AskSia Inc. · Established 2026 · Awarded annually
AI is changing how a generation studies, faster than institutions can write rules for it. AskSia builds an AI study assistant, and our purpose is to make students more capable, not to hand them finished work.
We are investing in the students working out where that line falls. Essays are judged on the argument alone. Arguing that AI is bad for learning will not count against you, and you do not need to use AskSia to win.
01 · Program details
| The award | |
|---|---|
| Awards | Two per year, USD $1,500 each |
| Payment |
|
| Who can apply | |
| Eligibility |
|
| Fields of study | All. Not limited to computer science or AI |
| Region | Worldwide, void where prohibited by law |
| Conditions | |
| Transcript |
|
| Product use | Not required. No account, purchase, or use of AskSia is needed to apply or to win, and using it does not improve your chances |
| Exclusions |
|
Full terms in section 07. Questions to scholarship@asksia.ai.
02 · The essay
Write 800 to 1,000 words on whichever question you have something real to say about. There is no advantage to choosing one over another.
An AI tool can explain a concept, check reasoning, draft an outline, or produce finished work. Where should the line fall between legitimate academic support and academic dishonesty, and who should decide where it falls? Argue for a specific position and take on the strongest objection to it.
Describe a concrete change in how you study that came from using AI tools, and assess it honestly. What did you gain, what did you lose, and what would you tell a student one year behind you?
When an AI tool can do a task competently, it is not obvious whether a student should still learn to do it unaided. Pick one specific skill from your field. Argue whether students should still build it without AI help, and explain how you would tell that kind of skill apart from one that can be delegated.
Use it to check grammar and spelling if you want to. Submitting an essay whose argument or structure was produced by an AI system, or written by anyone other than you, ends your application. We do not run detectors. Shortlisted applicants are asked to talk through their own essay on a short video call, so write something you can defend.
03 · How to apply
You will receive an automatic confirmation within one hour. If it does not arrive, your subject line is probably wrong. Fix it and send again. Incomplete applications are not reviewed. The essay and form must be in English; transcripts and letters may be in any language with an English translation attached, and your own translation is fine.
04 · Review
Two reviewers read every application independently and score it out of 100. Where their totals differ by more than twenty points, a third reviewer settles it. First-round reading is blind to your name and institution. No AI detection software is run at any stage.
| Originality of thought 40 | An argument you reached yourself, real engagement with the counterargument, and reasoning that goes past restating common positions |
|---|---|
| Written expression 20 | Clear structure, precise language, an argument a reader can follow and disagree with |
| Financial need 20 | Your own account of your circumstances. Supporting documents welcome, not required |
| Academic record 20 | Cumulative standing, relevant coursework, and what your recommendation letter actually says |
Some weight, though not a requirement, goes to applicants studying education, learning sciences, cognitive science, computer science, or AI, and to applicants who are the first in their family to attend university.
05 · Timeline
The form and these terms are published.
We write to each recommender within two working days of your application arriving, not after the deadline. Applying early means this is settled long before the review window.
11:59 PM UTC. Late or incomplete applications are not reviewed.
Two readers score every essay independently, without names or institutions attached. Late-December applications have their recommender confirmations completed in this window.
A short video call. You are asked to talk through your own argument, including its weakest point.
The two recipients are told first and have seven days to accept. Nothing is published until both have confirmed.
Every other applicant hears back by email. Recipients are published in section 06. The 2027 cycle opens the same day.
Recipients supply an official transcript or registrar confirmation, then $750 is paid to their institution within 30 days of the term starting.
06 · Recipients
Every recipient is listed here permanently. If no application meets the standard in a given year, we say so here and carry the money forward.
07 · Terms
No. No purchase, subscription, account, or prior use of any AskSia product is required to apply or to win, and using AskSia will not improve your chances. Reviewers cannot see whether an applicant is a user.
Yes. Every field is eligible, and the questions are usually easier to answer well from inside a specific discipline. A history student writing about what changes when sources can be summarised instantly is answering the question as squarely as a computer science student.
No, at no stage, and this is written into clause 5. Detection tools have documented false positive rates that fall hardest on people writing in a second language. Originality is assessed by human readers, and where a question arises we ask the applicant to discuss their own essay.
No. Clause 13 commits us not to publish anything that ties a named applicant to a specific instance of AI use in assessed work at a named institution, and not to disclose application materials to your institution. This holds even if you give permission, because the risk falls on you and not on us.
Directly to your institution, in two installments of $750, credited against tuition or other qualified educational costs. Awards are not paid to individuals. If your institution cannot accept a third-party payment, we will work out an alternative with you. Any tax owed in your own country is your responsibility.
Put your result in your own system on the form and give the published equivalent if there is one. Attach your transcript and we will work it out.
Materials are used only to assess your application, are never used to train or evaluate any AskSia product or model, and are deleted within twelve months of the announcement. Nothing from an unsuccessful application is published. You can ask for access, correction, or deletion at any time.
1. Sponsor. Sponsored by AskSia Inc. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or administered by any educational institution.
