Fraser Institute Student Essay Contest

Scholarship Value: $1,500
Awards Available: 15
Award Deadline: Jun 1, 2023

Join the conversation, showcase your ideas on public policy, and enter our essay contest for the chance to win the grand cash prize! Winning essays may be published in Fraser Institute journals and authors will have the opportunity to experience the peer review process.

2023 Essay Contest - What would our Essential Scholars say about the world today?

Unprecedented is a word that has been used repeatedly to describe all aspects of the last two years: global pandemic, centralized lockdowns, overwhelmed health care facilities, high inflation, revolutionized AI, war in Ukraine, etc. Governments often respond to remarkable moments in history by creating policies they feel would help address the situation. What insight can our Essential Scholars series offer the current situations and events? Relying on the ideas of one of our Essential Scholars, construct an essay that describes a scholar’s response, explanation, or rebuttal to a current event. You can use a scholar’s economic theory to examine unprecedented situations, propose potential policies that a scholar would have put forward, or suggest how certain existing policies would have been adapted by a particular Essential Scholar.

Example Questions:

  • What would Milton Friedman argue should be a government’s response to inflation?
  • In a post-COVID world, what would Jane Jacobs say about the state of our cities?
  • How does James Buchanan’s thoughts on public choice theory apply to the economic sanctions imposed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine?
  • How can Joseph Schumpeter’s concept of creative destruction help us understand the rise and fall of businesses?
  • What would one of the Essential Scholars say about Canada’s current housing and rent situation?

APPLICATION RULES

  1. The contest is open to students studying in Canada and to Canadian students studying abroad. Upon request, Canadian students studying abroad will be expected to provide proof of citizenship. A student is defined as someone who attends school in the 2022/2023 school year or is enrolled to attend in 2023/2024.
  2. Submissions will be considered from secondary and post-secondary (undergraduate and graduate) students in all disciplines.
  3. There will be three separate categories: high school, undergraduate, and graduate students. The category definitions are based on your status in the 2022/2023 school year; for example, if you are an undergraduate student from fall 2022 until spring 2023, you qualify in the ‘Undergraduate’ category.
  4. An essay can have more than one author, and any prizes awarded will be split evenly between the authors. The category in which the essay will be considered will be that of the author with the highest level of education; for example, if you are an undergraduate student and you coauthor with a graduate student, your essay will be considered in the graduate category.
  5. Essay must be between 1,000-1,500 words, not including references.
  6. Entry must be a single document, the header of each page of the essay must include the author’s full name and a page number.
  7. Essay entry must include a cover page, which the name of the author(s), mailing address, phone number, and e-mail address. High school students should include school and grade. Postsecondary students should include school, major, and year of graduation.
  8. Entries must be submitted online in .pdf or .doc format.
  9. Entries may only be submitted once. Further submissions with revisions will not be accepted.
  10. Entries must include references cited from academic sources. Any academically acceptable referencing style may be used.
  11. Please note that if you are a finalist and include a graph in your essay, you will be required to send it to us in an Excel file with the underlying data in order that we can recreate it in-house. If you want to include a previously published graph for which you do not have the underlying data, you must cite its source appropriately to prove that you have permission to reuse it.
  12. Failure to follow these rules may lead to disqualification from the contest.
  13. Entries will be judged on originality, clear expression of ideas, the ability to empirically support their argument and understanding of competitive markets and/or the impact of government intervention.
  14. All entries and ideas become the property of the Fraser Institute. In addition to receiving cash prizes, winners may be published in Canadian Student Review once they have gone through the peer-review process.
  15. Winners will be announced in the fall of 2023.

For more information, please call: +1 604-688-0221 ext.549 or email student@fraserinstitute.org

How to Apply:

"No Essay" Nitro Scholarship

Deadline: Mar 31, 2023
$2,000
To be eligible for the "No Essay" Nitro Scholarship you must be:A) A student who is currently enrolled as a high school senior or in an accredited college or university located within the United States;B) A parent who currently has a child enrolled in an accredited college or university located within the United States;C) A parent who currently has a...

