Weird Scholarships You Can Actually Apply for
College costs keep climbing, and the competition for traditional academic scholarships gets fiercer every year. Students with perfect grades fight over the same merit-based awards while everyone else wonders how they’ll afford tuition.
But here’s something most people don’t know: thousands of bizarre scholarships sit out there waiting for applicants, many of them receiving very few entries. These awards don’t care about your GPA or test scores.
Instead, they want to know if you can make duct tape formal wear, survive a zombie attack, or explain why you identify with a specific ice cream flavor. The money is real, the competition is often lighter, and the application process is usually more fun than writing another serious essay about your leadership experience.
College funding doesn’t have to come from boring sources. Sometimes being weird pays better than being perfect.
Stuck at Prom duct tape fashion
Duck Brand Duct Tape sponsors a contest where high school students create complete prom outfits made entirely from duct tape. The grand prize winners get $15,000 for college, with additional awards going to runners-up.
Couples or individuals can enter by submitting photos of their duct tape creations, which range from simple designs to elaborate gowns and tuxedos that look almost professional. The contest judges creativity, originality, workmanship, use of colors, and use of accessories.
Some past winners have created dresses with intricate patterns, working zippers, and details that make people forget they’re looking at tape. This scholarship proves that fashion design skills combined with patience can literally pay for your education.
Zombie Apocalypse survival plan
This scholarship asks one simple question: what would you do if zombies overran your college campus? Students write 250 words or fewer describing their survival strategy to win $2,000.
The prompt doesn’t require scientific accuracy or serious planning, just creativity and entertainment value. No GPA requirements exist, and no letters of recommendation are needed.
Winners have described everything from barricading themselves in the library to forming alliances with the cafeteria staff who control the food supply. The scholarship rewards imagination and the ability to think outside the box, even if that box is surrounded by the undead.
Tall Clubs International height advantage
If you’re exceptionally tall, the Tall Clubs International Foundation offers scholarships specifically for you. Women must be at least 5 feet 10 inches tall, while men need to measure at least 6 feet 2 inches.
The organization awards multiple scholarships each year to students who meet the height requirements and are under age 21. Beyond height, applicants need to demonstrate involvement in school and community activities.
The scholarship exists because Tall Clubs International wants to support young people who share the unique experience of being taller than most of their peers. Being born with a genetic advantage finally comes with financial benefits.
National Potato Council research funding
Graduate students conducting research that benefits the potato industry can apply for scholarships from the Potato Leadership, Education and Advancement Foundation. The awards go to students studying agricultural sciences with a focus on potato production, disease management, or related fields.
Applicants submit their research proposals, academic records, and career goals. The potato industry is enormous in the United States, and these scholarships help ensure that future agricultural scientists continue improving potato cultivation.
Anyone who ever wondered if their love of potatoes could fund their education now has an answer.
Flavor of the Month ice cream essay
Unigo asks students to write 250 words explaining which ice cream flavor they would be and why. The winner receives $1,500 for college expenses.
This prompt tests creativity, self-awareness, and the ability to make unexpected connections. Some students compare themselves to vanilla because they’re classic and reliable.
Others pick rocky roads to represent life’s bumps and challenges. The scholarship doesn’t care about your major or career plans, just whether you can write something interesting about frozen dessert metaphors.
It’s one of the easiest applications out there, and the short word count means you can finish it during a study break.
Left-handed student support
Juniata College offers scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $1,500 specifically for left-handed students through the Frederick and Mary F. Beckley Scholarship program. Only students enrolled at Juniata College qualify, making this a very targeted award.
The scholarship exists because left-handed people face unique challenges in a world designed for right-handed individuals, from awkward desk designs to difficult scissors. Recipients must demonstrate academic achievement and financial need beyond just being left-handed.
This proves that even biological traits that affect a small percentage of the population can become pathways to college funding.
Natural redhead photo contest
The Redhead Scholarship requires students with natural red hair to submit current and childhood photos proving their authentic ginger status, along with a personal statement and transcript. Red hair is one of the rarest natural hair colors, occurring in only about 2 percent of the global population.
The scholarship celebrates this genetic uniqueness while helping redheaded students afford college. Some applicants include family photos showing generations of red hair, while others write about the experience of standing out in every school photo.
The application is straightforward, and the competition pool is naturally limited by genetics.
Vegetarian Resource Group activism
Students who have promoted vegetarianism in their schools or communities can win up to $10,000 from the Vegetarian Resource Group. The scholarship rewards activism, not just personal dietary choices.
Applicants describe projects like starting school vegetarian clubs, organizing meatless meal campaigns, or creating educational materials about plant-based diets. The organization wants to support young people who actively work to spread vegetarian values rather than those who simply don’t eat meat.
Winners have included students who convinced their school cafeterias to add vegan options or who created documentaries about factory farming. Passion for a cause combined with concrete action makes for strong applications.
Make Me Laugh embarrassing story
Share a funny or embarrassing moment from your life in 250 words and you could win $1,500. The story can be true or fictional, as long as it’s entertaining.
