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15 Writing Competitions for High School Students
Whichever field you’re passionate about, being able to write well can help you make an impact. Be it in research, for a college application, in an assignment, or simply to express yourself, writing is essential to communicating your thoughts. The ability to write well can set you apart! This is why every year, organizations around the world host competitions to celebrate this skill in students. Participating in and doing well at these competitions does more than just make your college application look good - several writing competitions also offer the chance to win cash prizes and scholarships to summer programs! Writing contests often offer multiple levels of recognition, so you do not have to be the top winner to earn a title that will recognize your work and look good on applications! In this article, we bring to you 15 writing contests that offer high school students the chance to showcase their talent, and exercise their creativity through writing.
Here are 15 Writing Competitions for High School Students:
1. National Council of Teachers of English Achievement Awards
The National Council of Teachers of English hosts these awards every year to encourage high school students who write. Students submit one themed essay based on a specified prompt and one composition in any genre of their choice which displays their best work. A certificate and a letter are given to students who are assessed to have exceptional writing skills. Their names can be seen on the NCTE website as well. Juniors in high school who have been nominated by their English department are eligible to compete.
2. National Scholastic Art and Writing Awards
This contest accepts entries in a variety of genres, including critical essays, dramatic screenplays, flash fiction, personal essays, and short stories, and begins regionally and advances to the national level.
Regional competitions are held by local organizations, and the winners are sent to the national level for consideration. There is a $5 per entry or $20 per portfolio submission charge, however it can be waived for those who apply and meet the criteria for financial aid.
Students get Honorable Mentions, Silver or Gold Keys, or Nominations for the American Visions and Voices Medals at the regional level. Gold and Silver Medals, as well as the American Visions and Voices Medal, which acts as a "Best in Show" award for each region, are awarded to regional Gold Key winners. National award winners are invited to Carnegie Hall in New York City for a National Ceremony and Celebration. At the national level, there are various sponsored monetary rewards that vary by genre and sponsor, and certain National Medal winners will also be picked for college scholarships or summer programs.
Students in grades 7 through 12 in the United States are able to participate.
3. Princeton University Contests
Princeton University hosts two contests for high school juniors. One is a poetry contest judged by members of the Princeton University Creative Writing faculty. The other is a Ten-Minute Play Contest judged by members of the Princeton University Program in Theater faculty. Each contest has a first place prize of $500, second place prize of $250, and third place prize of $100.
4. The Bennington Young Writers Awards
This tournament is open to students in grades 10 through 12, and the judging panel includes faculty and students from Bennington College. Seven Pulitzer Prize winners, three US poet laureates, and a slew of New York Times bestsellers are among the college's graduates. Poetry, fiction, and nonfiction are all acceptable forms of submission (personal and academic essays). Each category's first-place winner receives $500, while second-place winners receive $250.
5. YoungArts
In 1981, the National YoungArts Foundation was established with the goal of identifying and supporting the next generation of artists in the artistic, literary, and performing arts. Each year, thousands of students apply, and the winners are selected to attend weeklong programs in Los Angeles, New York, and Miami. Students participate in workshops with master artists as part of these programs. A $35 application fee is required, however cost exemptions are available for those who qualify. Honorable Mentions from each region are asked to attend regional workshops. Finalists are invited to National YoungArts Week, where they will have the opportunity to meet with the judges and compete for cash prizes of up to $10,000. Finalists are also eligible for a nomination as a US Presidential Scholar in the Arts. Students in grades 10th to 12th are eligible to apply.
6. AFSA's National High School Essay Contest
The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) and the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) collaborate to host this annual contest, which aims to "engage high school students in learning and writing about issues of peace and conflict, encouraging appreciation for diplomacy's role in building partnerships that can advance peacebuilding and protect national security." One winner will receive a $2,500 cash prize, an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., and a full scholarship to the Semester at Sea Program for one semester upon admission at an accredited university. One runner-up will receive a cash reward of $1,250 as well as a full scholarship to the National Student Leadership Conference's International Diplomacy Program. Students whose parents are not in the Foreign Service are eligible to participate if they are in grades nine through twelve in the USA.
7. We the Students Essay Contest by Bill of Rights Institute
This essay contest, sponsored by the Bill of Rights Institute, encourages students to think critically and creatively about people's rights and how they affect society. One grand prize winner will earn $5,000 in addition to a Constitutional Academy scholarship. Six runners-up will each receive $1,250, and eight honorable mentions will each receive $500. Citizens or legal residents of the United States between the ages of 14 and 19 are eligible.
8. Profile in Courage Essay Contest by JFK Presidential Library
This competition is based on JFK's book Profiles in Courage, which told the tales of eight U.S. senators who showed political courage by standing up for a larger good while sacrificing their careers in the process. Entrants must describe and analyze an act of political courage in the form of a similar profile for the competition. The first-place reward is $20,000 in this competition. Twenty-five smaller cash prizes ranging from $100 to $1,000 are also available.
The competition is open to high school students in the United States in grades nine through twelve.
9. VFW Voice of Democracy
Our Voice of Democracy audio-essay program, which began in 1947, gives high school students the opportunity to express themselves through a democratic and patriotic-themed recorded essay. Nearly 64,500 school kids from grades 9 to 12 from across the country join each year, for a chance to earn a piece of the more than $2 million in educational scholarships and incentives provided via the program. All student entries must be submitted to a local VFW Post that is supporting the event. Students in grades 9 through 12 are eligible to compete. 10. SPJ/JEA High School Essay Contest
This contest, sponsored by the Society of Professional Journalists and the Journalism Education Association, urges students to consider the role of the press in American society. Essays should be between 300 and 500 words long.
The first-place winner receives a $1,000 scholarship, second-place receives $500, and third-place receives $300. The competition is accessible to students in grades 9 through 12 in the United States. The registration fee for the competition is $5.
11. Jane Austen Society Essay Contest
High school students can win up to $1,000 by entering an essay on a specified topic related to Jane Austen novels. In addition, each winner will receive a year of membership to the Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA) and a collection of Norton Critical Editions of Jane Austen's novels. The winning pieces appear on the JASNA website as well. The theme of the 2022 Essay Contest is based on Jane Austen's first published novel, Sense & Sensibility. Students from all around the world are welcome to enter, however all contributions must be written in English.
12. Engineer Girl Annual Essay Contest
Engineer Girl hosts an essay contest every year that focuses on the impact of engineering on the world. Prize money of up to $500 is available to students. This competition is a great way to combine English language writing with STEM research. Students can send in their submissions via the internet. The contest is open to individual girls and boys in the following three competition categories: Elementary School students (grades 3-5), Middle School students (grades 6-8), or High School students (grades 9-12). The word limit for submissions varies depending on the grade level.
13. Rachel Carson Intergenerational Sense of Wonder / Sense of the Wild Contest
Entries for this writing contest must be submitted by a team, consisting of at least two people, representing different generations (for example, a student and a teacher or a teenager and her grandmother). Submission categories include poetry and essays, along with optional photographic elements. Annual topics for the contest are tied to nature. Winners receive a certificate from the Rachel Carson Landmark Alliance, and have their winning entry posted on the RCLA website.
14. World Historian Student Essay Competition
The World Historian Student Essay Competition is an international competition open to students enrolled in grades K–12. Winners receive $500 and a one year membership in the World History Association. Each competitor submits an essay that addresses the issue: "In what way has the study of world history affected my understanding of the world in which I live?"
15. John Locke Essay Competition
The John Locke Essay Competition is hosted by the John Locke Institute, a non-profit educational organization based in Oxford, United Kingdom. The John Locke Institute promotes young people to develop the qualities that make great writers: independent thought, depth of knowledge, clear reasoning, critical analysis, and persuasive style. Senior professors from the University of Oxford assess the submissions. The judges select their favourite essay from each subject group, as well as an overall "best essay" from all seven subjects.
Bonus entry: Atlas Shrugged novel Essay Contest
The Atlas Shrugged novel essay contest is open to all students globally. Atlas Shrugged is a heroic mystery novel written by Ayn Rand. Choose a prompt and write an 800-1,600 word essay in English. First prize: $10,000; 3 second prizes: $2,000; 5 third prizes: $1,000; 25 finalists: $100; 50 semifinalists: $50. Entry is free!
Learn the art of academic writing with the Lumiere Research Scholar Program
If you are interested in a selective, structured research program, consider applying to the Lumiere Research Scholar Program , a selective online high school program for students founded by Harvard and Oxford researchers. The program pairs you with a full-time researcher to develop your own independent research project, in any discipline of your choice. Last year over 1500 students applied to 500 slots in the research program! You can find the application form here.
