Fraser Institute Student Essay Contest

Scholarship Value: $1,500

Awards Available: 15

Award Deadline: Register to View


The Fraser Institute hosts an annual Student Essay Contest to promote student participation in economic discourse on current events and public policy. This contest affords winning students the opportunity to have their work peer-reviewed and published early on in their academic career. In addition, we offer exciting cash prizes for the top five winning submissions!

Join the conversation, showcase your ideas on public policy, and enter our essay contest for the chance to win the grand cash prize!

2025 Student Essay Contest - What would the Essential Scholars say about Canadian economic prosperity today?

With previous years of inflation and economic uncertainty, the topic of Canadian economic prosperity continues to be a daily conversation. Issues of Canada’s economic standing compared to other OECD countries, looming trade disputes, monetary policy and continuous reports of the economy being stuck reveal the obstacles faced in pursuing economic prosperity.

Consider what insights our Essential Scholars series offer on fostering policies that support Canadian economic prosperity. Relying on the ideas of one of our Essential Scholars, construct an essay that describes a scholar’s response, explanation or rebuttal to a policy on Canadian economic prosperity. You can use a scholar’s economic theory to examine a current economic policy, 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.

For more information on required essay length format and eligibility please review our 2025 Essay Contest Rules and FAQs.

Example topics to explore in your essay:

  • Canada’s Trade Policies
  • Canada’s Natural Resources
  • Division of Labour
  • Government Debt
  • Interest Rates
  • Entrepreneurialism in Canada

Eligibility

  • This contest is open to all High School, Undergraduate, and Graduate students in Canada and to Canadian students studying abroad. A student is defined as someone who attends school in the 2024/2025 school year or is enrolled to attend in 2025/2026.
  • If you are an international student studying in Canada, you are eligible to participate in our 2025 Student Essay Contest.

Essay Requirements

  • Essays must be between 1,000-1,500 words (not including references).
  • Introductory cover page that includes name of the author(s), mailing address, phone number, and e-mail address.
    • High School students should include school and grade.
    • Post-secondary students should include school, major and year of graduation.
  • Entries must include references cited from academic sources. Any academically acceptable referencing style may be used.
  • Entry must be a single document, the header of each page of the essay must include the author’s full name and page number.
  • Entries will be judged on originality, clear expression of ideas, the ability to empirically support their argument and understanding competitive markets and/or the impact of government intervention.
  • Submitted in PDF format.
  • Full outline of all contest rules can be found in 2025 Essay Contest Rules.
View Scholarship

Be Bold Scholarship

Deadline: Feb 01, 2026
$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:EarnestDeterminedMovingThe scholarship will be awarded to the student whose profile is most bold, according to these characteristics.Furthermore, the scholarship will be...

No Essay Scholarship by Sallie

Deadline: Jan 31, 2026
$2,000
The $2,000 No Essay Scholarship by Sallie is only open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and any US Territory age 17 or older at the time of entry, and who meet one (1) of the four (4) following eligibility requirements at the time of entry:A parent who currently has a child enrolled in...

A Better Financial Future Scholarship

Deadline: Jan 31, 2026
$2,000
The Scholarship is open to all residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, age 17 or older at the time of entry. Employees and contractors of LeverEdge Association are ineligible to participate in the Scholarship Program. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply.SelectionOne (1) entry will be selected at random at the end of the...

$10,000
The Scholarships360 $10,000 “No Essay” Scholarship is open to all students who want some extra help paying for their education. Whether you are a high school student who hopes to go to college, a graduate student who’s in a master’s program, or an adult learner who wants to return to school, you are eligible for our no essay scholarship.This scholarship...

Niche $25,000 Scholarship

Deadline: Mar 31, 2026
$25,000
Niche can help with every step of the college search including paying for it. We're giving one student $25,000 to help cover tuition, housing, books and other college expenses — no essay required!High school seniors who apply can also be eligible to receive acceptance (and scholarship!) offers from our Niche Direct Admissions partner colleges.Apply for our $25,000 No Essay Scholarship...

Faith Based College Scholarship

Deadline: Jan 31, 2026
$2,000
The Christian Connector offers various scholarship drawings for Christian/Faith Based colleges and universities. All of the information services provided by The Christian Connector are offered absolutely free!Eligibility:Students applying to the Faith Based College Scholarship must be current high school students (Class of 2026, 2027, 2028 or 2029) interested in attending a Christian/Faith Based university or college.About:The Christian Connector offers a...

New Year Scholarship Award

Deadline: Jan 31, 2026
$2,000
Since 1995, our mission has been to help connect students with the right schools for them. Carnegie Dartlet, the organization that houses CollegeXpress, is an educational publisher and higher education marketing agency. Every year, thousands of students across the United States and around the world discover their colleges using our websites, magazines, and services.To be eligible for the Scholarship you:A)...

Appily Easy Money Scholarship

Deadline: Jan 31, 2026
$1,000
The Appily scholarship application is fast and easy.Scholarship Eligibility: This scholarship is open to high school sophomores, juniors, and first semester senior students for all majors and schools. We will judge this scholarship based on other criteria such as volunteer work, extracurricular activities, special circumstances, etc.About the sponsors of the scholarship (EAB and Appily):EAB is the market leader in helping colleges...

10 Words or Less Scholarship

Deadline: Apr 15, 2026
$1,000
Scholarship Eligibility:A) Anyone who is between the ages of 14-25 who will be attending school in the Fall of 2026.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...

Tillman Scholarship

Deadline: Feb 01, 2026
$40,000
The Pat Tillman Foundation recognizes remarkable service members, veterans, and military spouses as the next generation of leaders. Through academic scholarships, lifelong leadership development, and a global community of peers and supporters, the Foundation empowers these individuals to make a meaningful impact as they transition into their next chapter of service beyond self.Find eligibility requirements, scholar benefits, and step-by-step instructions...