“Atlas Shrugged” Essay Contest Doubles in Size!

IRVINE, Calif., September 30, 2009--The Ayn Rand Institute announced a new record in submissions for its annual “Atlas Shrugged” essay contest. ARI received more than 4,000 entries this year, more than twice as many as last year’s record.

ARI credits the surge in essay contest submissions to the recent boom in “Atlas Shrugged” sales, along with the continued growth of ARI’s free books to teachers program. The ARI essay contest is part of a larger educational program that encourages high school and college educators to use the book in their classrooms.  ARI has given teachers more than a hundred thousand copies of “Atlas Shrugged” in the last two years.

Open to 12th graders and both graduate- and undergraduate-level college students, the “Atlas Shrugged” essay contest requires contestants to write on one of several topics dealing with characters and themes in the novel. The contest is designed to promote critical thinking and writing skills. Essays are judged on both style and content. The top prize awarded to the contest winner is $10,000, with multiple semifinalist and finalist awards ranging from $50 to $2,000. 

# # #

For interviews, please contact: media@aynrand.org or call 202-609-7470.

For more information on Objectivism’s unique point of view, go to ARI’s Web site. The Ayn Rand Institute promotes the philosophy of Ayn Rand, author of “Atlas Shrugged” and “The Fountainhead.”