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Top 10 Weird Scholarships in 2022
Whether you want to create your prom dress out of duct tape, advocate for beef, or are vegetarian, there is a scholarship for you! Truth be told, our favorite scholarships are the unusual or even weird scholarships that students can apply for. In this post, we highlight some of the top unusual (sometimes weird!) scholarships that you might want to include in your scholarship search!
Jump ahead to:
- Top Weird Scholarships in 2022
- Tips for students applying to unusual scholarships
- Upcoming unusual scholarships
- Other scholarship lists to explore
Keep on reading to learn more about the top weird scholarships you can apply for!
Top weird scholarships in 2022
Potato LEAF Scholarship
- Eligibility: Graduate students (Master’s degree or higher) conducting research to improve the future of the U.S. potato industry
- Amount: $10,000
- Opens: June 24, 2022
Collegiate Beef Advocacy Program
- Eligibility: Young beef leaders currently enrolled in college who want to further develop their passion for the cattle community, all while using their unique strengths to connect with consumers, producers, and peers to share a positive message about beef
- Amount: $2,000
- Deadline: July 15, 2022
Stuck at Prom Scholarship Contest
- Eligibility: High school students who create prom outfits with duck tape
- Amount: $500 to $10,000
- Opens: July 20, 2022
Minecraft Scholarship
- Eligibility: United States citizens enrolled in college or high school with 3.0 or higher GPAs
- Amount: $2,000
- Deadline: July 31, 2022
ABFSE Scholarships
- Eligibility: College students in funeral or mortuary science
- Amount: $1,500 to $2,500
- Deadline: September 1 and March 1 of each year
Zombie Apocalypse Scholarship
- Eligibility: Students ages 13 and older
- Amount: $2,000
- Deadline: October 31, 2022
Future Designer Scholarship
- Eligibility: Must be at least 17 years old and already accepted or enrolled in college. To apply, applicant must submit a greeting card design
- Amount: $2,500
- Deadline: November 1, 2022
United States Bowling Congress Scholarships
- Eligibility: Various criteria for high school and college students. All applicants must have USBC Youth membership
- Amount: Varies
- Deadline: The Dexter High School “All American” Scholarship is due April 1st, all others December 1st of each year
UNIMA-USA Puppetry Scholarship
- Eligibility: American puppeteers who wish to study puppetry outside the U.S.
- Amount: $1,000
- Deadline: December 30, 2022
Mycological Society of America Scholarships
- Eligibility: College to post-doctoral students/scholars of all things fungus related
- Amount: Varies
- Deadline: Varies
Tips for students applying for weird & unusual scholarships
- Weird scholarships are your opportunity to be your truest self! In the application, embrace who you are. This can be the perfect opportunity to write a quirkier than usual essay or be extra creative with a potential project. Weird scholarships are usually really niche, so the scholarship selection committee will appreciate authenticity.
- In your scholarship search, you may come across some opportunities that seem a bit shady. In these situations, there may be something else “weird” going on. Take a look at these tips for identifying common scholarship scams. This will help you stay safe in your scholarship search.
- Weird scholarships are a great way to finance your education, but they’re not the only one. Make sure to expand your scholarship search into other categories. Our scholarships search tool is a great opportunity to find scholarships that range across all of your interests and demographic information. All of our opportunities are vetted and auto-update as they close and new ones open.
- Remember to take advantage of need-based financial aid, especially federal opportunities. Make sure that you fill out the FAFSA to test your eligibility for institutional aid and federal grants such as the Pell Grant.
Upcoming weird scholarships
Bird Dog Foundation Annual College Essay Scholarship Contest
Eligibility: High school seniors who are U.S. citizens and reside in Tennessee, Mississippi, or Arkansas. Students affiliated with a bird dog club, organization, or field trial association in any of the other 47 U.S. states are also eligible
Amount: 1st place: $2,000; 2nd place: $1,500; 3rd place: $1,000
Create-A-Greeting-Card Scholarship Contest
- Eligibility: High school, college, and university students who are at least 14 years old.
- Amount: $10,000
- Opens: June 6, 2022
Doodle for Google
- Eligibility: All doodling students in grades kindergarten to Grade 12!
- Amount: $30,000
Gamers Helping Gamers Scholarships
- Eligibility: High school seniors and college students with financial need
- Amount: $5,000 per year ($20,000 total)
Unpakt College Scholarship
- Eligibility: College and graduate students who submit an essay about moving
- Amount: $100, $500, and $1,000 scholarships
Tall Clubs International Scholarship
- Eligibility: Students under the age of 21 who are about to enter their first year of higher education. Students must also meet the minimum height requirements for membership in Tall Clubs International—5′ 10″ (178 cm) for women and 6′ 2″ (188 cm) for men
- Amount: $1,000
Vegetarian Resource Group Scholarships
- Eligibility: High school students who are vegetarians or vegans
- Amount: $10,000
