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Youth ages 14 to 18 worldwide, including 19-year-old high school seniors, may enter the Walden Woods Project Live Deliberately Essay Contest. College students are ineligible.
Two $500 prizes are awarded, one winner in each age group (14 to 16 and 17 to 18), plus an autographed annotated edition of Walden. Honorable mentions in each group receive the book only.
Write an original unpublished essay of 750 words or fewer reflecting on the provided Thoreau quotation and prompt, connecting it to your own experiences. The contest is run by the Walden Woods Project, which preserves Henry David Thoreau's land, literature, and legacy.
The Live Deliberately Essay Contest awards $500 (2 winners).
The deadline is September 30, 2026. The scholarship is not currently accepting applications; create a free Award Scholar profile to get notified when the next window opens.
Key requirements include: Age 14-18; High school; English Literature; United States. Check the full eligibility section above, or create a free Award Scholar profile to have every requirement checked against your profile automatically.
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Yes, the application includes one essay question. Award Scholar drafts scholarship essays in your own voice, so the writing takes minutes instead of hours.
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