2. Agreement. Submitting an application confirms the applicant has read and agrees to these terms.
3. Eligibility and recommender verification. AskSia may request documentation to verify enrollment, academic standing, age, or identity at any stage. AskSia contacts the named recommender at their institutional email address to confirm they wrote the letter, normally within two working days of the application arriving, and sends one reminder before the period expires. No confirmation within fourteen days withdraws the application. Before the first installment is paid, each recipient provides an official transcript or written confirmation of standing from their registrar; an award is withdrawn if the record does not match the application. Failure to provide any other requested documentation within fourteen days withdraws the application or the award.
4. Originality. Essays must be the applicant's own work and reflect the applicant's own thinking and experience. AI tools may be used to check grammar or spelling. Submitting an essay whose substance, argument, or structure was generated by an AI system, or by any person other than the applicant, results in disqualification. Applicants may be asked to discuss their essay in an interview.
5. No AI detection tools. AskSia does not run AI detection software on any part of an application, and no application is rejected on the basis of a detector score. Detection tools have documented false positive rates that fall hardest on applicants writing in a second language. Originality under clause 4 is assessed by human readers and, where a question arises, by asking the applicant to discuss their own essay. This commitment applies for the full life of the scholarship.
6. Number of awards. Two per cycle. AskSia may make no award in a cycle if no application meets the standard, in which case the funds carry forward and the outcome is published on this page.
7. Disbursement. Awards are paid to the recipient's institution in two installments of $750, for credit against tuition or qualified educational expenses, and are not paid to individuals. Where an institution cannot accept a third-party payment, AskSia arranges an alternative directed to educational expenses. An outside award can reduce institutional aid; AskSia will work with any recipient whose existing aid would be affected.
8. Enrollment condition. The second installment is contingent on confirmation of continued enrollment. A recipient who withdraws from study forfeits any undisbursed installment.
9. Claim period. Recipients are notified privately and confirm acceptance within seven days. No recipient is named publicly until they have accepted. An award that is declined or unclaimed may be offered to an alternate before the announcement date.
10. Taxes. Recipients are responsible for tax obligations in their own jurisdiction. AskSia does not provide tax advice and will issue applicable documentation where required by law.
11. Recipient obligations. Recipients provide their name, institution, field of study, a photograph, and a statement of approximately 200 words for publication on this page. A short video statement is invited but not required. Where a recipient is under 18, guardian consent is obtained before any photograph or statement is published.
12. Publicity. Accepting the award grants AskSia permission to publish the materials in clause 11 on the AskSia website and social channels. A recipient may request removal of any material published under clause 11 at any time. Non-recipient applicants' materials are never published.
13. Publication and disclosure limits. AskSia does not publish, in any form, content that ties a named applicant or recipient to a specific instance of AI use in assessed work at a named institution. Recipient statements are reviewed against this rule before publication, and AskSia will ask a recipient to reword any passage that would create such a record. This applies even where the recipient has given permission, because the risk falls on the student and not on AskSia. AskSia does not disclose application materials to an applicant's institution, does not treat an essay as a report of misconduct, and gives notice before any legally compelled production where notice is lawful.
14. Essay rights. Applicants retain full copyright in their essays. AskSia may publish a recipient's essay only with that recipient's separate written permission, requested after the award is announced.
15. Data protection. Application materials are used solely to evaluate applications and administer the scholarship. They are never used to train, fine-tune, or evaluate any AskSia product or AI model, and are never sold or licensed. Materials from unsuccessful applicants are deleted within twelve months of the announcement date. Applicants may request access, correction, or deletion at any time. Personal data is handled in accordance with the AskSia Privacy Policy.
16. Marketing communications. Consent is optional, collected through a separate unchecked box on the application form, and is not a condition of applying or of receiving an award. Consent may be withdrawn at any time.
17. No purchase or product use required. No purchase, subscription, account registration, or use of any AskSia product is required to enter or to win, and none improves an applicant's chance of winning.
18. Language. Essays and the application form must be in English. Transcripts and recommendation letters may be in any language with an English translation attached. Applicant-prepared translations are accepted. A certified translation may be requested before disbursement.
19. Submission format. Applications are submitted by email in the format described in section 03. Applications that do not follow the subject line format may not reach the review queue. AskSia is not responsible for applications that are not received; an applicant who does not receive the automatic confirmation should resend before the deadline. Applications received before a cycle opens are held and reviewed with that cycle.
20. Decisions. Selection decisions rest with the AskSia scholarship committee and are final. Individual feedback is not provided on unsuccessful applications.
21. Modification. AskSia may modify these terms or the published dates where necessary. Material changes are posted on this page, and applicants who have already submitted are notified by email and given the opportunity to withdraw. The commitments in clause 5 and clause 13 are not subject to this clause.
22. Governing law. These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, United States.
23. Exclusions and contact. Employees of AskSia Inc. and their immediate family members are not eligible. One application per applicant per cycle. Previous recipients may not reapply. Questions to scholarship@asksia.ai.