Ideas, Inspiration, and Giveaways for Teachers
We Are Teachers
The Best Student Writing Contests for 2022-2023
Help your students take their writing to the next level.
When students write for teachers, it can feel like an assignment. When they write for a real purpose, they are empowered! Student writing contests are an easy and inspiring way to try writing for an authentic audience—a real panel of judges—and the possibility of prize money or other incentives. We’ve gathered a list of student writing contests below. From poetry to plays, essays to science fiction, there is something for everyone. See if any of them suit your curriculum, and get prepared to see some motivated students!
1. The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
With a wide range of categories—from critical essays to science fiction and fantasy—you’ll find something for nearly every student. Each category has its own rules and word counts, so be sure to check out the options before you decide which one is best for your students.
How to Enter
Students in grades 7-12, ages 13 and up, may begin submitting work in September by uploading to an online account at Scholastic. There are entry fees, but those can be waived for students in need.
2. YoungArts’ National Arts Competition
This ends soon, but if you have students who are ready to submit, it’s worth it. YoungArts offers a national competition in the categories of creative nonfiction, novel, play or script, poetry, short story, and spoken word. Student winners may receive awards of up to $10,000 as well as the chance to participate in artistic development with leaders in their fields.
YoungArts accepts submissions in each category through October 14. Students submit their work online and pay a $35 fee (there is a fee waiver option).
3. American Foreign Service National High School Essay Contest
If you’re looking to help students take a deep dive into international relations, history, and writing, look no further than this essay contest. Winners receive full tuition to the Semester at Sea program as well as a trip to Washington, DC, to meet with a leader at the Department of State.
A new prompt is published each September. The deadline to enter is the first week of April.
4. John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest
This annual contest invites students to write about a political official’s act of political courage that occurred after Kennedy’s birth. The winner receives $10,000 as well as a trip to Boston to accept the award.
Students must submit 700-to-1,000-word essays between September and January. The essays must feature more than five sources and a full bibliography.
5. Bennington Young Writers Awards
Bennington College offers competitions in three categories: poetry (a group of three poems), fiction (a short story or one-act play), and nonfiction (a personal or academic essay). First-place winners receive $500. Grab a poster for your classroom here .
The contest runs from September 1 to November 1, so stay tuned to the website for information about how to submit entries.
6. The Princeton Ten-Minute Play Contest
Looking for student writing contests for budding playwrights? In this competition, judged by the theater faculty of Princeton University, students submit short plays in an effort to win recognition and cash prizes of up to $500. ( Note: Only open to 11th graders. )
Eleventh-grade students submit one 10-page play script online or by mail. The deadline is the end of March. Contest details will be published this fall.
7. Princeton University Poetry Contest for High School Students
The Leonard L. Milberg ’53 High School Poetry Prize recognizes outstanding work by student writers in 11th grade. Prizes range from $100 to $500.
Students in 11th grade can submit their poetry. Contest details will be published this fall.
8. Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest
The deadline for this contest is the end of October! Sponsored by Hollins University, the Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest awards prizes for the best poems submitted by young women who are sophomores or juniors in high school or preparatory school. Prizes include cash and scholarships. Winners are chosen by students and faculty members in the creative writing program at Hollins.
Students may submit either one or two poems.
9. The Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers
The Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers is open to high school sophomores and juniors, and the winner receives a full scholarship to a Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop .
Submissions for the prize are accepted electronically from November 1 through November 30.
10. Jane Austen Society Essay Contest
High school students can win up to $1,000 by entering an essay on a specified topic related to Jane Austen novels.
Details for the 2023 contest will be announced in November. Essay length is from six to eight pages, not including works cited.
11. Rattle Young Poets Anthology
Open to students between 15 and 18 who are interested in publication and exposure over monetary awards. Submissions can come through teachers or directly from students.
Submit up to four poems electronically. The deadline is November 15.
12. The Black River Chapbook Competition
This is a chance for new and emerging writers to gain publication in their own professionally published chapbook.
There is a $17 entry fee, and submissions are made online.
13. YouthPlays New Voices
For students under 18, the YouthPlays one-act competition is designed for young writers to create new works for the stage. Winners receive cash awards and publication.
Non-musical plays between 10 and 40 minutes long can be submitted electronically. The website has more details about guidelines.
14. The Ocean Awareness Contest
This unique competition invites students to use their creativity to make a difference for our planet. As the creators share on their website, “Our contest is a call for young artists, conservationists, makers, thinkers, and activists who are concerned about the future of our blue planet.” Students are eligible for a wide range of monetary prizes.
Students may submit work in the categories of art, creative writing, poetry and spoken word, film, interactive and multi-media, or music and dance, accompanied by a reflection. The deadline is June 13.
15. EngineerGirl Annual Essay Contest
Each year, EngineerGirl sponsors an essay contest with topics centered on the impact of engineering on the world, and students can win up to $500 in prize money. This contest is a nice bridge between ELA and STEM and great for teachers interested in incorporating an interdisciplinary project into their curriculum. The new contest asks for pieces that show how female and/or non-white engineers have contributed to or can enhance engineering’s great achievements. Check out the educator’s page for more information about how to support this contest at your school.
Students submit their work electronically. Check out the full list of rules and requirements here .
16. NCTE Student Writing Awards
The National Council of Teachers of English offers several student writing awards, including Achievement Awards in Writing (for 10th- and 11th-grade students), Promising Young Writers (for 8th-grade students), and an award to recognize Excellence in Art and Literary Magazines.
Deadlines range from February 15 to July 31. Check out the rules for more details.
17. See Us, Support Us Art Contest
Children of incarcerated parents can submit artwork, poetry, photos, videos, and more. Submissions are free and the website has a great collection of past winners.
Students can submit their entries via social media or email by October 23.
18. The Adroit Prizes for Poetry & Prose
The Adroit Journal, an education-minded nonprofit publication, awards annual prizes for poetry and prose to exceptional high school and college students. Adroit charges an entry fee but also provides a form for financial assistance.
Sign up at the website for updates for the next round of submissions.
19. National PTA Reflections Awards
The National PTA offers a variety of awards, including one for literature, in their annual Reflections Contest. Students of all ages can submit entries on the specified topic to their local PTA Reflections program. From there, winners move to the local area, state, and national levels. National-level awards include an $800 prize and a trip to the National PTA Convention.
This program requires submitting to PTAs who participate in the program. Check your school’s PTA for their deadlines.
20. World Historian Student Essay Competition
The World Historian Student Essay Competition is an international competition open to students enrolled in grades K–12 in public, private, and parochial schools, and those in home-study programs. The $500 prize is based on an essay that addresses the issue: In what way has the study of world history affected my understanding of the world in which I live?
Students can submit entries before May 1.
21. NSHSS Creative Writing Scholarship
The National Society of High School Scholars awards three $2,000 scholarships for both poetry and fiction. They accept poetry, short stories, and graphic novel writing.
Apply online by October 31.
Whether you let your students blog, start a podcast or video channel, or enter student writing contests, giving them an authentic audience for their work is always a powerful classroom choice.
If you like this list of student writing contests and want more articles like it, subscribe to our newsletters !
Plus, check out our favorite anchor charts for teaching writing..
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Friday, February 12, 2021
- 11 Writing Contests for High School Students with Cash Awards
Calling all high school student writers! If you’re looking for scholarships or ways to fund your future education, look no further than writing contests.
If you are a talented writer, you can find plenty of contests that will allow you to submit your writing for consideration. Many of them offer cash prizes and/or scholarships.
Below are 11 writing contests for high school students, but you can find plenty of other contests, both niche and general, by searching online.
1. Scholastic Art and Writing Awards
The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards celebrate art created by students age 13 and older in grades 7 through 12 on both a regional and national scale. You can submit in a huge variety of categories and styles, and you can enter awards that have cash prizes or scholarships.
Categories include science fiction and fantasy writing, critical essays, humor, dramatic scripts, and more.
Prizes vary as well. Gold medal portfolio winners can earn a $10,000 scholarship, and silver medal winners with distinction can earn a $1,000 scholarship, and there are more options for various categories. Fees to apply also vary by region, but the fee is generally $7 for a single entry and $25 for a portfolio entry.
Since these contests vary, you can use Scholastic’s Affiliate Partner search to find out when projects are due for your specific area.
2. Young Lions Fiction Award
To apply for this award, sponsored by the New York Public Library, any writer age 35 or younger may submit a novel or collection of short stories.
Each year, a reading committee of Young Lions members, writers, editors, and librarians select five finalists, and a panel of judges selects the winner.
The winner of this award will receive a $10,000 scholarship.
The deadline to apply is usually in September of the scholarship year, and it’s free to apply.
