18 Essay-Free Scholarships to Apply for in 2024
Scholarships are a fantastic way to save money on your college tuition and avoid taking on too much student debt. But, let’s face it, the process of applying for scholarships can be time-consuming and, sometimes you just want something a little easier.
The good news is that easy scholarships – in particular, scholarships without essays – do exist. Some require as little effort as simply entering your name and email address (a scholarship “sweepstakes”), while other scholarships without essays require you to submit something else (like a short video, social media post, or illustration) rather than an essay. These second group of scholarships rewards effort and creativity.
It’s important to keep in mind two things about the easiest scholarships without essays:
- Your chances of winning a scholarship award are much lower than with traditional scholarships. This is because more people usually apply for these easier scholarships.
- You run the risk of being spammed with loads of emails. In fact, many scholarship sweepstakes are created with the sole idea of getting your email address in mind. We therefore recommend using easy scholarship sweepstakes as a secondary option for paying for college. Consider using the majority of your time applying for scholarships with essays that you find on reputable scholarship sites.
And if you’re mostly worried about saving time, consider using Going Merry to apply for scholarship bundles, which combine multiple scholarships with the same essay prompts into one application. Sign up for Going Merry today to begin applying.
Avoiding Scholarship Scams
Another thing to keep in mind is that some easy, no-essay scholarships are actually scams. Follow the tips below to avoid getting scammed.
Scam Tip #1: Say “No” to Upfront Fees!
A scholarship shouldn’t cost anything at all to apply for (except postage). Be wary of any company or scholarship provider who requires you to pay an upfront fee in order to apply. Chances are they have nothing to offer you!
Scam Tip #2: Do The Paperwork Yourself
Some scammers will try and lure you in by telling you that they’ll take care of all the scholarship paperwork for you, including answering all the questions. You can just sit back, relax, and wait for the money to start rolling in. It almost seems too good to be true, doesn’t it? We hate to break it to you, but that’s because it is. Doing your own applications will save you loads of trouble!
(Psst – You can, however, save on some of the paperwork and the repetitive form filling by using Going Merry, which auto-fills your scholarship forms with information from your profile. You’ll still need to answer any scholarship application-specific questions yourself though!)
Scam Tip #3: Guaranteed Scholarships Don’t Exist
If scholarships were guaranteed, student loans would be a thing of the past. Avoid any company claiming to offer you a guaranteed scholarship. It’s a guaranteed scam.
Scam Tip #4: Avoid Dodgy Offers
If you receive an email from an unknown and unprofessional-looking company claiming to offer an amazing scholarship if you enter personal information on their site, it’s best to avoid it. If you’re unsure, simply do a quick Google Search and see if others have reported it as a scam before, and talk to your guidance counselor to see if he or she has information or experience working with the company.
Scam Tip #5: Do Your Research!
Doing a quick search (on Google or snopes.com) can save you tons of trouble in the end. Unfortunately, easy scholarships are too good to be true a lot of the time.
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Now that we’ve got that out of the way, here’s our list of scholarships without essays:
5 Sweepstakes-Style Scholarships with no essays
These are scholarships that require almost no effort.
1. Going Merry Seasonal Scholarships (Spring, Summer)
Amount: $1000 per year (one $250 winner each season)
Provider: Going Merry
When you create a free profile on Going Merry, you’re automatically matched with thousands of scholarship opportunities, including the Going Merry No Essay Scholarship, offered four times a year in the Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. Simply click “Start application,” and then “Submit application” to apply. It’s that easy!
Bonus: When you first register, we’ll prompt you to apply for our bundle of four no-essay, seasonal scholarships for the next year. This way, you won’t even have to think about submitting a new application each season. It’s our way of welcoming you to our platform! Sign up today to take advantage.
2. Christian College Scholarship
Amount: $2,500
Provider: The Christian Connector IncIf you’re planning on attending a two- or four-year Christian college, you’re eligible to enter the drawing for this $2,500 Christian College Scholarship. Simply fill out a short online survey and you’re good to go!
Loving these scholarships, but need help applying for your government financial aid? We can help you fill out your FAFSA and state aid.
3. Citizens Scholarship
Amount: $15,000
Provider: Citizens Bank
Citizens wants to honor the dedication of students and families pursuing higher learning! We are offering a Citizens Grand Prize Scholarship of $15,000 to use towards school expenses. We will also be offering a $2,500 Scholarship monthly.
4. AFSA Second Chance Scholarship
Amount: $1,000
Provider: AFSA Scholarships
If you didn’t have the luck of winning the AFSA High School Senior Contest, try your luck again after graduation with the AFSA Second Chance Scholarship. This $1,000 award is awarded to five high school graduates during the summer months. Deadlines change on a yearly basis, so check out the scholarship website for the most up-to-date information.
5. Scholarship4Moms
Amount: $10,000
Provider: Scholarships4MomsThe Scholarship4Moms scholarship and its organization was created by a group of mothers who wanted to help bring financial relief to moms who are seeking to further their education. Simply register with your first name, last name, and phone number, and you’ll be entered to win!
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3 Easy Scholarships With Short Answers
These are scholarships that don’t require essays (you know, those longer 500-word type ordeals), but do require you to answer a few questions or to write a short piece (e.g. letter, caption, tweet).
