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IEI $1,000 Annual Scholarship Essay Contest

Please Note: We have a new policy regarding the use of AI apps for scholarship writing. Please read the below scholarship entry requirements carefully.

The Ivey Engineering $1,000 annual scholarship provides college and university students an opportunity to earn money to further their education.

Winner Payout and Announcement

  • The deadline for Ivey Engineering scholarship entries is annually on May 1. The winner’s name and photo will be published at the bottom of the scholarship contest page.
  • If there are fewer than 20 entries, the deadline will be extended.
  • The winner will be notified by e-mail about four weeks after the deadline.
  • Scholarship entries will be carefully reviewed by a team of judges at Ivey Engineering.
  • The scholarship will be paid out in amounts of $1,000 (U.S.) to each winner in the form of a check that will be mailed directly to the college or university attended by the winning student.
college woman using laptop and looking for scholarships to apply for

Eligibility Requirements

The requirements for eligible student entries are:

  • You should presently be a senior in high school;
  • Or be transitioning from high school to a college or university;
  • Or be already enrolled as an undergraduate in a college or university inside the United States.
  • You should be a legal U.S. citizen.
  • Employees and their immediate family members of Ivey Engineering are not eligible to participate.
  • Students with full academic scholarships are not eligible to enter.
  • Past winners are not eligible to participate in the contest.
  • Graduate students are not eligible to particpate in the contest.

Scholarship Entry Requirements

Carefully research and compose an essay of 800 to 1,000 words on one of the following topics. The essay will be judged on content and creativity and should use correct grammar and punctuation. It must be your own work and not previously published or entered in other competitions.

We will allow the use of AI apps to assist in pre-writing your essay. This means you may use AI to generate an outline or subtopics and ideas for your essay, not an entire essay. All essays will be checked for the use of AI. If you use AI for pre-writing purposes, please provide details such as the prompts you provide to the AI app. If we find you did not provide accurate details of your use of AI, your essay will be disqualified. If you’re wondering whether or not to use AI for essay writing, check out this informative article.

Choose a topic below for your essay: (Third-party sites such as Fastweb may not have updated topics. Please use our list of topics.) Please replace the X with an appropriate number for the topic you choose.

  1. X Ways to Reduce Your Water Bill
  2. Top X Questions to Ask an HVAC Technician About an HVAC System
  3. X Steps to Create an Effective Fire Escape Plan for Your Home

How We Would Like to Receive Your Entry

  • Email your essay in Microsoft Word document or plain text format to [email protected]. Please use the subject line, “IEI 2025 Scholarship Contest,” on your e-mail. Only one entry per person will be permitted.
  • Please specify your name, date of birth, contact telephone number, email address and mailing address. Your contact information will be held in confidence and will not be shared.
  • Please indicate how you heard about the scholarship. (If you saw it advertised on another website, such as Fastweb, please provide the name).
  • If you are under 18 years old, please provide a parent or guardian’s e-mail address.
  • Include the name of the college or university and the mailing address of the financial aid office that you are presently attending or that you’ll be attending after high school. (College or university information must be included at time of application. If you have not applied or been accepted to a college yet, we suggest you wait and apply for the scholarship during the next round of applications.)
  • Please attach a headshot photo of yourself in .JPG or .PNG format that is at least 300 pixels wide.
  • If we don’t receive all requested information by the deadline or in the required format, your submission may be disqualified.

Disclaimer

All submitted essays and photos become the property of Ivey Engineering and can be used for future editorial content on the company’s web site, blog, social media pages or in marketing materials.

Recent Scholarship Winners

Jasmine Tran is the 2024 scholarship contest winner

Summer 2024: Jasmine Tran

IEI congratulates Jasmine Tran of San Diego, California, as the winner of the 2024 scholarship essay contest. Jasmine is a freshman at San Diego State University and is majoring in film, biology and computer science. Besides a love for filmmaking, she chose the triple major because each area will allow her to learn about  modern culture and will give her a variety of options for a career. After pursuing a master’s degree in biotechnology or bioengineering, she hopes to become a successful veterinarian and research new technological developments for veterinary medicine.

Conner Daehler, 2023 scholarship winner

Summer 2023: Conner Daehler

IEI is pleased to announce that Conner Daehler of McHenry, Illinois, is the winner of the 2023 scholarship essay contest. Conner is a sophomore at Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana, and is majoring in electrical engineering. He chose electrical engineering as a major because he is interested in making an impact on the world. In the future, he wants to be a researcher, helping advance power-related technologies, such as the advancement of grid-wide energy efficiency.

