The contest is open to people on the spectrum in their last year of high school or older. To enter is simple:
- Give us your contact info
- Write a brief statement
- Design a pair of socks
The entry deadline has past. Check back for the winner.
2025 Scholarship Winners
First Place - Evelyn Walters
The sock design Bee Kind "showcases my love for insects and emphasizes the importance of kindness."
Bee Kind
Second Place - Allison McGoldrick
"My design was inspired by both the challenges and new heights that autism can bring an individual. We must soar above these difficulties, and through that we are able reach new heights by our unique experiences with the world.”
SOAR
Third Place - Wilbert Sullivan
"I made this sock design because I love cooking eggs for my family in the morning; because I am a cheerful, friendly person, I drew smiling faces on the eggs building each other up and celebrating each other's differences.”
You Are EGG-cellent
2nd Place - $2,500
Emrys Alfaro Haugen
Olympia, WA
“Tic-Tac-Toe”
3rd Place - $1,000
Elyse Miller
Farmington Hills, MI
“You are Pear-fect”
For this Autism Can Do Scholarship,
we want to see your sock design
Are you a high school student who will be graduating this year, or a current college student who will be enrolled for the Fall 2026 semester?
Please submit a brief statement about yourself and what you will do with the autism scholarship. Then, we want you to design a pair of socks!
You can download a sock template here or you can submit your own design.
Check back for the winner.
Last Day to Enter is July 15th 2026
Your sock design will be judged on the following elements:
- Creativity
- Fun and ability to spread happiness
- Appeal to Everyone
Note: Sock designs must be in JPG formats only. No other formats will be considered and photographs and/or licensed images are not permitted. 10mb file size limit.
The winner of the 2026 Autism Scholarship will receive a $2,000 grant and John’s Crazy Socks will create their original sock design to sell in our online store! The winner will also receive a box of their own designed socks.
A first runner-up will receive a $1,000 scholarship . All winners must use their scholarships toward their education.
Grants are sponsored by John’s Crazy Socks, the Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation. A portion of the proceeds of the sale of the winning sock will be used to fund the scholarship next year.
Open to US students only.
PAST WINNERS
2024 - Lukeson Ashbourne
"The sock design I created represents a message that anyone of any race and disability can reach for the stars (which is also a symbol for their goals).”
Reach for the Stars
2023 - Grace Earley
"My sock design was inspired by the mission statement of John's Crazy Socks and the approaching summertime. I wanted to make something fun, bright, and funny that would make people smile."
Cowabunga!
Honorable Mention 2023 -
Holly Connor
This design was created to recognize individuals with visual impairments.
Braille
2022 - Thomas Albero
"I am a member of Quiz Bowl and Mock Trial and both activities let me use my love for facts, history and law."
I Dig History
2021 - Isabella Blake
"I am a college student, lover of animals, the outdoors, and yoga, a proud autistic woman, and a passionate disability activist and advocate."
Autism Word Search
2020 - Brandon Cheng
"I based this sock design on Chinese New Year."
Year of the Dragon
2019 - Garrett Nichols
"The inspiration for this sock design came from a story about Time Traveler, John Titor, and how he traveled back to 1975 to retrieve an IBM 5100 computer."
Computer Circuit Board
