Usually, when thinking of scholarship grants, some may think of financial aid in the form of cash, which can be physically handed to the student or directly paid to the school on his or her behalf. Sometimes, however, scholarships can be given in kind. For MyBookBuyer.com, it is offering a scholarship in the form of free textbooks a year through an essay contest. The grand prize and consolation prizes are still in cash, and winners can use this to buy college textbooks. The grand prize has been set at a particular cost based on the estimate of one year’s worth of textbook in college.

How do you join?

Those are enrolled in college and are over 18 and a legal resident of the United States may join the essay contest. Participants have to write an essay on the topic: “Which is more important, education or healthcare?” The essay must be between 500 and 1,000 words and must be submitted through MyBookBuyer.com’s online form. Participants have to submit the form by October 31, 2010. The announcement of winners will be on December 15.

What are the other requirements?

Other requirements that one needs to submit are documents that serve as proof of age, residency, and student status. Participants must also sign a publicity release because if they win the grand prize, the essay will be published on MyBookBuyer.com. Another requirement is a high resolution headshot.

What are the prizes like?

As mentioned earlier, the grand prize of equivalent to the approximate cost of one year’s worth of textbooks. The grand prize is $1,250, while the runner ups will be receiving $250 each.

The MyBookBuyer.com contest will be benefit a lot of students looking for additional financial aid opportunities. Some of these opportunities require application forms and documents, while others may require a winning essay such as this one.

Photo Credits: textbookace