3. Ocean Awareness Contest
Students ages 11 through 18 from around the world are invited to participate in the Ocean Awareness Contest by submitting work in the form of visual art, creative writing, film, interactive and multimedia, performing arts, and poetry and spoken word.
The Junior Division is for students ages 11 through 14, and the Senior Division is for students ages 15 through 18.
In the Junior Division, the Gold Award is $1,000, Silver $750, Bronze $250, and Honorable Mention $50. In the Senior Division, the Gold Award is $1,500, Silver $1,000, Bronze $500, and Honorable Mention $100.
The 2021 theme is WATER RISING, and students can choose from five different prompts to which they will respond through their choice of submission.
4. The Adroit Prizes for Poetry and Prose
Each year, the Adroit Prizes awards two students who must be in high school or studying at the undergraduate level.
Submissions may include up to six poems (maximum of ten pages single-spaced) and/or up to three works of prose (combined word limit of 3,500 words). Students may submit excerpts of longer works if they choose.
Simultaneous submissions are also accepted, as long as students acknowledge in their cover letter that the work has been submitted elsewhere. Students may only submit one work per genre, per year, but they may submit entries to both the poetry and prose categories in a given year.
The submission fee is $13, but students can fill out a form if they need financial assistance.
All submissions will be considered for publication in the Adroit Journal , and winners will be awarded $200.
The deadline for this prize is typically in April each year.
5. NSHSS Creative Writing Scholarship
High school students of all ages are eligible for this creative writing scholarship, sponsored by the National Society of High School Scholars. Students can submit work (that has not been previously published) in one or both categories: poetry and fiction.
In the poetry category, students may submit their original poetry in any style, from formal verse to free verse and experiment. The poem should be formatted as you wish it to appear in publication.
In the fiction category, students may submit a piece of short fiction, no more than 5,000 words and not single-spaced. The student may choose any genre, including graphic novel or short story.
A prize of $2,000 will be awarded to one student winner in each category.
Though the submissions are closed for the 2020 scholarship, the 2021 scholarship applications will be open, likely sometime in the spring of 2021.
6. YoungArts Competition
Emerging artists ages 15 through 18, or grades 10 through 12, are invited to apply for this award in various disciplines, including visual arts, writing, and music, by submitting a portfolio of work. The winner is selected through a blind adjudication process conducted by an independent panel of highly accomplished artists.
There is a $35 application fee, but it can be waived.
Winners of the YoungArts Competition receive financial awards up to $10,000, creative and professional development experiences with renowned guest artists, and eligibility for a nomination as a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the arts.
The application for the 2021 competition is closed, but the 2022 YoungArts application will open in the summer of 2021. By visiting the website, you can sign up for application news and updates.
7. The American Foreign Services Association Essay Contest
US students grade 9 through 12, as well as students in the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, or US citizens attending school abroad or at home are welcome to submit an essay identifying the United States’ strengths and weaknesses in establishing peace in foreign countries. The essay must be between 1,000 and 1,250 words and answer three questions about US foreign policy and national security.
The winner will receive a $2,500 cash prize as well as a Washington D.C. trip and a scholarship to attend Semester at Sea. A runner-up will receive $1,250 and a scholarship to attend the International Diplomacy Program of the National Student Leadership Conference.
The deadline to apply is April 5, 2021, and there’s no application fee.
8. The Lewis Center Ten-Minute Play Contest
Students in the eleventh grade (or international equivalent) are eligible for this annual playwriting contest. Each year, the jury consists of members of the Princeton University Program in Theater faculty.
Applicants may submit only one play of 10 pages maximum.
The award for first prize is $500, second prize $250, and third prize $100.
Entries for the 2021 prize are due by March 31, 2021 at 11:59 pm EST.
9. We the Students Essay Contest
This contest, run by the Bill of Rights Institute, asks students to answer the question, “What are the essential qualities of a citizen in your community in 21st century America?” in an essay between 500 and 800 words.
Students must be US citizens or legal residents between the ages of 14 and 19 attending public, private, charter, or religious schools in the U.S., U.S. territories or districts, or Armed Forces schools abroad to apply. Home-schooled students and those enrolled in correspondence or GED programs are also eligible to apply.
One national winner will receive a $5,000 cash prize and a scholarship to Constitutional Academy. 6 runners-up will receive $1,250 each, and eight honorable mentions will receive $500 each.
The deadline to enter is April 15, 2021 at 11:59 pm PST.
10. Young Writers Awards
To promote excellence in writing at the high school level, Bennington College invites submissions from students in grades 9 through 12 for this annual award.
Students may submit work in three different categories:
- Poetry: a group of three poems
- Fiction: a short story (1,500 words or fewer) or a one-act play (no more than 30 minutes of playing time)
- Nonfiction: a personal or academic essay (1,500 words or fewer)
A first, second, and third place winner is selected in each category. First place winners are awarded $500, second place $250, and third place $125.
There is no fee to enter this competition, which typically runs from September 3 to November 1 each year, with winners posted on the website in mid-April.
11. YouthPLAYS
Students under the age of 19 may submit a one-act, non-musical play of at least ten pages for consideration. The play submitted should be the work of a single author, appropriate for high school audiences, and contain at least two characters, with one or more of those characters being youths in age-appropriate roles. The contest encourages large casts with multiple female roles.
One winner will receive $200, have their play published by YouthPLAYS, and receive a copy of Great Dialog, a program for writing dialog. One runner-up will receive $50 and a copy of Great Dialog.
The deadline to apply is May 1, 2021.
About NSHSS
Since 2002, NSHSS has supported young academics on their journey to college and beyond as they prepare to become the leaders of tomorrow. The mission behind NSHSS is to recognize academic excellence and honor high-achieving students, providing them with the resources and network to excel in college, career and community. In doing so, NSHSS connects members with global events, scholarship opportunities , college fairs, internships, career and leadership programs , partner discounts, and more. Discover what makes NSHSS worth it to student members and how you can get involved.
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Find details about every creative writing competition—including poetry contests, short story competitions, essay contests, awards for novels, grants for translators, and more—that we’ve published in the Grants & Awards section of Poets & Writers Magazine during the past year. We carefully review the practices and policies of each contest before including it in the Writing Contests database, the most trusted resource for legitimate writing contests available anywhere.
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Writing Contests, Grants & Awards
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- G&A: The Contest Blog
The Writing Contests, Grants & Awards database includes details about the creative writing contests—including poetry contests, short story competitions, essay contests, awards for novels, and more—that we’ve published in Poets & Writers Magazine during the past year. We carefully review the practices and policies of each contest before including it. Ours is the most trusted resource for legitimate writing contests available anywhere.
Fourth Genre
Steinberg memorial essay prize.
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Fourth Genre is given annually for an essay. Debra Gwartney will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit an essay of...
The Center for Fiction
First novel prize.
A prize of $15,000 is given annually for a debut novel published in the United States by an American citizen during the current year. Six finalists will receive $1,000 each....
Winter Story Contest
A prize of $2,500 and publication in Narrative is given annually for a short story, a short short story, an essay, or an excerpt from a longer work of fiction or...
Banipal Trust for Arab Literature
Saif ghobash banipal prize for arabic literary translation.
A prize of £3,000 (approximately $3,665) is given annually for a book of poetry or fiction translated from Arabic into English and published for the first time in English...
Restless Books
Prize for new immigrant writing.
A prize of $10,000 and publication by Restless Books is given in alternating years for a debut book of fiction or nonfiction by a first-generation immigrant. The 2023 prize...
Elixir Press
Antivenom poetry award.
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Elixir Press is given annually for a first or second poetry collection. John Estes will judge. Submit a manuscript of at least 48 pages...
A Public Space
Writing fellowships.
Three six-month fellowships of $1,000 each are given annually to emerging poets, fiction writers, and nonfiction writers who “embrace risk in their work” and have not published...
Black Lawrence Press
Hudson prize.
A prize of $1,000, publication by Black Lawrence Press, and 10 author copies is given annually for a collection of poems, short stories, essays, or hybrid work. Collections...
Four Way Books
Levis prize in poetry.
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Four Way Books is given annually for a poetry collection. The winner will also be invited to participate in readings either virtually or in...
Fish Publishing
Poetry prize.
A prize of €1,000 (approximately $1,055) and publication in the Fish Publishing anthology is given annually for a single poem. The winner is also invited to read at the...
Arts & Letters
Arts & letters prizes.
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Arts & Letters are given annually for a group of poems, a short story, and an essay. Rodney Jones will judge in poetry...
Lascaux Review
Lascaux prize in poetry.
