Top Weird Scholarships in 2021
By 
Will Geiger is the co-founder of Scholarships360 and has a decade of experience in college admissions and financial aid. He is a former Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at Kenyon College where he personally reviewed 10,000 admissions applications and essays. Will also managed the Kenyon College merit scholarship program and served on the financial aid appeals committee. He has also worked as an Associate Director of College Counseling at a high school in New Haven, Connecticut. Will earned his master’s in education from the University of Pennsylvania and received his undergraduate degree in history from Wake Forest University.
Will Geiger is the co-founder of Scholarships360 and has a decade of experience in college admissions and financial aid. He is a former Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at Kenyon College where he personally reviewed 10,000 admissions applications and essays. Will also managed the Kenyon College merit scholarship program and served on the financial aid appeals committee. He has also worked as an Associate Director of College Counseling at a high school in New Haven, Connecticut. Will earned his master’s in education from the University of Pennsylvania and received his undergraduate degree in history from Wake Forest University.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 2021
- Tips for students applying to unusual scholarships
- Summary of unusual scholarships
- Upcoming unusual scholarships
Keep on reading to learn more about the top weird scholarships you can apply for in 2021!
Top weird scholarships in 2021
ABFSE Scholarships
- Eligibility: College students in funeral or mortuary science
- Amount: $1,500 to $2,500
- Deadline: March 1 or September 1 of each year
Society of Vacuum Coaters Foundation (SVC) Scholarship
- Eligibility: Students attending an accredited technical, vocational, two-year, undergraduate or graduate school may apply. Preference will be given students whose major is engineering, physics, materials science and other fields related to vacuum coating.
- Amount: $5,000
- Deadline: October 15, 2021
Zombie Apocalypse Scholarship
- Eligibility: Students ages 13 and older
- Amount: $2,000
- Deadline: October 31, 2021
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, 2021
United States Bowling Congress Scholarships
- Eligibility: Various criteria for high school and college students. All applicants must have USBC Youth membership
- Amount: Varies
- Deadline: December 1, 2021
UNIMA-USA Puppetry Scholarship
- Eligibility: American puppeteers who wish to study puppetry outside the U.S.
- Amount: $1,000
- Deadline: December 30, 2021
Unpakt College Scholarship
- Eligibility: College and graduate students who submit an essay about moving
- Amount: $100, $500, and $1,000 scholarships
- Deadline: December 31, 2021
Vegetarian Resource Group Scholarships
- Eligibility: High school students who are vegetarians or vegans
- Amount: $10,000
- Deadline: February 20, 2022
Create-A-Greeting-Card Scholarship Contest
- Eligibility: High school, college, and university students who are at least 14 years old.
- Amount: $10,000
- Deadline: March 2, 2022
Gamers Helping Gamers Scholarships
- Eligibility: High school seniors and college students with financial need
- Amount: $5,000 per year ($20,000 total)
- Deadline: March 31, 2022
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.
Summary of top weird scholarships in 2021
- ABFSE Scholarships
- Society of Vacuum Coaters Foundation (SVC) Scholarship
- Zombie Apocalypse Scholarship
- Future Designer Scholarship
- United States Bowling Congress Scholarships
- UNIMA-USA Puppetry Scholarship
- Unpakt College Scholarship
- Vegetarian Resource Group Scholarships
- Create-A-Greeting-Card Scholarship Contest
- Gamers Helping Gamers Scholarships
Upcoming weird scholarships
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
- Opens: Early fall
Doodle for Google
- Eligibility: All doodling students in grades kindergarten to Grade 12!
- Amount: $30,000
Stuck at Prom Scholarship Contest
- Eligibility: High school students who create prom outfits with duck tape
- Amount: $500 to $10,000
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
- Opens: Fall 2022
