Home > Financial Aid > College Scholarships > Scholarships by Type > Weird Scholarships

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: 3/1/2020
  • 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

Chick Evans Scholarship for Caddies

  • Application Deadline: 9/30/2020
  • Amount: Varies
  • As the nation's largest scholarship program for caddies, we've helped thousands of hardworking young men and women get to college since 1930. Our Evans Scholars Program addresses the barriers to college graduation faced by students and prepares them for a lifetime of success. For more information or to apply, please visit the scholarship provider's website. [...] More

CME Beef Industry Scholarship

  • Application Deadline: 10/30/2020
  • Amount: $1,500
  • 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 pursuing careers in the beef industry.Sponsored by CME Group & the National Cattlemen's Foundation, ten (10) [...] More

LaFontaine Aquatic Entomology Scholarship

  • Application Deadline: 4/1/2020
  • Amount: Varies
  • This grant was created to honor Gary LaFontaine and the aquatic entomology he loved and spent his life studying. A Fund has been established in the FFI Foundation, to support graduate students (MS or PhD) doing a research project in aquatic entomology. A resume, a short synopsis of the project, and letter of recommendation from his or her faculty advisor are requested for each candidate. [...] More

National Candy Technologists Scholarship

  • Application Deadline: 4/3/2020
  • Amount: $5,000
  • The National Candy Technologists Scholarship is $5,000, paid in two $2,500 installments. To qualify, the student 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 [...] More

National Potato Council Scholarship

  • Application Deadline: 6/15/2020
  • 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, extracurricular [...] More

The Collegiate Inventors Competition

  • Application Deadline: 6/14/2020
  • 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 creative invention can emerge from any course [...] More

Latest College & Financial Aid News

The Future of Standardized Testing in College Admissions

February 18, 2020

by Susan Dutca-Lovell

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is all on its own in requiring all applicants to take SAT Subject Tests. Last week, Harvey Mudd announced that it was dropping the SAT Subject Test requirement and the California Institute of Technology made a similar announcement weeks ago, along with other prominent schools such as the University of Chicago and the University of Rochester. Test-optional admission policies have become more popular lately, for a variety of reasons. Here are some changes you may see in the near future when it comes to SAT scores in the college admissions process. [...]

10 February Scholarships that Speak to Students' Hearts

February 14, 2020

by Susan Dutca-Lovell

This year for Valentine's Day, Scholarships.com is spreading the love with the things which high school and college students love most: college scholarships. Give yourself the sweet gift of graduating college debt-free with this list of February 2020 Scholarships - including scholarships for high school students and college student scholarships. Or, you can conduct a scholarship search to be matched to a personalized list of scholarships in a heartbeat. [...]

Best Scholarships for High School Juniors (Class of 2021)

February 10, 2020

by Susan Dutca-Lovell

To get a head start in the scholarship search game, many students - including high school juniors - begin searching for scholarships before their senior year in high school. High school junior scholarships can range from $500 awards to full-ride scholarships. [...]

Last Reviewed: February 2020

Scholarships by Type

More