Be Bold Scholarship

Deadline: Apr 01, 2023
$25,000
The "Be Bold" Scholarship is a no-essay scholarship that will be awarded to the applicant with the boldest profile. It takes less than 2 minutes to apply.To us, boldest does not mean "best", or "most accomplished". Being bold means being:A) EarnestB) DeterminedC) MovingThe scholarship will be awarded to the student whose profile is most bold, according to these characteristics.Furthermore, the...

Niche 2K No Essay College Scholarship

Deadline: Mar 31, 2023
$2,000
Niche is the market leader in connecting colleges and schools with students and families. With in-depth profiles on every school and college in America, over 140 million reviews and ratings, and powerful search and data tools, Niche helps millions of students and families find and enroll in the right school for them. Who Can ApplyAll high school and college students, as...

ScholarshipOwl No Essay Scholarship

Deadline: Apr 29, 2023
$1,000
ScholarshipOwl is your source of relief from the dreaded application process. We put students on the fast-track to success by providing direct access to the scholarships they need the most. Take the hassle out of financial aid and maximize your chance at a free ride in college. No matter how much funding you need for school, we have the opportunities...

SP Scholarship

Deadline: Mar 31, 2023
$2,500
The SP College Scholarship program was created to help students win scholarships without the hassle of filling out paper applications and writing dozens of essays.To be eligible for the Scholarship you must be:A) At least 13 years old and enrolled or will enroll in a college or university in the US.B) A legal resident of the U.S. or Puerto Rico.Thus...

10 Words or Less Scholarship

Deadline: Apr 15, 2023
$1,000
Scholarship Eligibility:A) Anyone who is between the ages of 14-25 who will be attending school in the Fall of 2023.B) This scholarship is provided by StudentScholarships.org. In order to apply for our scholarship follow these instructions:1. Go to www.facebook.com/myscholarships and place a comment on any post you see answering the question:In 10 words or less, tell us why you deserve...

Live Nation Scholarship

Deadline: Mar 31, 2023
$10,000
Supports students pursuing careers in the five core areas of the Live Nation business: concert and venue promotion; sponsorship and advertising; ticketing; e-commerce; and artist management.Eligibility and Guidelines:Applicant must be a full-time undergraduate student with a minimum of 60 credits earned, enrolled at an accredited college or university at the time of award in the fall semesterApplicant must be pursuing...

Lockheed Martin STEM Scholarship

Deadline: Mar 31, 2023
$10,000
Welcome to the Lockheed Martin STEM Scholarship Program! Whether you are a student, parent, family member, instructor, school administrator, or just interested in STEM education, we are excited to share more about our efforts to support the academic endeavors of college-level learners across the nation.Lockheed Martin launched the STEM Scholarship Program in 2018 as part of investment in the next...

The National Black Nurses Association provides scholarships to students at all levels (LPN to Doctorate).The National Black Nurses Association offers various scholarships each year including:Dr. Lauranne Sams ScholarshipNBNA Board of Directors ScholarshipMrs. Ola Lofton ScholarshipBAND AID BRAND Black Healthcare Heroes in Nursing ScholarshipMargaret Pemberton ScholarshipNurseThink.com ScholarshipVITAS Healthcare / Esther Colliflower ScholarshipMaria R. Dudley Advanced Practice Nurse ScholarshipGeorge E. McGuire Memorial...

National Dairy Shrine Scholarships

Deadline: Apr 15, 2023
$3,000
Tomorrow’s dairy leaders are here today, in classrooms, dairy youth organizations, at dairy competitions and on dairy farms across the country. The Dairy Shrine’s task is to encourage, stimulate and inspire them. Since its inception, Dairy Shrine has recognized the importance of laying a foundation for the future, and has constantly expanded its youth programs to capture and challenge the...