The Omelas Prize · $10,000 · Five students
We believe in funding exceptional people.
Five college students will each receive $10,000 — not for a project, a pitch, or a plan, but for being the kind of person worth betting on. Tell us who you are.
Why this exists
Most money for young people is attached to something: a grade, a startup, a résumé, a promise. We want to try the opposite. Find great talent and fund it, for its own sake.
Everything humanity now takes for granted was once impossible, and then one person didn't accept that. We think those people exist right now, in dorm rooms and libraries and night shifts, before anyone has noticed them. We would like to notice them.
So there is no deliverable. There is no report to file. The money is yours. Use it to keep going.
How it works
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Tell us who you are.
A short form: your name, your school, how to reach you. About a minute.
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Record a short video.
A few minutes, one take, no script. Tell us why you're different. Nothing to install, nothing to buy.
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We read everything.
Applications are rolling — we review them as they come in, until September 30. Five students each receive $10,000.
Who can apply
Any college student. Any school, any major, any year. You don't need a company, a paper, or a plan. You need to be honest about who you are and what you're going to do with your one life.
Students only. Entering costs nothing and does not enroll you in anything.