Are you a left-handed puppeteer? Well, if you’re a student looking for scholarship money there may be a couple of sources you hadn’t thought about and college loan provider Sallie Mae wants to help. It is out with a new ad campaign, developed with ad agency GYK Antler, that puts a spotlight on all sorts of—let's call them unique—scholarships that are available but not well known. 

The main objective of the campaign is to help students looking for scholarships leave no stone unturned before they resort to borrowing. Of course, Sallie Mae can still help on that front as well. 

According to the loan provider there are scholarships for being left-handed, and for being puppet enthusiasts, potato lovers and even those with a talent for making duck calls. 

The effort is tied to National Scholarship Month. 

Apparently, there are about $100 million in unclaimed scholarships every year. And Sallie Mae has just revamped a free tool designed to help students find those scholarships and others that might be a fit for them. 

Also, each week in November Sallie Mae will be dropping one of five so-called “fffound" mystery boxes filled with unique prizes and free money, giving followers the chance to win by registering for the free scholarship tool at sallie.cc/free. 

The drops include:     

The drops will be promoted across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. The agency and client are also working with influencers like Jessie and Gus (@ragmopandgoose), who recently made Sallie Mae aware of a puppeteer scholarship.   

The project is part of the loan provider’s effort to reposition itself as a “student support system,” as opposed to being solely focused on student loans.  

Student loans have become a hot-button issue as more and more students have become swamped in debt in recent years and are struggling to pay off loans. The Biden administration recently announced a plan to provide some relief.