October 19, 2010

IRVINE, CA–High school sophomore Anne Fosburg, from Park City, Utah, is the winner of the Ayn Rand Institute’s annual “Anthem” essay contest, for which she received a prize of $2,000. Ms. Fosburg is a student at Treasure Mountain International School.

Since 1985 more than 255,000 students from around the world have entered ARI’s essay contests. This year more than 16,000 students submitted their essays to the “Anthem” contest.

ARI also awarded 5 second prizes ($500), 10 third prizes ($200), 45 finalist ($50) and 175 semifinalist ($30) prizes. A complete list of winners and information about next year’s competition can be found at www.aynrandnovels.com/contests.

First published in 1938, Ayn Rand’s novella “Anthem” depicts a collectivist dictatorship in a future in which the word “I” has vanished, and how a lone dissident discovers the lost word’s true meaning.

Open to 8th-, 9th- and 10th-graders, the “Anthem” essay contest requires contestants to write on one of several topics dealing with the characters and themes in the book. The contest is designed to promote critical thinking and writing skills. Essays are judged on both style and content.

Each year ARI offers five separate contests (“Anthem,” “The Fountainhead,” “We the Living,” “Atlas Shrugged,” and the Former Participants contest) and awards more than $97,000 in prizes.

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