High School Student Wins $10,000!

IRVINE, CA, August 5, 2009–High school junior Dinah DeWald, from Phoenix, Arizona, is this year’s winner of the Ayn Rand Institute’s annual essay contest based on Ayn Rand’s novel The Fountainhead, for which she received a prize of $10,000.

First published in 1943, The Fountainhead offers the vision of a totally independent man, architect Howard Roark, who stands against society’s conventions.

ARI also awarded 5 second prizes ($2,000), 10 third prizes ($1,000), 45 finalist ($100) and 175 semifinalist ($50) prizes. A complete list of winners and information about next year’s competition can be found here.

Since 1985 more than 226,000 high school students from around the world have entered ARI’s essay contests. This year, more than 7,000 students submitted essays on The Fountainhead, which is an all-time record.

Each year ARI runs three separate contests (Anthem, The Fountainhead, and Atlas Shrugged) and awards more than $81,250 in prizes. ARI has given away more than $838,000 to contest winners during the past 20 years.

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