Unique scholarships you’ve never heard of

6 unique scholarships you never knew existed

Scholarships should always be number one on your list when it comes to paying for college—it’s money you don’t have to pay back! But do you know this common mix-up with scholarships? So many students think they’re just for star athletes and valedictorians. NOT true! There are scholarships out there for almost every hobby, accomplishment, background, career path, interest, and more. In fact, there are so many unexpected scholarships that you’ve probably never even heard of.

How do you find unique scholarships?

Finding scholarships you think you’ll actually qualify for can be time-consuming. That’s where scholarship tools, like Scholly by Sallie*, are clutch. It’s super easy to get matched with scholarships based on what makes you, you. And it’s completely free to use. Simply tell Scholly about yourself and in just minutes, you’re matched to scholarships that make sense to you.

_{*By clicking the link, you'll visit our affiliate Scholly's site. Any information that we may collect or that you provide will be shared with Sallie Mae and will be covered under the SLM Education Services, LLC privacy policy and terms of use.}

Now that you know where to find them, what are some examples of unique and unexpected scholarships?

1: Signature Hat Scholarship

What’s that? A hat…scholarship? This one’s for all the fashion industry students with a signature style. For the Design Your Signature Hat Scholarship Contest, you can design the hat of your dreams for your chance at $500 for school. 

2: Shout It Out Scholarship

No inside voices with this $1,500 scholarship. For the Shout It Out Scholarship, you’ll answer the question, "If you could say one thing to the entire world at once, what would it be and why?" And your response doesn’t have to be too long! Just 250 words or less. 

3: Superpower Scholarship

Your new superpower? Applying for scholarships! Whether you’ve dreamt about being the superhero or the villain, now’s your time to explain why in your application for the $2,500 Superpower Scholarship. 

4: Book Lovers Scholarship

Be sure to put a bookmark on this scholarship application. For the Book Lovers Scholarship, you get to choose which book you want the world to read and explain why for your chance to win $500 for school. 

5: Create-A-Greeting-Card Scholarship

Say hey, hi, and hello to the Gallery Collection’s Create-A-Greeting-Card Scholarship. For this scholarship submission, you’ve got options. You can send original photos, artwork, or computer graphics for the front of a greeting card and for your chance at $10,000.

6: Scholarship for Aggressive Scholarship Applicants

Step 1: Apply for the first five scholarships in this list. Step 2: Submit the confirmation emails for your chance to win the $500 Debt.com Scholarship for Aggressive Scholarships Applicants. Yup, that’s right. It’s a scholarship for simply applying for other scholarships!

Whatever it is you're into (or not into!), there are scholarships out there that you uniquely qualify for. So don’t overlook all the lesser-known scholarships— and remember, they can make a big difference when paying for college.