The "Brightest Minds" contest is open to anyone who is considering pursuing an MBA or EMBA at anytime in 2017 or 2018. The purpose of the competition is to find one of the world's "Brightest Minds" who is seeking to attend business school and help fund his or her education.

How to participate?

If you would like to try your hand at winning the scholarship you need to register on the official "Brightest Minds" website, and then take the free, online full-length GMAT Simulation Exam, which includes a 75-minute Verbal section and a 75-minute Quant section.

The winner will be the participant with the highest simulation test score. If two or more entrants tie for the highest score, they will be contacted by email and asked to submit an essay in the form of an Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) modelled on a typical AWA question one would encounter in the GMAT. Each tying entrant must submit his/her essay by the deadline given by The Economist. The essay will be in the same format as on the GMAT.

Read: How to Get an MBA Scholarship (Video)

Specific knowledge of the essay topic is not necessary; only the participant’s capacity to write analytically will be assessed.

The contest will close on 15 October, 2016. The winner will be announced by 18 November.

The USD 25,000 MBA scholarship may be applied to tuition at any of the contest's participating business schools:

Oregon State University

  • Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University
  • University of Liverpool Management School
  • The University of Virginia Darden School of Business
  • York University
  • The University of Edinburgh Business School
  • The University of Manchester
  • Johns Hopkins Carey Business School
  • Baruch College, City University of New York
  • Western University
  • Stevens Institute of Technology
  • Copenhagen Business School
  • International School of Management

Payment will be made directly to the business school and may not be used for any purpose other than a tuition scholarship for the winner. It may not be granted in any other form such as cash or cheque and may not be transferred by the winner to another person.

Who is eligible for the MBA scholarship?

The contest is open only to college graduates who are aged 18 or over and not enrolled in or accepted by an MBA programme. Employees of The Economist Group and their immediate family members are not eligible to participate. The winner may be asked to provide proof of date of birth, identification and educational qualifications.

Read: Key Factors to Win MBA Scholarships

The last winner of the “Brightest Minds” scholarship was Dan Gherasimenco, a 29-year-old Canadian entrepreneur who is currently launching a company in the fashion industry with his fiancée. He prevailed over more than 4,000 other participants around the world by scoring highest in the Spring 2016 GMAT simulation exam and then submitting the strongest tie-breaker essay.

Join the competition here.

Source: The Economist