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Weird Scholarships

When it comes to winning scholarships, geek is chic. Often, a college scholarship is not awarded solely based on major, academic ability, test scores, or athletic talent, but according to a variety of criteria likely to indicate potential for college success. Students who think creatively, express themselves well, and demonstrate an interest in acquiring a great depth and breadth of knowledge are likely to stand out in scholarship applications, as well as the college application process.

Students with unusual talents and interests often find themselves uniquely suited to art scholarships, writing scholarships, and a variety of other weird scholarship opportunities. It makes sense. A typical scholarship contest will seek applicants who stand out from the crowd, and some, like the weird scholarship contests mentioned below, seek students who have spent their entire lives standing out from the crowd. The scholarship applicants whose talents and interests have already earned them school-wide recognition are likely to also receive recognition from scholarship providers, especially where wacky or unusual scholarships are concerned.

Free scholarship money abounds for students with a penchant for the unusual. The hippie girl is going to clean up in green scholarships and community service scholarships for all her high school activism. The guy who memorized pi to 250 places is almost guaranteed some sort of academic scholarship. Duct Tape Pants Guy and the girl hauling around a battered copy of The Fountainhead can win thousands of dollars just for celebrating their talents with a photograph or scholarship essay, as well. Even the sci-fi kids can win multiple weird scholarship awards.

In addition to merit scholarships, scholarships for women, scholarships for minorities, or other well-known categories, weird scholarships are also worth investigating. If you have a weird talent, there might be a weird scholarship for it. The only way to know is to look, so conduct a scholarship search, check off all your "out there" interests in your profile, and start finding money for college.

American Society for Enology and Viticulture Scholarships

Application Deadline: 3/1/2023
Amount: Varies
The American Society for Enology and Viticulture annually awards numerous scholarships to students pursuing a degree in enology, viticulture, or a curriculum emphasizing a science basic to the wine and grape industry. ASEV offers two scholarship programs: the ASEV Traditional Scholarship and the ASEV Presidents’ Award for Scholarship in Enology and Viticulture. The awards are not in predetermined [...] More

CME Beef Industry Scholarship

Application Deadline: 10/30/2022
Amount: $1,500
The Beef Industry Scholarship was introduced in 1989 through Live Cattle Futures Contract of the CME Group. The National Cattlemen’s Foundation and CME Group are committed to the future of the cattle industry and continue to recognize and support outstanding youth in the beef community. The tradition remains strong today, each year a total of ten $1,500.00 scholarships are awarded to students [...] More

LaFontaine Aquatic Entomology Scholarship

Application Deadline: 4/1/2023
Amount: Varies
The LaFontaine Aquatic Entomology Scholarship supports graduate students (MS or Ph.D.) doing a research project in aquatic entomology. A resume, a short synopsis of the project, and a letter of recommendation from his or her faculty advisor are requested for each candidate. Nominations will be forwarded to the VP of Education and the Education Committee for recommendations to the FFI Foundation. [...] More

National Candy Technologists Scholarship

Application Deadline: 4/2/2023
Amount: Varies
To qualify for the National Candy Technologists Scholarship, applicants must: be either a college sophomore, junior or senior for the upcoming academic year; have a demonstrated interest in confectionery technology; and, be majoring in food science, chemical science, biological science or related area. A minimum 3.0 GPA is also required. For more information or to apply, please visit the [...] More

National Potato Council Scholarship

Application Deadline: 6/24/2023
Amount: $10,000
Each year, the National Potato Council Scholarship awards a $10,000 academic scholarship to one graduate-level student conducting research for the benefit of the potato industry.

The winner is selected based on a number of criteria, including academic achievement, leadership abilities, potato-related areas of graduate study, benefit to the U.S. potato industry/commercial value, [...] More

The Collegiate Inventors Competition

Application Deadline: 6/7/2023
Amount: $100,000
The Collegiate Inventors Competition, a program of the National Inventors Hall of Fame and Invent Now is a national competition that recognizes and rewards innovations, discoveries, and research by college and university students and their faculty advisers. Students frequently come from science, engineering, mathematics, and technology studies, but the creative invention can emerge from any [...] More

The Francis Ouimet Scholarship Fund

Application Deadline: 12/1/2022
Amount: $60,000
The Ouimet Scholarship is unique in that it is renewable for up to four years. Ouimet awards range from $1,500 to $15,000 per year, depending on financial need and ranking in our competitive evaluation process. The value of the award over four years can be $10,000 to $40,000, or more. Nearly 5,600 young people have received Ouimet Scholarships, and many have gone on to prestigious positions of [...] More

USBC Chuck Hall Star of Tomorrow

Application Deadline: 12/1/2022
Amount: $6,000
The USBC Chuck Hall Star of Tomorrow recognizes star qualities in a male high school senior or college student who competes in the sport of bowling. Star qualities include distinguished certified bowling performance on the local, regional, state and national levels, academic achievement and extracurricular and civic involvement. For more information or to apply, please visit the scholarship [...] More

WGA Evans Scholars Program

Application Deadline: 10/30/2022
Amount: $120,000
The Evans Scholarship is a full tuition and housing college scholarship for high-achieving caddies with limited financial means. To qualify, caddies must meet the requirements of having a strong caddie record, excellent academics, demonstrated financial need and outstanding character. Scholarship applications are accepted at the beginning of an applicant’s senior year of high school, as well as [...] More

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