This scholarship from Unigo rewards humor and storytelling ability rather than academic achievement. Past winners have written about everything from accidentally texting the wrong person to wardrobe malfunctions during important presentations.
The judges want to laugh, so stories with genuine comedic timing and relatable awkwardness tend to win. Being able to laugh at yourself turns out to be a marketable skill in the scholarship world.
Create-A-Greeting-Card contest
The Gallery Collection sponsors an annual contest where students submit original greeting card designs for a chance to win $10,000. The winning design gets printed and sold as part of The Gallery Collection’s card line, with the student’s name credited.
Submissions can be any style, from photography to hand-drawn illustrations to digital designs. The company has run this contest for years, giving art students a genuine opportunity to see their work published while earning serious scholarship money.
Unlike many art scholarships that require extensive portfolios, this one judges applicants on a single greeting card design, making the barrier to entry much lower.
John Gatling last name lottery
Students with the last name Gatling or Gatlin who attend North Carolina State University can receive generous scholarships funded by an alumnus with that surname. NC residents get $10,000 per year while non-residents receive $15,000 annually, renewable for up to four years.
That’s potentially $60,000 in scholarship money simply for having the right last name and choosing the right university. This might be the ultimate weird scholarship because it requires zero effort beyond being born into a specific family and applying to NC State.
The Gatling family apparently values education enough to fund future generations of people who share their name.
Asparagus Club agricultural funding
Students from college sophomores through graduate school who plan careers involving asparagus can apply for the Asparagus Club Scholarship. Applicants need at least a 2.5 GPA and must be studying agriculture, horticulture, or related fields.
The scholarship supports future farmers, agricultural scientists, and others who will work in asparagus production or sales. Like the potato scholarship, this award demonstrates how specific agricultural industries invest in educating the next generation of professionals.
Anyone who thought their interest in vegetables was impractical can now reconsider. Even asparagus has scholarship funding.
Top Ten List about yourself
Unigo offers $1,500 for creating a top ten list about things you love about yourself. The list should showcase creativity and personality in 250 words or fewer.
This scholarship flips the typical modest application essay on its head by asking students to celebrate themselves openly. Some applicants write serious lists about their strengths and values.
Others take a humorous approach, listing quirky habits or weird skills. The format is familiar thanks to late-night talk shows and online content, making it easy to understand what’s expected.
Self-confidence becomes an asset rather than something to downplay.
Do-Over life moment reflection
If you could redo one moment in your life, what would it be? Answer this question in 250 words for a chance to win $1,500 from Unigo.
The scholarship rewards thoughtful reflection and honest writing about regrets, mistakes, or missed opportunities. Some students write about major life decisions they’d change.
Others focus on small moments that had unexpected consequences. The prompt doesn’t require a happy ending or a neat lesson learned, just genuine consideration of what you’d do differently.
This scholarship values self-awareness and the ability to think critically about your own choices.
Flying Musicians Association solo flight
High school juniors and seniors who are musicians and want to learn to fly can get nominated by their music directors for a unique opportunity. The Flying Musicians Association sponsors the first solo in-flight training session with a certified instructor for selected students.
This incredibly specific scholarship sits at the intersection of two seemingly unrelated interests: music and aviation. The program looks for students who excel in music while harboring dreams of becoming pilots.
Winners don’t receive cash but get flight training that costs hundreds or thousands of dollars, making it valuable scholarship support for a very particular career path.
Superpower alternate universe story
Pick one hero or monster to switch lives with for twenty-four hours, then say why. A prize of two thousand five hundred dollars goes to whoever shows strong imagination and clear expression.
Run by ScholarshipOwl, this chance leans on old dreams of flying through skies or walking inside made-up worlds. Strong entries do more than shout out a beloved figure – they dig into what learning from that role might reveal, or how strange abilities could untangle everyday struggles.
A student’s voice can shine through even within strict guidelines. Surprisingly, knowing superhero storylines might help pay tuition.
Clowns of America Offer Education Help
Anyone thinking about joining long-running shows meant for families might find help through Clowns of America, International. Believe it or not, there’s actual support for those diving into clown school.
Training in circus performance, comedic acts, or similar stage work could come with financial aid from this group. Money given shifts each year – depends on what’s in the pot and who applies.
Keeping old-school live fun alive matters, especially when learning takes time, practice, maybe even a red nose. Not many take seriously the dream of living life under the big top – yet here, training in acrobatics or juggling becomes reachable through financial aid.
Backed by those who work behind red noses and oversized shoes, new performers find support where it counts.
When weird works in your favor
College money shows up in places people never think to look. Winners often lack flawless report cards or long lists of honors.
What matters most is leaning into what makes them different – quirks, passions, skills others might overlook. Odd grants appear when one person insists a certain hobby or habit should get backing.
Filling out these unusual applications tends to feel livelier, since questions spark imagination instead of demanding polished records. Fewer people apply, so chances improve.
Acting unusual, narrow, or simply unlike others shifts into a plus during the hunt – no longer a trait tucked away.
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