College: 10 Weird Scholarships

There are a ton of wacky, unusual and just plain weird scholarships out there.

Paying for college can be stressful and overwhelming, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun. Did you know that by fully embracing your inner weird factor, you could land yourself some serious scholarship money to help pay your college tuition? It’s true. There are a ton of wacky, unusual and just plain weird scholarships out there. Here are 10 you may want to take a look at.

1. Sophie Major Memorial Duck Calling Contest – Can you sound like a duck or even call one over? If you love duck season you may be eligible for $2,000 in scholarships. So get your favorite duck call and get prepared to win some money.
2. Tall Clubs International Scholarship – Are you a woman 5’10” or taller? Are you a man 6’2” or taller? If so you may be in luck. The Tall Clubs International offer student scholarships of up to $1,000 each to tall students who are under 21 years of age and attending their first year of college in the following Fall. To qualify, you need to write an essay entitled, “What being tall means to me.”
3. Eileen J. Garrett Scholarship – Have you always been enticed by the fringe, ghosts, telepathy and psychic powers? Students studying parapsychology at an accredited college or university are eligible for the Eileen J. Garrett Scholarship. Applicants must submit writings on their experience with the subject along with their application. One recipient will be selected for the $3,000 scholarship.
4. Duck Brand Duct Tape Stuck on Prom Contest – Have you ever wanted to create a prom outfit out of duct tape? Well if you have, this is your chance to make it and win $5,000 in scholarship money.
5. American Welding Society Scholarships – Are you a talented welder or have an interest in being one? If so, you may be eligible for welding scholarships that could help pay for education in soldering, brazing, joining and thermal spraying.
6. KLI Academic Award: The Kor Memorial Scholarship – If you love Star Trek and are familiar with Klingon this could be the scholarship for you. The purpose of the Kor Memorial Scholarship is to recognize and encourage scholarship in fields of language study.
7. American Association of Candy Technologists Scholarship – Candy technology is no joke. The winner of this award receives $5,000 and only college sophomores, juniors and seniors who have demonstrated interest in confectionery technology, are in a food science, chemical science, biological science or related area are considered.
8. American Fire Sprinkler Association Scholarship – Want to light a fire under your college tuition bill? Check out the American Fire Sprinkler Association Scholarship; $2,000 is awarded to five high school graduates. After reading about fire sprinklers, applicants are required to answer a ten-question, open-book quiz on their benefits.
9. National Marbles Tournament Scholarship – This scholarship sets out to test your marble skills. The National Marbles Tournament Scholarship requires those with mad marble skills to compete against other marble shooters in a four-day tournament in Wildwood, New Jersey. There are many winners, picking up scholarships that range anywhere from $1,000 – $2,000.
10. Collegiate Inventors Competition – If you’ve been tinkering and taking innovation to the next level from a very young age, this may be the scholarship for you. The Collegiate Inventors Competition seeks to recognize those students who are thinking outside the box. Each year, 12 graduate and undergraduate finalists receive an all-expense-paid trip to Washington D.C. to reveal their invention to a panel of judges. The top graduate winner receives a scholarship worth $15,000, while the top undergraduate inventor receives $10,000.

For more weird college scholarships, check out College Express.

What’s the weirdest scholarship you’ve ever heard of? Let us know!

Westface College Planning can help you navigate the college saving and funding process from start to finish. To learn how we can help you call us at 650-587-1559 or sign up for one of our Tackling the Runaway Costs of College Workshops or Webinars.

Photo Credit: stevendepolo