Scholarships abound to help students cover the cost of their education, even if the cost of attending college is rising. Scholarships for athletic and academic performance are common, but there are many other methods for students to receive financial aid.

Many scholarships are awarded to children that have a passion for something, such video gaming or painting. There’s undoubtedly a scholarship available, even for more specialized, unusual, or private hobbies. The more specialized a scholarship is, the more probable it is that a student would receive it, according to would Geiger, co-founder and CEO of Scholarships360.org, a free resource that helps students identify relevant prizes.

“There is a major misconception that scholarships are exclusively awarded to exceptional students or students who may be… star athlete(s),” stated Geiger. Since those are the most well-known instances of scholarships, I believe there is a misperception issue.

Hobbies-based scholarships range in value from a few hundred to tens of thousands of dollars. Some grants are given out once, while others are renewed annually. There are differences in the number of beneficiaries as well; some give away to multiple winners, while others only give to one student.

“There are some new categories which are quite popular, such as eSports scholarships,” stated Kevin Ladd, CEO of the online scholarship search engine Scholarships.com. “We are seeing new kinds of scholarships every year.”

Geiger estimates that pupils might not be aware that they are eligible for scholarships worth millions of dollars. Some even accept students who are currently enrolled in colleges.

Geiger continues, “If you think about your interests a little bit more, there might be some opportunities.” “I think there’s a much better chance for students to win these kinds of awards than there is for something very general where there are a lot of applicants.”

He suggests that students start by writing down any distinguishing characteristics they might have, like a favorite book, along with their hobbies, history, religion, and other particulars. Then, look through all of the available scholarship databases. He adds you should usually concentrate on scholarships that need essays because fewer people apply for them.

The National Scholarship Providers Association’s executive director, Jackie Bright, stated in an email that scholarships are offered to students from a variety of backgrounds. Apart from websites like Scholarships.com and Scholarships360.org, there are a few other free scholarship matching databases available, like the College Board’s BigFuture. Following profile completion and subsequent data submission, the database helps students locate the scholarships for which they are eligible.

According to Bright, “the average high school senior will match to dozens of scholarships.” Academics recommend against using for-profit scholarship matching firms for students.

Geiger predicts that the most successful students will be those that take the time to personalize their application for every prize.

“You’ll get better results if you’re really deliberate and thoughtful,” he asserts. You don’t have to submit thousands of scholarship applications. Applying for scholarships that align with your goals, background, experiences, and hobbies would be much better.

While there are many more hobby-based scholarships available, students can look into their own passions to find scholarships that might be a good fit.

Arts

Google encourages students to use their imaginations and express their gratitude through the Doodle for Google Scholarship, which offers the winner a $30,000 college scholarship, a $50,000 technology package for their school or non-profit organization, a trip to Google headquarters in California, as well as Google hardware and merchandise. The winner artwork will also be displayed for a single day as the Google Doodle.

Four to five $2,500 scholarships, specifically for knitters and crocheters, are awarded annually by the Beans For Brains Scholarship program to talented individuals. The website of the organization states that since 2010, Beans For Brains, which is sponsored by the knitting and craft supply company Jimmy Beans Wool, has provided more than $50,000 in scholarship assistance.

Up to $10,000 is awarded by the Stuck at Prom Scholarship Contest to creative students who are willing to work with unconventional resources to construct the most creative dress or tuxedo using Duck Brand duct tape. Scholarships.com reports that the Arts for Life will award $1,000 scholarships to 25 Florida high school seniors who “demonstrate excellence in creative writing, dance, drama, music, or visual art”! academic writing.