A prize of $1,000 and publication both online and in the print edition of Lascaux Review is given annually for a single poem. Previously published and unpublished...
Indiana Review
Poetry and creative nonfiction prizes.
Two prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Indiana Review are given annually for a single poem and an essay. Submit up to three poems of any length or a work of prose...
Gemini Magazine
Short story contest.
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Gemini Magazine is given annually for a short story. The editors will judge. Submit a story of any length with an $8 entry fee by...
Prime Number Magazine Awards
Two prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Prime Number Magazine are given annually for a poem and a short story. Felicia Mitchell will judge in poetry and Dennis...
Laura Boss Poetry Foundation
Laura boss narrative poetry award.
A prize of $5,000, publication by New York Quarterly Books, and 25 author copies will be given annually for a manuscript of narrative poetry. The winner and finalists are...
Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature
Paul engle prize.
A prize of $20,000 is given annually to a writer “who, like Paul Engle, represents a pioneering spirit in the world of literature through writing, editing, publishing, or...
Trustees of the Robert Frost Farm
Frost farm prize for metrical poetry.
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a poem written in metrical verse. The winner also receives a scholarship to attend and give a reading at the Frost Farm Poetry...
Nimrod International Journal
Nimrod literary awards.
Two prizes of $2,000 each and publication in Nimrod International Journal are given annually for a poem or a group of poems and a work of fiction. A runner-up in...
North American Review
Terry tempest williams creative nonfiction prize.
A prize of $1,000 and publication in North American Review is given annually for a work of creative nonfiction. Lyric essays, memoir, personal essays, and literary...
Winning Writers
Wergle flomp humor poetry contest.
A prize of $2,000, a gift certificate for two-year membership to the literary database Duotrope, and publication on the Winning Writers website is given annually for a humorous...
Saturnalia Books
A prize of $1,500, publication by Saturnalia Books, and 20 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Hoa Nguyen will judge. All entries will also be considered...
Orison Books
Prizes in poetry and fiction.
Two prizes of $1,500 each and publication by Orison Books are given annually for a poetry collection and a book of fiction. Pádraig Ó Tuama will judge in poetry and David Heska...
Just Buffalo Literary Center
Poetry fellowship.
A fellowship, which includes a stipend of $1,500 and a monthlong residency in Buffalo is given annually to a poet. The fellowship includes lodging at a private apartment for...
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Oberon is given annually for a single poem. Submit up to three poems of no more than two pages each with an $18 entry fee, which...
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Calculate for all schools, your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars.
15 Writing Competitions for High School Students
What’s covered:, why should you enter a writing competition, writing competitions for high school students, how do writing competitions affect my admissions chances.
Do you dream of writing the next great American novel? Are you passionate about poetry? Do you aspire to become a screenwriter? No matter what genre of writing you’re interested in—whether it’s fiction, nonfiction, or poetry—there is a writing competition focused on it. Writing competitions are a great excuse to put pen to paper (or finger to key), are an excellent step toward getting published, and ultimately can start you on the path to becoming a professional writer.
One of the best ways to improve your writing is to simply write—and competitions provide an excellent impetus to do so. Writing competitions also serve as an introduction to what life is like for many writers; participants entering writing competitions will receive a prompt or must think of an original idea, compose a piece of work, and submit it for review.
Another benefit of entering a writing competition for high schoolers is that many offer cash awards and scholarships, which can be used to help control the cost of college. Speaking of college, many writing competitions are run by colleges and universities, and entering them is a great way to introduce faculty to yourself and your work. If you win an award—especially a prestigious award—it can significantly improve your odds of college acceptance.
1. The Adroit Prizes for Poetry and Prose
Dates : 2023 dates not yet announced
Type: Global
Adroit Prizes are awarded to emerging high school and college writers in two categories: poetry and prose (students may submit one entry per genre) Winning pieces are considered for publication in the Adroit Journal and winners receive an award of $200.
2. Ten-Minute Play Contest
Dates : 3/31/22 Deadline
Type: Global
This writing competition for high school students is only open to 11th graders or those who are in the international equivalent of 11th grade. The Ten-Minute Play Contest is put on by Princeton University’s Lewis Center of the Arts. Applicants are allowed to submit one maximum ten-page-long play—one page equals one minute of stage time—and their submissions are judged by members of Princeton University’s theater faculty.
3. Ayn Rand Anthem Essay Contest
Dates : 2023 dates not yet announced Type: Global
The Ayn Rand Anthem Essay Contest is open to students in grades 8-12. Participants are challenged to compose an essay between 600 and 1,200 words on a topic related to Ayn Rand’s “hymn to man’s ego,” Anthem. Numerous prizes are awarded to winners—including a $2,000 grand prize and three $500 second-place awards.
4. Leonard L. Milberg ’53 High School Poetry Prize
The Leonard L. Milberg ’53 High School Poetry Prize is another contest run by Princeton University’s Lewis Center of the Arts. The competition is only open to students in 11th grade and to international students in the equivalent of 11th grade. Participants may submit work that has won other contests or that’s been previously published (although they ask you to include the date and media of publication). Winners are chosen by judges who are both poets and members of Princeton University’s creative writing faculty. Three monetary awards are available:
- First Prize: $500
- Second Prize: $250
- Third Prize: $100
5. World Historian Student Essay Competition
Dates : 5/1/22 Deadline Type: Global
The World Historian Student Essay Competition is open to a wide swath of students—students in grades K-12 may enter a submission. Applicants are challenged to submit an approximately 1,000-word essay responding to the prompt: In what way has the study of world history affected my understanding of the world in which I live? Authors of winning essays receive a $500 prize along with a free year-long membership to the World History Association .
6. Jane Austen Society of North America Essay Contest
Dates : 2023 dates not yet announced Type: Global
The Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA) Essay Contest is an annual writing competition aimed at fostering an appreciation for its namesake’s work. The essay contest is broken down into three divisions: high school, college/university, and graduate school. First-place winners are awarded a $1,000 prize along with free registration and lodging for two nights at JASNA’s Annual General Meeting—smaller monetary awards are also given to second- and third-place essayists. Essay topics center around Jane Austen’s work, however, they change annually.
7. Bennington College Young Writers Awards
Dates : 9/1/22-11/1/22
Bennington College has a strong history of developing writers—it’s produced twelve Pulitzer Prize winners, three U.S. poet laureates, and countless New York Times bestsellers—and the Bennington College Young Writers Awards celebrates this legacy. This writing competition is aimed at high schoolers (it’s open to students in grades 9-12) and features three categories: poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. In addition to offering cash awards to winners and finalists in all three categories, winners and finalists who apply and are accepted to Bennington College are also eligible for substantial scholarships.
8. Rachel Carson Intergenerational Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Contest
Dates : 11/16/22 Deadline
This unique writing competition requires that entries must be submitted by a team of two people from different generations—for example, a high school student and a teacher. Contestants can compete in a number of categories and themes, each with unique submission requirements. Winners of the contest receive a certificate from the Rachel Carson Landmark Alliance, their names along with the title of their winning entry posted on the RCLA website, and a portion or all of the winning entry may be published on the RCLA website.
9. NSHSS Creative Writing Scholarship
Dates : 5/13/22-10/31/22
Type: National
National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS) Creative Writing Scholarships are available in two categories: fiction and poetry. Applicants are able to submit entries in either a single category or both. Winning works are chosen on the merits of their creativity, technique, expression, and originality. Three winners are chosen in each category and each winner receives a $2,000 prize.
10. John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Contest
Dates : 1/13/23 Deadline
Type: National
The prestigious John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Contest is one of the most recognizable writing competitions for high schoolers in the nation. Essays for the contest are required to describe an act of political courage by a U.S. elected official who served during or after 1917, must be between 700 and 1,000 words, and cite a minimum of five sources. The first-place winner of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Contest takes home a $10,000 award and second place receives a $3,000 prize.
11. Young Arts National Writing Competition
Dates : 6/7/22-10/14/22
The Young Arts supports talented young artists between the ages of 15-18 (or grades 10-12) in ten disciplines, including writing. Applicants can submit entries in six genres: creative nonfiction, novel, play or script, poetry, short story, and spoken word. Since 1981, 820 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the arts have been supported by Young Arts.
