eligible North American High School Seniors (only in the United States and Canada). Tall Club International’s local member clubs and members-at-large from across North America submit scholarship nominations to the TCI Foundation. Tall Clubs International Foundation, Inc. selects the recipients from this pool of nominations to receive a $1000 scholarship award.
All candidates MUST fulfill the following standards in order to be considered as a possible scholarship recipient: Meet the Tall Clubs International minimum height criteria of 5′ 10″ (178 cm) for women and 6′ 2″ (188 cm) for men in stocking feet. Age: At the time of application, you must be under the age of 21. You’ve started your first year at college. College: You must intend to enroll full-time in a recognized college or institution. Funding: If funds are provided, they must be used to attend that college/university. Accepts that enrollment must be completed within the current calendar year.
- Amount: $1,000
- Application Deadline: 3/1/2024
Doodle for Google Scholarship
Create a Google Doodle based on what you’re grateful for using your imagination. Students may use whatever materials they want, but all Doodles must be submitted using the entry form. Parents and instructors can send the completed entry form or upload it as a.png or.jpg file online. The artwork of the National Winner will be showed on Google.com for one day. A $30,000 college scholarship, a $50,000 technology package for their school/non-profit organization, a trip to Google headquarters in California, Google hardware, and fun Google swag will also be awarded to the winner.
The doodles of the four National Finalists who do not win the National Prize will be displayed in the Doodle for Google show. Each National Finalist will get a $5,000 scholarship, a trip to Google’s California headquarters, Google hardware, and fun Google stuff. All state and territory winners will have their drawings displayed on the Doodle for Google gallery, as well as Google hardware, a school assembly celebration, and fun Googley merchandise.
The theme of this year’s Doodle for Google is “I am grateful for…”
Taking a moment to reflect on what we’re grateful for can help us take care of our mental health and refocus on what’s most important. What are your favorite memories, people, places, and things? What or who are you unable to live without? What things help you get through the day? This year’s theme encourages you to share what you value the most.
We’re looking forward to seeing some fantastic Doodles this year! Students may use whatever materials they like, but all Doodles must be submitted using the entry form. Parents and teachers can mail us the completed entry form or upload it as a png or jpg file online. The contest is available through March 14th at 11:59 p.m. PST, so here’s some information to get you started:
- Print the form and fill up each field. All entries must include your school information, a title and description, and, most importantly, a signature from your parent/guardian.
- Design your Doodle. You can draw directly on the form or on a separate sheet of paper, and you can use whatever materials you like. Keep in mind that you will need to glue or clear tape it to the form later. If you’re using other materials to make your doodle, you’ll need to take a high-resolution photo of it, print it, and attach it.
- Now, send us your masterpiece! The contest is open through March 14th, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Scan or picture your completed form and upload it to doodles.google.com/d4g/entry/. Take a high-resolution shot in decent lighting if you’re submitting via photo. It should be noted that the file format must be.png or.jpeg. By Mail: Completed forms should be scanned and printed. Send us your entry via postal mail.
There will be 54 winners from each state and territory:
The State and Territory winners will be chosen by the Guest Judges and Google Doodlers from each of the 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands. The winning entries from each state and territory will be presented in an online gallery on the Doodle for Google website.
A National Winner Will Be Announced: In June, a panel of Google workers will select one of the five National Finalists and reveal the National Winner.
Amount: $30,000
Application Deadline: 3/14/2024
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FAQ
Unusual scholarships are different from the more common types of scholarships you could be familiar with. They are founded on certain criteria and target specific interests or groups of people.
While there are many unusual scholarships with fewer requirements, others have higher standards. The Scholars Helping Collars Scholarship, for example, is awarded to a student who can show how they helped a rescue animal or supported animal welfare. A well-written essay and an engaging story will be necessary for receiving this prize.
The best unusual scholarships are those that can be received just by submitting anything required for a class. There will be no essays or other time-consuming tasks. A college sophomore, junior, or senior with a demonstrated interest in confectionery technology is eligible for the National Candy Technologists Scholarship. This can include a number of activities such as research projects, work experience, and formal study.
A sweepstake, which is similar to a lottery system, is one form of unconventional scholarship with an easy application. Scholarship and prize winners are not determined by factors such as grades, test scores, or extracurricular activities. Instead, you simply complete a quick application and return it by the deadline. A winner will be selected at random.
Scholarship sweepstakes are unpredictable, therefore students should not rely on them. Fill out the application if they’re simple to apply for. However, if there are many hoops to jump through, focus on scholarships where you have a better chance of winning.
