Let Grow's Think for Yourself Essay Contest Awards $8,000 in Scholarships
Congratulations to our 2024 Scholarship Winners!
$5,000 Grand Prize – David Iglesias from Livermore, California
$1,000 Runner-Up – Justyce Foster from Lauderhill, Florida
$1,000 Runner-Up – Daniel Snipes from Winston-Salem, NC
$1,000 Runner-Up – Caitlyn Evans from Salisbury, MD
Every year, Let Grow asks high school students to think about the importance of independence, curiosity, and open-mindedness in their everyday lives. We award a $5,000 scholarship to the Grand Prize Winner, and $1,000 each to three Runners-Up.
Students submit 600-800 word essays about their personal experiences with these ideas. We want real-life stories of growth and change (not your resume or bio).
Since launching in 2018 we have received over 28,000 entries and awarded $49,000 in college scholarships.
The winners’ essays have been published in USA Today, The New York Post, The New York Daily News, The San Francisco Chronicle, The New Jersey Ledger, Quilette, and EdWeek. This year, David Iglesias just had his essay published in The San Francisco Chronicle and Caitlyn Evans had hers published in The Virginian Pilot.
Our 2025 Contest Will Open in February
Thank you all for your essays, we read every one of the over 2800 we received and selecting just 4 was a challenge.
What To Write
Prompts for 2024. Your 600-800 word response must be a personal narrative, written by yourself, about yourself and your opinions. We want real-life stories of growth and change (not your resume or bio, or 5 paragraphs about To Kill a Mockingbird).
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Write about a time you chose or unexpectedly had to do something new and important on your own. How did that experience change you and why did being independent matter?
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Some say teens and even young adults in college should be shielded from controversial books, ideas, or speakers. Do you agree? Why or why not? If yes, who would you let decide what you could be exposed to?
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How has social media impacted your willingness to be authentic, share your true thoughts, learn about other people’s ideas, and/or engage seriously with them? Please give us one or more examples.
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Write about a time someone changed your mind about an idea or belief you strongly held. How did this change happen and what did you learn from the process? Is there anything you’ll do differently from now on?
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Write about a time you didn’t speak up — or almost didn’t — for fear your idea or viewpoint might be unpopular. Was this the right decision and would you do the same thing again?
How to Write It
Your 600-800 word response must be a personal narrative, written by yourself, about yourself and your opinions. We want real-life stories of growth and change (not your resume or bio, or 5 paragraphs about To Kill a Mockingbird).
The form will not allow you to save and return, so have your PDF essay ready to upload.
FILE REQUIREMENTS (We want you to think for yourself but also follow these instructions!)
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Copy the prompt you are writing about at the top of your essay.
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To help us judge fairly, do not include your full name on your essay.
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Write at least 600 words but not more than 800 words (title is not included).
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Only a PDF file can be uploaded.
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Submissions will be checked for plagiarism and use of ChatGPT or other AI tools. You need to think for yourself, NOT ask AI or someone else to think for you.