12. SPJ/JEA High School Essay Contest
Dates : 11/1/21-2/19/22
This high school writing contest is presented by the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) and the Journalism Education Association (JEA) with the aim of increasing awareness of the importance of independent media. The SPJ/JEA High School Essay Contest is open to students in grades 9-12. Submitted essays should respond to a prompt that changes annually and be between 300 and 500 words in length. Three awards are available:
- First Prize: $1,000 scholarship
- Second Prize: $500 scholarship
- Third Prize: $300 scholarship
13. VSA Playwright Discovery Program Competitions
Dates : 3/9/22 Deadline
This writing competition presented by the Kennedy Center is open to students ages 15-18 (or enrolled in high school) with disabilities. Writers may submit a “ten-minute” script in any genre, including plays, musicals, multimedia, video, film, TV, and podcasts. Entries can be the work of an individual or the product of collaboration—provided that at least one of the collaborators has a disability. Multiple winners are chosen and given the chance to work with industry professionals, attend Kennedy Center professional development activities, and participate in networking opportunities.
14. Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest
Dates : 10/31/22 Deadline
For almost six decades, the Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest has provided recognition, scholarships, and awards for the best poems submitted by female high school sophomores and juniors. Participants may submit two pieces of work to the contest. Submissions are reviewed by faculty members of Hollins University’s creative writing program and students enrolled in its M.F.A. in creative writing. The first-place winner receives a $350 cash prize, a renewable $5,000 scholarship at Hollins University if they choose to enroll there, and free tuition and housing for the university’s Hollinsummer creative writing program. Their winning work is also published in Cargoes , the university’s student literary magazine
15. Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize
Dates : 7/4/22-7/29-22
High school sophomores and juniors are eligible to win this exciting writing competition put on by the Kenyon Review —a prestigious literary magazine that has published works from renowned poets such as T.S. Eliot, Sylvia Plath, Robert Lowell, and Mary Oliver. The winner of the competition receives a scholarship to the Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop and will have their work published in the Kenyon Review .
Your participation in a writing competition can have varying degrees of influence on your chances of college admission depending on everything from the prestige of the competition to the value a school places on extracurricular activities like writing competitions. Although there is no sure way to tell how activities outside of the classroom will affect your college odds, the four tiers of extracurricular activities are a time-tested method for understanding how colleges view your extracurriculars.
Tiers one and two are reserved for the most exclusive and acclaimed awards and can significantly improve your odds of college admission. Tiers three and four are reserved for more common prizes (like winning a local poetry competition) and have less impact on your chances of college admission. That said, tier-three and -four extracurriculars are still beneficial—they show admissions offices what you’re interested in and demonstrate your willingness to pursue your passion.
Curious how the writing competition you participated in affects your odds of college admission? CollegeVine can help! Our free chancing calculator uses a variety of factors including grades, test scores, and extracurriculars to estimate your odds of getting into hundreds of colleges and universities while also providing insight into how to improve your profile.
Related CollegeVine Blog Posts
The Best Children's Writing Contests of 2023
Writing competitions curated by Reedsy
Children's
- Flash Fiction
- Non-fiction
- Science Fiction
- Science Writing
- Script Writing
- Short Story
- Young Adult
Manage a competition? Submit it here
Join our short story competition
Submit a short story based on 1 of 5 weekly prompts. Winners get $250.
Showing 24 contests
The Betty Award
As one of the few competitions for elementary and middle school students, The Betty Award grants cash prizes for written pieces below 1,000 words. The Betty Award has both a Spring & Fall contest.
Entry requirements
Deadline: May 13, 2023
North Street Book Prize
Winning Writers
Submit a self-published or hybrid-published book, up to 200,000 words in length. One grand prize winner will receive $10,000, a marketing analysis and one-hour phone consultation with Carolyn Howard-Johnson, a $300 credit at BookBaby, three months of Plus service (a $207 value) and a $500 account credit from Book Award Pro, and 3 free ads in the Winning Writers newsletter (a $525 value)
Additional prizes
$1,000 for top winner in each category | $300 for honorable mentions
Deadline: June 30, 2023
Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, Poetry, Children's, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult
"It's All Write!" Teen Writing Contest
Ann Arbor District Library
The Ann Arbor District Library is excited to host its 30th annual “It’s All Write!” Teen Writing Contest in Winter 2022! Young Adult authors take part as judges each year, who then read and select the winning stories. Stories are judged in three different categories: Grades 6-8, Grades 9 & 10, and Grades 11 & 12. The top three writers in each age group receive fabulous prizes. This is an ever-growing, state-wide contest.
2nd: $150 | 3rd: $75
💰 Fee: FREE
Deadline: March 05, 2023 (Expired)
Promising Young Writers Contest
National Council of Teachers of English
Through collaboration and community, shared stories and shared experiences, NCTE supports teachers and their students in classrooms, on college campuses, and in online learning environments. The Promising Young Writers Program stimulates and recognizes the writing talents of eighth-grade students and to emphasize the importance of writing skills among eighth-grade students.
The NCTE Certificate of Recognition
Deadline: February 15, 2023 (Expired)
$1000 for 1000 Words Contest
The Layla Beban Young Authors
The $1000 for 1000 Words fiction writing contest is open to all students enrolled in grades 6-12. Each entrant may submit a fiction piece consisting of exactly 1,000 words (not including title or author’s name). The fiction piece can be on any topic, as long as it is not vulgar or offensive, does not use inappropriate profanity, and is the original work of the entrant not previously published.
Deadline: February 01, 2023 (Expired)
Children's, Short Story
EngineerGirl Writing Contest
EngineerGirl
Every year, the EngineerGirl website sponsors a contest dealing with engineering and its impact on our world. The topic and detailed instructions for the contest are posted in September with a deadline for submissions on February 1st of the following year. Winners are announced in the spring.
Bennington Young Writers Awards
Bennington College
Bennington College has a unique literary legacy, including twelve Pulitzer Prize winners, three U.S. poet laureates, four MacArthur Geniuses, countless New York Times bestsellers, and two of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people. In celebration of this legacy, Bennington launched the Young Writers Awards to promote excellence in writing at the high school level. Our goal with this competition is to recognize outstanding writing achievement by high school students.
2nd: $500 | 3rd: $250
Deadline: November 01, 2022 (Expired)
World Historian Student Essay Competition
World History Association
The World Historian Student Essay Competition is an international competition open to students enrolled in grades K–12 in public, private, and parochial schools, and those in home-study programs. Membership in the World History Association is not a requirement for submission. Past winners may not compete in the same category again.
Deadline: May 01, 2023
Children's, Essay
Seven Hills Literary Contest and Penumbra Poetry and Haiku Contest
Tallahassee Writers Association
The Seven Hills Literary Contest and Penumbra Poetry and Haiku Contest (collectively, “the Contest”) is sponsored annually by the Tallahassee Writers Association. The contest is open to English-language entries from around the world. For the first time, we are open to published entries as well as unpublished entries.
Published in the Seven Hills Review
Deadline: September 30, 2022 (Expired)
Children's, Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Non-fiction, Novel, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Short Story, Thriller, Young Adult
The Atom Learning Young Author Award
Atom Learning
To celebrate the budding wordsmiths of the UK, we're running a UK creative writing competition. There are two categories: ages 7-9 and ages 10-11. The 2022 theme for Atom’s Young Author Award is A DAY THAT CHANGED THE WORLD.
A trip to Disneyland Paris for a family of 4
Stack of novels | Professionally illustrated book cover | £2,500 for the child's school
Deadline: August 31, 2022 (Expired)
Fiction, Children's
Rattle Young Poets
Rattle Foundation
Rattle is a publication of the Rattle Foundation, an independent 501(c)3 non-profit organization whose mission is to promote the practice of poetry, and is not affiliated with any other organization. The author of the poem must have been age 15 or younger when the poem was written, and 18 or younger when submitted.
Publication in Rattle Magazine
Deadline: November 15, 2022 (Expired)
Children's, Poetry
Celebration Day Writing Contest
The Celebration Day Competition gets children to connect with the oldest person they know and interview them about the person who inspired them most growing up. They will retell the story in a creative way to win their work being read out on camera by a star-studded collection of celebrity guests, an iPad, and a £100 Amazon voucher. You must be aged between five and 18 to enter the competition, or be a teacher, and can live anywhere in the world.
£100 Amazon Voucher
Celebrities reading out winning entries, publication on website.
Deadline: June 21, 2022 (Expired)
"Write On!" Short Story Contest
The annual "Write On!" Short Story Contest for Grades 3-5 accepts story entries each winter. All writers, their friends, and families are invited to a Story Celebration and awards ceremony on Saturday, April 23, 2022, featuring a published children's author and the top three writers in each grade will receive an award.
Publication on website
Deadline: March 06, 2022 (Expired)
Cricket Magazine Contest
Cricket Magazine
’Tis winter, and the cold wind doth blow. But it can be fun to frolic in the ice and snow. So, bundle up! For our January contest, everybuggy would love to read your best wintry tale. Welcome to an opportunity to get published in Cricket Magazine! Your contest entry must be your very own original work. Ideas and words should not be copied. Your entry must be signed by your parent or guardian, stating that it is your own work, that no help was given, and that Cricket has permission to publish it in the magazine and on our website.
