IRVINE, CA—Evan Storms of Laguna Hills, Calif. is the winner of the Ayn Rand Institute’s 2005 The Fountainhead essay contest and will be awarded a cash prize of $10,000.
          
More than 4,800 students from around the world entered this year’s contest geared toward high school juniors and seniors.  The Institute also sponsors an essay contest for freshmen and sophomores based on the novelette Anthem.  Since their inception, more than 291,000 students worldwide have entered the contests.
        
“Winning this contest made me very proud that my writing ability has reached such a level,” says Storms.  “I will probably use the award to buy a car.” 
       
Participants choose one of several topics dealing with the characters and themes presented in the novels.  The contests are designed to promote critical thinking and writing skills.  Essays are judged for both content and style. 
       
“The judges have a very difficult time selecting winners for these contests because we receive so many quality entries,” says Dr. Yaron Brook, executive director of the Institute.
       
Each year ARI awards more than $70,000 in prizes and has given away more than a half a million dollars to contest winners during the past 20 years.  
       
First published in 1943, The Fountainhead tells the story of architect Howard Roark, who stands firmly against society’s conventions and triumphs because of his independence.  Topics for next year’s contest will be posted at www.aynrand.org/contests in September.  A complete list of winners can be found at www.aynrand.org/education_contests_winners_index.

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