“My happiness is not the means to any end. It is the end. It is its own goal. It is its own purpose.” You may not know where that quote is from, but learning it can earn you up to $2,000. That’s right: it’s from a book called Anthem by Ayn Rand, and there’s a writing competition for it offering over 231 cash prizes for winners who write an essay using a prompt based on the novel.

“Anthem was absolutely terrible and Ayn Rand’s ideas were ridiculous,” sophomore Atharva Chopde said. “I’m just doing it to get money so I can buy my license.”

Chopde hopes to win at least one of the five $500 prizes or the $2,000 prize so he can afford car insurance. Contestants can get $2,000, $500, $200, $50, or $30 for winning.

“I’m entering for the extra credit and to try and get some money out of it,” sophomore Kyle Wheat said. “I thought it the book was pretty good. It showed how important ego was to society.”

The contest is open to students from grades eight, nine, and 10 until it ends on March 20. Also, students from Mrs. Gent’s sophomore class can earn extra credit for entering.

“I think I’ll do fairly well,” Chopde said. “Honestly, I just want money.”

Visit http://essaycontest.aynrandnovels.com/Anthem.aspx?theme=green for more information.