Publication in Cricket Magazine
Deadline: January 25, 2022 (Expired)
PFD Children's Queer Fiction Prize
Peter Fraser + Dunlop
Judged by E. Latimer and agents Silvia Molteni and Lucy Irvine. Accepting middle grade (aimed at readers aged 8-12) and chapter books (aimed at readers aged 6-8) fiction samples across all genres. Applicants are asked to submit a three-chapter sample and synopsis. Works may be finished or in-progress.
Publishing contract with PFD
Deadline: March 01, 2022 (Expired)
Children's, Fiction, LGBTQ
Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award
Society of Children's Book Writers
The Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award recognizes and encourages the publication of an excellent book of poetry or anthology for children and/or young adults. The award will be given to a book of poetry originally published in English. It can be a book by an individual poet or poets or an anthology.
Deadline: March 15, 2022 (Expired)
Funny Festival Fables
C.A.A.B Publishin
Write us a short story about the festive period. We want tales about silly snowmen, naughty elves, and hilarious stories that would make Santa go HO! HO! HO! Entries should be around 1,000 words or less and must be sent as a Word Document with no pictures.
Children's, Flash Fiction
IEW Writing Contest
Institute for Excellent Writing
We are delighted to present our annual writing contest for all aspiring and accomplished writers, ages eight to eighteen. Whether or not they have experience with IEW's Structure and Style® Writing Method, your students are invited to participate.
Deadline: April 30, 2021 (Expired)
Stone Soup Flash Fiction Contest
Stone Soup holds a Flash Contest during the first week of every month. The month’s first Weekly Creativity prompt provides the contest challenge. Submissions are due by midnight on Sunday of the same week. Up to five winners are chosen for publication on our blog. The winners, along with up to five honorable mentions, are announced in the following Saturday Newsletter.
Publication on Stone Soup's blog
Deadline: December 01, 2022 (Expired)
VFW Voice of Democracy
Veterans of Foreign Wars
The VFW is dedicated to promoting patriotism and investing in our future generation. If you are a democracy-loving high school student interested in a $30,000 college scholarship or a patriotic middle school student interested in winning $5,000, these scholarships may be for you.
$30,000 college scholarship
Deadline: October 31, 2022 (Expired)
Amazing Women’s Edition Contest
National Youth Foundation
Founded by Black women with a vision for change, the mission of the National Youth Foundation is to promote diversity, inclusion and gender equality through innovative literary programs. To honor the vast accomplishments of women in the United States, the National Youth Foundation is pleased to announce the Amazing Women’s Edition (AWE) competition. This writing contest is open to students in grades K to 8 residing in the United States.
Deadline: January 07, 2022 (Expired)
National Youth Foundation "I Matter" Contest
Founded by Black women with a vision for change, the mission of the National Youth Foundation is to promote diversity, inclusion and gender equality through innovative literary programs. The “I Matter” poetry contest was launched by a 14-year old student who took action to educate the world about why Black Lives Matter. The contest calls upon students across the country to submit poems on this important topic.
Deadline: July 23, 2022 (Expired)
Jane Austen Society of North America Essay Contest
Jane Austen Society of North America
JASNA conducts an annual student Essay Contest to foster the study and appreciation of Jane Austen's works in new generations of readers. Students world-wide are invited to compete for scholarship awards in three divisions: high school, college, and graduate school.
$1,000 scholarship
Two nights’ lodging for JASNA’s Annual General Meeting
Deadline: June 02, 2022 (Expired)
We the Students Essay Contest
Bill of Rights Institute
The Bill of Rights Institute engages, educates, and empowers individuals with a passion for the freedom and opportunity that exist in a free society. Students in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Armed Forces schools abroad, and students in United States territories are eligible to participate in its contest.
Deadline: April 15, 2021 (Expired)
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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, the 17 best writing contests for high school students.
Other High School
If you're a writer—fiction, non-fiction, or fanfiction—you can put those skills to work for you. There are tons of writing contests for high school students, which can award everything from medals to cash prizes to scholarships if you win .
Not only will a little extra money, whether cash or scholarships, help you when it comes time to pay for college, but the prestige of a respected reward is also a great thing to include on your college application.
Read on to learn more about what writing contests for high school students there are, how to apply, and what you could win !
Writing Contests With Multiple Categories
Some high school contests accept entries in a variety of formats, including the standard fiction and non-fiction, but also things like screenwriting or visual art. Check out these contests with multiple categories:
Scholastic Art and Writing Awards
- Award Amount: $1,000 to $12,500 scholarships
- Deadline: Varies between December and January, depending on your region
- Fee: $10 for single entry, $30 for portfolio
The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards celebrate art by students in grades seven through twelve (age 13 or older) on a regional and national scale. These awards have a huge number of categories and styles, including cash prizes or scholarships for some distinguished award winners . Categories include science-fiction and fantasy writing, humor, critical essays, and dramatic scripts, among others.
Deadlines vary by region (but are mostly in December and January), so use Scholastic's Affiliate Partner search to find out when projects are due for your area.
Scholastic partners with other organizations to provide prizes to winners, so what you can win depends on what you enter and what competition level you reach. Gold medal portfolio winners can earn a $12,500 scholarship, and silver medal winners with distinction can earn a $2,000 scholarship , as well as many other options in different categories.
The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards are open to private, public, or home-schooled students attending school in the US, Canada, or American schools in other countries. Students must be in grades seven through twelve to participate. Eligibility varies between regions, so consult Scholastic's Affiliate Partner search tool to figure out what applies to you .
The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards have a $10 entry fee for individual submissions and $30 for portfolio submissions, which may be waived for students in need . These fees may vary depending on location, so be sure to check your local guidelines .
Ocean Awareness Contest
- Award Amount: Scholarships up to $1,500
- Deadline: June 13, 2023 (submissions open in September)
The Ocean Awareness Contest asks students to consider the future of a coastal or marine species that is under threat from climate change. Submissions are accepted in a variety of art forms, but all must consider the way that climate change impacts ocean life .
Submissions for all categories, including art, creative writing, film, interactive and multimedia, music and dance, and poetry and spoken word are due in June, although the exact date varies slightly each year.
Winners may receive prizes of up to a $1,500 scholarship , depending on which division they fall into and what prize they win.
The contest is open to all international and US students between the ages of 11 and 18.
River of Words
- Award: Publication in the River of Words anthology
- Deadline: January 31, 2023
The River of Words contest asks students to consider watersheds—an area that drains into the same body of water—and how they connect with their local community. Students can explore this concept in art or poetry, with winners being published in the annual River of Words anthology .
Entries in all categories must be submitted by January 31, 2023.
The River of Words contest is primarily for recognition and publication, as the website doesn't list any prize money . The contest includes specific awards for certain forms, such as poetry, some of which may have additional prizes .
The contest is open to International and US students from kindergarten to grade 12 (ages 5 through 19). Students who have graduated from high school but are not yet in college are also eligible.
Adroit Prizes
- Award Amount: $200 cash award
- Deadline: Typically April of each year
Sponsored by the Adroit Journal, the Adroit Prizes reward high school students and undergraduate students for producing exemplary fiction and poetry. Students may submit up to six poems or three works of prose (totaling 3,500 words) for consideration. Submissions typically open in spring .
Winners receive $200 and (along with runners-up) have their works published in the Adroit Journal . Finalists and runners-up receive a copy of their judge's latest published work.
The contest is open to secondary and undergraduate students, including international students and those who have graduated early . The Adroit Prizes has a non-refundable fee of $15, which can be waived.
YoungArts Competition
- Award Amount: Up to $10,000 cash awards
- Deadline: October 15, 2022; application for 2024 opens June 2023
Open to students in a variety of disciplines, including visual arts, writing, and music, the YoungArts competition asks students to submit a portfolio of work. Additional requirements may apply depending on what artistic discipline you're in .
Winners can receive up to $10,000 in cash as well as professional development help, mentorship, and other educational rewards.
Applicants must be 15- to 18-year-old US citizens or permanent residents (including green card holders) or in grades 10 through 12 at the time of submission . There is a $35 submission fee, which can be waived.
Fiction Writing Contests for High School Students
Many contests with multiple categories accept fiction submissions, so also check out the above contests if you're looking for places to submit original prose.