6. Aspire Scholarship
Amount: $1,000
Provider: Access Scholarships Foundation
The Aspire Scholarship, hosted by Access Scholarships and CollegeVine, is yet another one of our easy scholarship opportunities created to give back to a deserving student who is applying for scholarships to help pay for college. In just five sentences or less, this scholarship asks you to answer the following prompt: “Tell us what you aspire to achieve and how you believe a college degree can help you to accomplish it.”
7. E-waste Scholarship
Amount: $1,000
Provider: Digital Responsibility
Each year, 20 to 50 million tons of e-waste are discarded in the world. According to the EPA, recycling e-waste allows more than 100 million pounds of materials to be reused annually. The purpose of the E-waste scholarship is to help you understand the impact of e-waste and what can be done to reduce e-waste. This scholarship just requests a short statement that completes this sentence: “The most important reason to care about e-waste is…”
8. The Customized Girl Annual Scholarship
Amount: $500
Provider: Customized GirlCustomized Girl prints bold statements on customized shirts. Naturally, they know an eye-catching quote when they see one. To apply to the Customized Girl Annual Scholarship, post your statement as a caption on Instagram to be chosen as one of two winners, and your statement may be featured on a customized shirt! Check out past winners on the scholarship page for inspiration.
10 Creative, essay-free scholarships
These are scholarships that require you to submit videos, drawings, business plans, etc. instead of essays. Get creative!
9. Two Ten Higher Education Footwear Design Scholarship
Provider: Two Ten Footwear Foundation
Amount: Up to $3,000
Submit: Three design drawings
Sneakerheads can show-off their inner hypebeast/hypebae for the Two Ten Higher Education Footwear Design Scholarship! Students studying design with a focus on footwear are encouraged to apply. Provide three design drawings from your portfolio for consideration.
10. Illustrators of the Future Contest
Provider: L. Ron Hubbard
Amount: $500
Submit: Illustrations
L. Ron Hubbard’s Illustrators of the Future Contest is an opportunity for new science fiction and fantasy artists worldwide to have their work judged by some of the masters in the field and discovered by a wide audience.
11. Create-A-Greeting-Card Scholarship
Provider: The Gallery Collection
Amount: $10,000 (+$1,000 prize for the school)
Submit: An original photo, art, work, or graphic design
If you have a knack for art and sentiment, apply for the Create-A-Greeting-Card Scholarship with your original art. You can use all art forms. Just upload an example as a JPEG (.jpg) for the application. Students 14 years or older are eligible to send their ideas.
12. Build A Better Future Scholarship
Provider: Honors Graduation
Amount: $10,000
Submit: Short video
Ever wondered just how much of a difference high school students can make in their communities? The winners from previous years have proven it can be profound. That’s why the Annual Design a Better Future scholarship continues to be a design-thinking, community-improvement project.
Each year, Honors Graduation funds up to five $10,000 tuition awards, with the top project receiving up to $5,000 to keep the project going.
13. #YouAreWelcomeHere Scholarship
Provider: U.S. Higher Education (Led by Temple University)
Amount: At least 50% of tuition
Submit: A video or an essay
First-year international students at participating American universities can cut down the cost of education with the #YouAreWelcomeHere Scholarship. The #YouAreWelcomeHere campaign gained nationwide support in creating a scholarship awarding two students per university. The video submission must express ideas of advancing intercultural learning. Check the list of participating universities on the campaign’s scholarship page.
14. “Create Real Impact” Contest
Provider: Impact Teen Drivers
Amount: $500- $1,500
Submit: A video, music, creative writing, or graphic design
Students between 14-22 years old may apply to the “Create Real Impact” Contest. The contest seeks original work about a solution and strategy regarding reckless and distracted driving. Choose either video, music, creative writing, or artwork. There are many submission options and contest categories, so make sure to visit the scholarship page for details!
15. GoSkills Scholarship
Provider: GoSkills
Amount: $2,000
Submit: An application and business plan
Calling future girl bosses: Here is your time to debut your online business ambitions. The GoSkills Scholarship (Fall) and (Spring) is open to female high school and college students. There are open-ended questions on the application, but it’s more like a friendly conversation. The questions ask you about your concerns and your role models. Besides the application, you need to provide a link to your business plan (GoSkills provides instructions for your business plan right above the area for the link). Try your hand at mapping a business plan to be your own boss in the future.
16. Anytime Games Scholarship
Provider: Anytime Games
Amount: $3,200
Submit: A video
Because Anytime Games has a keen passion for helping students achieve academic excellence, they’re sponsoring the Anytime Games scholarship contest. To enter, choose one of the six thought-provoking questions from the list, and answer the question needs in the form of an essay or video. Two lucky winners will receive cash they can use towards tuition at the college of their choice.
17. Doodle for Google
Provider: Google
Amount: $55,000
Submit: A doodle illustration
Doodle for Google is an annual contest open to students in grades K-12. Students are invited to create their own Google Doodle for the chance to have it featured on Google.com, as well as win some great scholarships – like this Doodle for Google scholarship – and tech packages for their schools.
18. HeadSetPlus.Com College Scholarship
Amount: $1,000
Provider: HeadSetPlus.Com
HeadSetPlus.Com wants to help you pay for college with the HeadSetPlus.Com College Scholarship… no essay needed! Be creative and create a video with a maximum length of five minutes detailing why you deserve the scholarship and what inspired you to pursue a degree in your field.
Ready to apply for your own scholarships without essays?
You can find and apply for scholarships without essays right on our website. You can request letters of recommendation, upload your resume, and apply for scholarships. Sign up for free today.
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