Annual Student Essay Contest Offers Platform for Authentic Voices with $3,000 in Prizes

The annual student essay contest, running since 2013, has announced its 2025 edition with a focus on authentic student voices and real-life experiences, offering graduating high school seniors and currently enrolled undergraduate or graduate students aged 18 or older a platform to address timely questions affecting their futures. This free-to-enter competition requires essays written in English, submitted as Word documents between 500-700 words following MLA formatting guidelines, with submissions accepted until June 15, 2025 through the official submission form available at https://www.studybay.com/essay-contest.

Participants must choose from three powerful prompts: Will AI Steal My Dream Job or Make It Better?, The Pressure to Succeed: Is It Helping or Hurting Me?, and Surviving on a Student Budget: Hacks, Fails, and Funny Stories. These topics are designed to encourage individuality and candid discussion of student experiences, with the contest jury specifically disqualifying AI-generated content or plagiarism to ensure authentic expression. The competition offers $3,000 in total cash prizes, with $1,500 for first place, $1,000 for second, and $500 for third place, providing meaningful financial support for students while recognizing their intellectual contributions.

Studybay's global expansion continues with the platform launching a Portuguese-language contest for Brazilian students hosted on https://www.studybay.com.br, significantly broadening access to educational opportunities internationally. Max Malak, spokesperson for Studybay, emphasized that the contest represents more than academic excellence, serving as a space for authentic reflection and creative courage where students can share their struggles, questions, and dreams. This initiative matters because it creates a vital outlet for student perspectives on issues directly impacting their educational and professional trajectories, while the financial rewards and global reach demonstrate commitment to supporting diverse student voices across different educational systems and cultural contexts.