EngineerGirl Writing Contest
- Award Amount: $100 - $500 cash prize
- Deadline: February 1, 2023
This year's EngineerGirl Writing Contest asks students (though the name of the organization is "EngineerGirl," students of any gender may participate) to submit a piece of writing that shows how female and/or non-white engineers have contributed to or can enhance engineering’s great achievements. Word counts vary depending on grade level.
At every grade level, first-place winners will receive $500, second-place winners will receive $250, and third-place winners will receive $100 . Winning entries and honorable mentions will also be published on the EngineerGirl website.
Students of any gender from third to 12th grade may submit to this contest. Home-schooled and international students are also eligible.
Nonfiction Contests for High School Students
Like fiction, non-fiction is often also accepted in contests with multiple categories. However, there are quite a few contests accepting only non-fiction essays as well.
The American Foreign Services Association Essay Contest
- Award Amount: $1,250 to $2,500
- Deadline: April 3, 2023
The American Foreign Services Association sponsors a high school essay contest tasking students with selecting a country or region in which the United States Foreign Service has been involved at any point since 1924 and describe, in 1,500 words or less, how the Foreign Service was successful or unsuccessful in advancing American foreign policy goals in this country/region and propose ways in which it might continue to improve those goals in the coming years .
One winner will receive $2,500 as well as a Washington D.C. trip and a scholarship to attend Semester at Sea . One runner-up receives $1,250 and a scholarship to attend the International Diplomacy Program of the National Student Leadership Conference.
Entries must be from US students in grade nine through 12, including students in the District of Columbia, US territories, or US citizens attending school abroad, including home-schooled students.
John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Contest
- Award Amount: $100 - $10,000
- Deadline: January 13, 2023
The John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage contest tasks students with writing an essay between 700 and 1,000 words on an act of political courage by a US elected official serving during or after 1917 , inspired by John F. Kennedy's Profiles in Courage . Each essay should cover the act itself as well as any obstacles or risks the subject faced in achieving their act of courage. Essays must not cover figures previously covered in the contest, and should also not cover John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, or Edward M. Kennedy.
One first-place winner will receive $10,000, one second-place winner will receive $3,000, five finalists will receive $1,000 each, and eight semi-finalists will win $100 each.
The contest is open to students in grades nine through 12 who are residents of the United States attending public, private, parochial, or home schools . Students under the age of 20 in correspondence high school programs or GED programs, as well as students in US territories, Washington D.C., and students studying abroad, are also eligible.
SPJ/JEA High School Essay Contest
- Award Amount: $300 - $1,000 scholarships
- Deadline: February 19, 2023 (submissions open in November)
The SPJ/JEA high school essay contest , organized by the Society of Professional Journalists and the Journalism Education Association, asks students to analyze the importance of independent media to our lives (as of now, the official essay topic for spring 2023 is TBD) . Essays should be from 300 to 500 words.
A $1,000 scholarship is given to a first-place winner, $500 to second-place, and $300 to third-place.
The contest is open to public, private, and home-schooled students of the United States in grades 9-12 .
Playwriting Contests for High School Students
For those who love the stage, playwriting contests are a great option. An original play can earn you great rewards thanks to any of these contests!
VSA Playwright Discovery Program Competition
- Award: Participation in professional development activities at the Kennedy Center
- Deadline: January 4, 2023 (Application opens in October)
The VSA Playwright Discovery Program Competition asks students with disabilities to submit a ten-minute script exploring their personal experiences, including the disability experience . Scripts may be realistic, fictional, or abstract, and may include plays, screenplays, or musical theater.
All entries are due in January. Scripts may be collaborative or written by individuals, but must include at least one person with a disability as part of the group .
One winner or group of winners will be selected as participants in the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. Winners will have access to professional assistance in developing their script as well as workshops and networking opportunities.
This contest is open to US and international students in ages 14 to 18 . Groups of up to five members may collaborate on an essay, but at least one of those students must have a disability.
Worldwide Plays Festival Competition
- Award: Professional production in New York
- Deadline: March (official 2023 deadline TBD)
In the Worldwide Plays Festival Competition , students from around the world can submit an eight-minute script for a play set in a part of a neighborhood —specifically, at a convenience store, outside a character's front door, or at a place where people convene. Each play must have roles for three actors, should not have a narrator who isn't also a character, and should not contain set changes.
Entries are due in February. Winners will have their play produced by professionals at an off-Broadway New York theater . Scholarships are also available for winners.
Any student, including US and international, in first through 12th grade may submit work for consideration.
- Award Amount: $50 - $200 cash prize
- Deadline: 2023 deadline TBD (application opens January 2023)
Students may submit a one-act, non-musical play of at least ten pages to YouthPLAYS for consideration . Plays should be appropriate for high school audiences and contain at least two characters, with one or more of those characters being youths in age-appropriate roles. Large casts with multiple female roles are encouraged.
One winner will receive $250, have their play published by YouthPLAYS, and receive a copy of Great Dialog , a program for writing dialog. One runner up will receive $100 and a copy of Great Dialog.
Students must be under the age of 19, and plays must be the work of a single author.
The Lewis Center Ten-Minute Play Contest
- Deadline: Spring of each year
Students in grade 11 may submit a ten-minute play for consideration for the Lewis Center Ten-Minute Play Contest . Plays should be 10 pages long, equivalent to 10 minutes.
One first-prize winner will receive $500, one second-prize winner will receive $250, and one third-prize will receive $100.
All entries must be from students in the 11th grade .
Poetry Writing Contests for High School Students
For those who prefer a little free verse or the constraints of a haiku, there are plenty of poetry-specific contests, too.
Creative Communications Poetry Contest
- Award Amount: $25
- Deadline: December
Students in ninth grade or below may submit any poem of 21 lines or less (not counting spaces between stanzas) for consideration in the Creative Communications Poetry Contest .
Students may win $25, a free book, and school supplies for their teacher .
Public, private, or home-schooled US students (including those in detention centers) in kindergarten through ninth grade may enter.
Leonard L. Milberg '53 High School Poetry Prize
- Award Amount: $500-$1500
- Deadline: November
Students in 11th grade may submit up to three poems for consideration in the Leonard L. Milberg '53 High School Poetry Prize . Submissions are due in November .
One first-prize winner will receive $1500, one second-prize winner will receive $750, and a third-prize winner will receive $500. Poems may be published on arts.princeton.edu. All entrants must be in the 11th grade.
Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest
- Award Amount: $500 - $5,000 renewable scholarship, $350 cash prize
- Deadline: October 31, 2022
Women poets who are sophomores or juniors in high school may submit two poems for consideration for the Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest .
One first-place winner will receive a $350 cash prize, publication in and ten copies of Cargoes , Hollins' student magazine, as well as a renewable scholarship of up to $5,000 for Hollins and free tuition and housing for the Hollinsummer creative writing program. One second-place winner will receive publication in and two copies of Cargoes, a renewable scholarship to Hollins of up to $1,000, and a $500 scholarship to attend Hollinsummer.
Applicants must be female students in their sophomore or junior year of high school .
What's Next?
If you're looking for more money opportunities for college , there are plenty of scholarships out there— including some pretty weird ones .
For those who've been buffing up their test scores , there are tons of scholarships , some in the thousands of dollars.
If you're tired of writing essays and applying for scholarships, consider some of these colleges that offer complete financial aid packages .
Melissa Brinks graduated from the University of Washington in 2014 with a Bachelor's in English with a creative writing emphasis. She has spent several years tutoring K-12 students in many subjects, including in SAT prep, to help them prepare for their college education.
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40 Free Writing Contests: Competitions With Cash Prizes
by Kelly Gurnett | Oct 3, 2022
Have you ever Googled “writing contests”? Many require “reading fees” or prizes — like seeing your work in print — that you can only receive if you pay for it.
Some legitimate contests do charge small entry fees, but often a fee can be a red flag for a scam, so those might be the ones you want to stay away from.
Besides, there are plenty of free writing contests that encourage and inspire boundless creativity with real cash prizes and career-advancing opportunities! Since it can be hard for a writer to know where to find them, we did the legwork for you.
We found 40 reputable, well-reviewed, free writing contests for poets, fiction writers, essayists and more. With thousands of dollars in cash prizes and numerous opportunities to secure a publishing contract, you’re sure to find the right free writing contest for your work.
(If you don’t mind paying a little money to enter, our friends over at Smart Blogger have rounded up some great writing contests that have small entry fees. And if you’re still hungry for more opportunities, we also have posts on writers grants and writing fellowships .)
Fiction and nonfiction writing contests this year
Ready to share your novel or personal essay with the world? Whether you’re a newbie or more established writer, you’re likely eligible for a few of these contests.
Here are some fiction and nonfiction writing contests worth considering .