Ria Jain is the summer 2022 scholarship winner

Summer 2022: Ria Jain

Congratulations to Ria Jain of Dublin, California, who is the winner of the summer 2022 scholarship essay contest. Ria is a freshman at UC Berkeley and is majoring in electrical engineering and computer science. She chose these areas of study because they allow her to apply her interest in science and math to real-world problems. In the future she sees herself working as a research scientist in the field of computational sustainability, where she would use computer science and technology to tackle sustainability-related problems.

Lydia Powers is IEI's summer 2021 scholarship winner

Summer 2021: Lydia Powers

Ivey Engineering congratulates Lydia Powers of Swartz Creek, Michigan, as the winner of the summer 2021 scholarship essay contest. Lydia is a senior at the University of Michigan-Flint and is majoring in mechanical engineering with a minor in Mandarin Chinese. She chose these areas of study because of her interest in math and science and her passion for languages. In the future she sees herself working for an automotive company and contributing to its cross cultural communication while also traveling overseas. 

Sydney Taylor is IEI's winter 2020 scholarship winner

Winter 2020: Sydney Taylor

Ivey Engineering is pleased to announce that Sydney Taylor of Foxfield, Colorado, is the winner of the winter 2020 scholarship essay contest. Sydney is a junior at Brigham Young University-Idaho and is majoring in English. She chose English as a major since it will allow her to specialize in a variety of fields. Sydney is considering a higher degree in pyschology or a career as a technical writer. Overall, her goal is to have a career that is fullfilling and that will allow her to take care of a family in the future.

Charu Vijay is IEI's summer 2020 scholarship winner

Summer 2020: Charu Vijay

Congratulations to Charu Vijay of Saratoga, California, who won the summer 2020 scholarship essay contest. Charu will start college in fall 2020 as a freshman at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. As an environmental engineering major, she is passionate about saving the planet and exploring paths of sustainability, as well as contributing to the technological advancement of conservation.  Her 10-year goal is to start a company that utilizes new technology to provide cities and businesses sustainable solutions around the world.

Gregory Moser is the winter 2019 scholarship winner.

Winter 2019: Gregory Moser

Ivey Engineering congratulates Gregory Moser of New Freedom, Pennsylvania, as the winner of the winter 2019 biannual scholarship essay contest. Gregory is a sophomore at York College of Pennsylvania and is majoring in finance. His goal in 10 years is to have a bachelor’s degree in finance and work for a great company that rewards him financially and personally. Gregory finds great satisfaction in helping people and organizations meet their financial goals through proper money management. 

Max Barte is Ivey Engineering's summer 2019 scholarship winner

Summer 2019: Max Barte

A big shout out to Max Barte of Vienna, Virginia, who is the winner of the summer 2019 biannual scholarship essay contest. Max is a sophomore at the University of Virginia and is studying economics. His goal is to eventually practice law by working in a private practice or for the government. Max hopes to contribute to improving the economic condition of disadvantaged groups through housing policy. Congratulations Max!

headshot of Marissa Fukas, IEI fall 2018 scholarship winner

Winter 2018: Marissa Fukas

Congratulations to Marissa Fukas of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who is the winner of the winter 2018 biannual scholarship essay contest. Marissa is a senior at Shaler Area High School and plans to attend Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania in fall 2019. She plans to major in accounting, which she says she can picture herself doing as a career in the future. Her goal in the next 10 years is to be a successful business woman. Way to go Marissa!

Aubrey Butler IEI Summer 2018 Scholarship Winner

Summer 2018: Aubrey Butler

Ivey Engineering is pleased to announce that Aubrey Butler of Upland, California, has been chosen as the winner of the summer 2018 biannual scholarship essay contest. Aubrey graduated from Upland High School with a 4.8 GPA and will enter the University of California, Los Angeles’ honor program in the fall. She plans to major in chemistry/biochemistry with the intent to work in the biotech industry. Aubrey’s love of science motivates her to help solve issues related to earth’s sustainability. Congratulations Aubrey!

Aaron Kofsky winner IEI scholarship

Winter 2017: Aaron Kofsky

Ivey Engineering congratulates Aaron Kofsky of Ann Arbor, Michigan, the second winner of the IEI biannual scholarship essay contest! Aaron is a senior at Pioneer High School and is planning to attend The University of Michigan after high school. Having taught himself computer programming in the seventh grade, Aaron plans to major in computer science. Eventually, he would like to work for a company that developes robotics and technologies like self-driving cars.

summer 2017 scholarship winner Kaylee Martin

Summer 2017: Kaylee Martin

Congratulations to Kaylee Martin of Spokane, Washington, the first winner of the IEI biannual scholarship essay contest! Kaylee is a freshman at The University of Washington and is majoring in neurobiology. She wants to use her degree to do research on brain disease and would like to eventually pursue a master’s degree. In the future she hopes to be a university professor or work for a pharmaceutical company doing research.