The cost of education may be climbing, but at the same time, college scholarships seem to be getting weirder and more exciting. While typically US scholarships are awarded based on academic merit and/or financial need, there are some more unusual scholarships - based on feats ranging from duck-copying skills to engineering genius.
We've rounded up the most unusual scholarships we could find for US students, detailing what you need to do to succeed. Read our lists below to find out how you can win $2,000 by writing an article about zombies and how you can win $25,000 by making peanut butter sandwiches!
Unusual Scholarship Contests
USA Fire Sprinkler Association Scholarship Program – A scholarship competition for American college students who write a winning “Fire Sprinkler Essay.”
Chick and Sophie Major Memorial Duck Calling Contest – Prospective college students across the United States can enter Arkansas’ annual Duck Calling Scholarship Contest for a total of $4,250 in prizes.
Create-A-Greeting-Card $10,000 Scholarship Competition – A scholarship competition for American college students to design winning greeting cards.
Duct Tape "Stuck At Prom" Scholarship Contest - Funded by Duck Tape, this gives high school seniors the opportunity to earn a college scholarship by wearing duct tape completely to prom.
Future Illustration Contest - American University Scholarships are awarded to the winners of this science fiction illustration contest.
Jif Most Creative Sandwich Contest – A massive $25,000 college scholarship is awarded annually to the creator of the best peanut butter sandwich.
Junior Duck Stamp Contest – Another duck-related scholarship contest, this program offers $1,000 to the student who creates the best drawing, sketch, or painting of a duck.
National Marble Championship - This marble tournament awards a U.S. scholarship to the winning "mibster" (marble shooter).
Rube Goldberg Machine Scholarship Competition - American scholarship competition to build a winning Rube Goldberg machine. Open to incoming freshmen at Milwaukee School of Engineering.
Future Writers Competition - America's Creative Scholarship Competition for science fiction and fantasy writers.
Zombie Apocalypse Scholarships – $2,000 US scholarships offered by ScholarshipsExpert.com. To win, students had to write a creative application essay about how they would survive if a zombie apocalypse broke out at their school.
College Inventor Scholarship – A U.S. scholarship awarded annually to a full-time U.S. student with an original inventive idea in a STEM discipline or other field.
Unusual Scholarships for Specific Student Groups
American Little Scholars
Optimist International Communication Scholarship – Deaf and hard-of-hearing graduates of U.S. or Canadian high schools College scholarships for students.
Starfleet Scholarship – Offers U.S. students who are members of the International Star Trek Fan Association Starfleet the opportunity to receive a $1,000 scholarship.
TCI Foundation Tall Scholarships – Unusual scholarships for tall first-year college students in the United States who are over 6 feet 2 inches (men) or 5 feet 10 inches (women).
Vegetarian Resource Group Scholarships - American scholarships are offered to students who are studying vegetarianism and actively promote a vegetarian lifestyle in college.
Unusual Scholarships for Sports Fans
Bob Guernsey Paintball Scholarship - College scholarship for active paintballing U.S. students.
Chick Evan Caddy Scholarship – Full tuition college scholarship for golf caddies studying in the United States.
Unusual Food Scholarship
AACT John Kitt Memorial Scholarship – $5,000 scholarship available to U.S. students interested in confectionery technology. Funded by the American Association of Confectionery Technologists.
National Beef Ambassador Program – Provides $1,000 scholarships to U.S. National Beef Ambassador students.
Weird, yes, but they also offer free iPads…
National Potato Board Fellowship Program – A graduate scholarship program for students conducting research to advance the U.S. potato industry.
NDS Milk Marketing Scholarships – Seven U.S. scholarships offered by the National Dairy Shrine to encourage undergraduate students to pursue careers in dairy marketing.
Unusual Scholarships in Specific Disciplines
American Welding Society Regional Scholarship Program – Provides scholarship opportunities for U.S. students studying or training in welding-related programs.
ASEV Scholarship Program – College scholarships open to U.S. students pursuing degrees in enology and viticulture (the science behind the wine and grape industries).
Eileen J Garrett Scholarship - Open to students wishing to study parapsychology, paranormal and psychological phenomena at an accredited university in the United States.
Ludo Frevel Crystallography Scholarship – Provides scholarship opportunities for graduate students with a significant interest in crystallography (e.g., crystal structure analysis and crystal morphology). Each award totals $2,500.
National Gay and Lesbian Pilots Association Scholarship – Members of the LGBT community have the opportunity to receive funding to pursue professional pilot education at a U.S. institution.
TAPPI William L Cullison Scholarship – Provides scholarship opportunities for students studying pulp and paper sciences at an accredited university in the United States. Sponsored by TAPPI.
TYLENOL Future Care Scholarships – U.S. scholarships funded by TYLENOL Pharmaceuticals, Inc., available to students pursuing healthcare majors.
University-Specific Unusual Scholarships
Alice Mcarver Ratchford Scholarship – (very specific) Scholarship opportunity for female students at the University of North Carolina who are single, live on campus, and do not own a car.
Loyola University Chicago Zolp Scholarship - Unusual scholarship for Catholic students with Zolp surname at Loyola University Chicago, USA.
University of Michigan LaFontaine Aquatic Entomology Scholarship – Provides scholarship opportunities for students pursuing an aquatic entomology research program in the Department of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan.
Halam College Hal Reichle Scholarship – A scholarship offered by Hiram College in Ohio, USA, to students who demonstrate humanity and kindness through volunteer service, community involvement, or humanitarian efforts.
Waterfowl and Wetland Conservation Scholarship – USA scholarship awarded to students enrolled in Mississippi State University’s Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture Sciences program.
Twins and Triplets Scholarships
Eastern Michigan University Flott Twins Endowed Scholarship – Provides scholarships for twins studying in Eastern Michigan University’s College of Education
George Washington University Family Grant – Provides reduced tuition scholarships to twins and other siblings attending George Washington University in the United States in the same year.
Layton Frazier McKinley Scholarship – Provides undergraduate business scholarships to twins at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. Preference is given to identical twins.
Wilson College Twins and Triplets Scholarship - Twins and triplets scholarship awarded annually by Wilson College in Pennsylvania, USA. 45% tuition discount per twin/triplet.