Best Personal Essay Writing Scholarships in 2025

The purpose of this scholarship is to help you understand the risks of texting while driving. To apply, complete the application form, which includes a 140-character message about texting while driving. Ten finalists will be asked to write a full length 500- to 1,000-word essay about texting while driving, and one will be chosen as the winner of this $1,000 scholarship.

​FRA sponsors an annual essay contest to promote the spirit of Americanism and patriotism among our country’s youth. FRA's Americanism Essay Contest is open to all students, grades 7-12, including those who are home schooled. Students are invited to submit a 350-word essay through an FRA member or local FRA branch before the December 1st deadline.

Underwritten by the New York Life Foundation, the New York Life Award offers $2,500 scholarships/travel stipends to ten students whose works explore death and personal grief. Sharing your story through art or writing can be a healing experience both for you and other teens who are grieving. Your creative work can help someone with similar experiences to you feel less alone.

In an effort to get students committed to the cause of deleting cyberbullying, we are offering the Delete Cyberbullying Scholarship Award for high school, college and graduate student — a $1,000 scholarship to help cover educational expenses. To apply, write a short essay answering one of the following questions: "Why is it important to work to delete cyberbullying?" or "How has cyberbullying personally affected you?"

The Walt Disney Company UNCF Corporate Scholars Program aims to help create a diverse pipeline of college-educated professionals poised to assume fulfilling off-camera careers in entertainment, and to help increase the number of underrepresented minorities employed in the entertainment industry. Please note applications submitted for this program will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Students who are Muslim or active members of the Muslim community may apply for the Islamic Scholarship Fund. The ISF awards multiple scholarships each year ranging from $3,000-$10,000, though the amounts and number of recipients will vary. Students must submit applications including essay questions, work samples, and letters of recommendation, and must also be majoring in an ISF-supported field related to media or politics.

Love your college? Hate it? Meh? Tell other students about your experience so they can make better decisions about college. You must currently attend (or have previously attended) the college that you review to be eligible.

The Ursinus College Creative Writing Award is a $40,000 per year major scholarship for creative writers of outstanding originality and potential. The award winner will have the honor of living in the dorm room once occupied by J.D. Salinger, who attended Ursinus. In the spirit of Holden Caulfield and Catcher in the Rye, we are looking for an unusual perspective, for quirky brilliance, for a voice. Candidates must achieve admission to Ursinus.

The Helen Lansdowne Resor Scholarship offers its awardees a $10,000 scholarship to put toward their education, an internship at Wunderman Thompson, and other mentorship and post-graduate opportunities. Any female undergraduate or postgraduate student with at least a year left of their studies is eligible. Applicants must submit personal statement, letters of recommendation, and 3-5 creative samples.

The Pride Foundation provides essential financial resources and community support to inspirational LGBTQ+ and allied student leaders across the Northwest. Applicants must be from Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, or Washington to be eligible. Applications open in October of each year and all 60+ scholarships may be applied for through the same application form.

The Mary Quon Moy Ing Memorial Scholarship will award up to $2,000 to a graduating high school senior who will be attending a college or university to pursue a journalism career. A winner will be selected based on academic and journalistic achievement, financial need, commitment to journalism and/or sensitivity to AAPI issues. Applicants must submit a resume, brief personal statements, and optional work samples.