1. L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest
Whatever your feelings about L. Ron Hubbard’s work and philosophy, the prizes for this regular contest are nothing to sneeze at. Every three months, winners earn $1,000, $750 and $500, plus an additional annual grand prize of $5,000.
Submissions must be short stories or novelettes (up to 17,000 words) in the genre of science fiction or fantasy, and new and amateur writers are welcome to apply.
Deadlines: Quarterly on March 31, June 30 and September 30.
This boutique publishing firm offers cash prizes and promotional packages to winning authors. Submit a novel of 10,000 words or more in any fiction genre (no fanfic or poetry).
Inkitt’s writing contest runs monthly and gives authors the chance to win cash prizes up to $300, exclusive book badges and promotional packages while showcasing their books to Inkitt’s audience of more than 3 million users. Winners are determined by Inkitt’s unique algorithm based on overall reader engagement.
Deadline: See individual contest pages.
Disclosure: Inkitt is an advertising partner of The Write Life. We hold our advertisers to high standards and vetted this contest just like others on this list.
3. Drue Heinz Literature Prize
You can win $15,000 and publication by the University of Pittsburgh Press with this prize, awarded for a collection of short fiction.
You may submit an unpublished manuscript of short stories , two or more novellas or a combination of novellas and short stories. Your total word count should be between 150 and 300 typed pages. You must also have already published a novel or book-length work of fiction “with a reputable publisher,” or no fewer than three short stories or novellas in nationally-recognized journals.
Deadline: Annual submissions must be postmarked between May 1 through June 30.
4. St. Francis College Literary Prize
Since 2009, this biennial literary award has honored mid-career writers who have recently published their third, fourth or fifth work of fiction. The winner receives $50,000 and may be invited to the St. Francis College campus in Brooklyn, New York, to deliver a talk about their work or teach a mini fiction workshop to St. Francis students.
Deadline: Biennially; the contest was not offered the last two years due to the pandemic and limited campus access
5. Young Lions Fiction Award
This $10,000 award recognizes “young authors,” which the rules define as any author aged 35 or younger. Submit any novel or collection of short stories published or scheduled to be published in the calendar year. Works must be written for adults; children’s or YA pieces are ineligible.
Deadline: Submissions for this year are open as of May; deadline is TBA
6. Graywolf Press Nonfiction Prizes
One of the best-loved small presses in the creative writing world, Graywolf Press hosts a variety of contests for both established and up-and-coming writers. Graywolf also offers smaller fiction and nonfiction prizes, with genres rotating by year; 2020 was a nonfiction year, so fiction was up in 2021, then back to nonfiction in 2022, and so on. These awards include a sizable advance — $12,000 in previous years — as well as publication with Graywolf.
Deadline: Contest is held annually with rotating genres; this year’s deadline is TBA.
7. The Jeff Sharlet Memorial Award for Veterans
Hosted by the prestigious Iowa Review, the Jeff Sharlet Memorial Award is offered to U.S. military veterans and active-duty members writing in any genre about any subject. Manuscripts of up to 20 pages will be accepted, and the first-prize winner will receive $1,000 and publication in the Review. A second place prize of $750 is also available, as well as three runner-up prizes of $500 each.
Deadline: Biennially. The next contest will be held in 2022.
8. New Voices Award
Presented by Lee & Low Books, an award-winning children’s book publisher, this award is given for a previously unpublished children’s picture book manuscript of no more than 1,500 words written by a writer of color or Indigenous/Native writers who’s a resident of the U.S.
The winner receives $2,000 cash and a standard publication contract, and an additional Honor Award winner will receive a cash prize of $1,000. You may submit up to two manuscripts.
Deadline: Submissions for this year will be accepted May 1 to July 31.
9. Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence
For 15 years, this contest has provided visibility for emerging African American fiction writers and enables them to focus on their writing by awarding a $15,000 cash prize. Eligible authors should submit a work of fiction, such as a novel or short story collection, published in the calendar year. (Galleys for publication within the year are also accepted.)
Deadline: Annually; the deadline is August 15, each year
10. PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
Honoring the best work of fiction published by an American author in a single calendar year, this award has been given to the likes of John Updike, Philip Roth and Ann Patchett. Novels, novellas and collections of short stories are all eligible.
The winner receives a hefty cash prize — up to $15,000 in the past — and an invitation to read at the award ceremony in Washington, D.C. Plus, there are no submission fees or application forms to deal with; just send a PDF of each book (as many as you’d like) to [email protected]
Deadline: Each year , submissions will be accepted from July 1 to October 31.
11. PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers
This contest requires you to have already published a short story in a literary magazine or journal or cultural website. But if you’ve made your debut (but gone no further), you may be eligible for the generous cash prize of $2,000, which is annually awarded to 12 emerging writers, whose works are then published together in an anthology.
Short stories of up to 12,000 words are eligible and must be published in the calendar year preceding the year in which the award is given. Additionally, keep this in mind: Submissions are only eligible if submitted by an editor. Authors may not submit their own work.
Deadline: Annual submission window between June and November.
12. Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards
Fiction and nonfiction writers who have recently published a book that “contribute[s] to our understanding of racism and our appreciation of cultural diversity” are eligible for this award, which offers $10,000 cash as well as media and publicity opportunities. Plus, winners receive their prize at a ceremony in Cleveland.
Submissions must be published in the prior year (so books published last year are eligible for the award this year).
Deadline: Annual submission window is September 1 through December 31.
13. Marfield Prize (aka National Award for Arts Writing)
Presented by the Arts Club of Washington, this award seeks to honor nonfiction books that deal with the “visual, literary, media, or performing arts.” The prize is $10,000 and may be awarded to works of criticism, art history, memoirs and biographies, and essays.
Deadline: Annually in the last quarter of the year; the submission window is usually between November 16 to December 31.
14. W.Y. Boyd Literary Award for Excellence in Military Fiction
If you’re a war buff, this competition is for you. It awards $5,000 — and a 24-karat-gold-framed citation of achievement — to the best piece of fiction set during a period when the U.S. was at war (war may either be the main plot of the piece or simply provide the setting). Submissions may be adult or YA novels.
Deadline: Annually on December 1.
15. Friends of American Writers Chicago Awards
FAW presents two annual awards: an Adult Literature Award for literary fiction or nonfiction, and a Young People’s Literature Award for a children’s/YA book.
Authors must reside in the state of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota or Wisconsin — or they must set their book in one of those locations. Prize amounts vary from year to year, but you don’t have to bother with an application and all winners are celebrated at the organization’s May luncheon.
Deadline: Annually in December
16. Hektoen Grand Prix Essay Contest
Hektoen International, an online journal dedicated to medical humanities, offers two prizes annually for essays of no more than 1,500 words: $5,000 is awarded to the winner and $2,500 to the first runner-up. Eligible topics are broad so long as they have a relation to medicine, and many include art, history, literature, education and more.
Deadline: Annually; September 15 is usually the deadline
17. Biopage Storytelling Writing Contest
There’s no denying it: social media is a huge part of our 21st-century lives. It’s easy to get used to limiting our communications to 280-character and emoji-strewn snippets, which is why this marketing firm is hosting an essay writing contest to “remind people of the benefits of writing.”
Essays of up to 5,000 characters (roughly 1,000 words) will be accepted, and right now they’re looking for stories of COVID-19 quarantine life. The grand prize winner will receive $300, and five runners-up will be awarded $100 each.
The contest is free to enter, but you’ll need to register for a Biopage account to be eligible.
Deadline: July 31, each year
18. St. Martin’s Minotaur / Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Competition
Writers 18 and older who have never had a novel published (in any genre) are eligible for this prize, awarded to an original book-length manuscript where “murder or another serious crime or crimes is at the heart of the story.” The winner receives a publication contract with Minotaur Books and an advance of $10,000 against future royalties.
Deadline: December 17, each yea r
19. ServiceScape Short Story Award
ServiceScape, a platform matching freelance writers, editors and graphic designers with clients (i.e. a great place to look for paid writing work !) offers a yearly Short Story Award of $1,000 to a winning fiction or nonfiction work of 5,000 words or fewer. The winner will also have their story featured on the ServiceScape blog, which sees thousands of readers each month.
Deadline: November 29, each year
20. Stowe Prize
This biennial prize of $10,000 honors an American author whose adult fiction or nonfiction work has had an impact on a critical social justice issue (as did Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin ). The book must be written by a U.S. author and have been published in the United States during the previous three calendar years.
Deadline: Contact the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center for this year’s deadline .
21. The Diana Woods Memorial Award in Creative Nonfiction
Creative nonfiction essays of no more than 5,000 words on any subject are eligible for consideration for this award, whose winner receives $250 and publication in Lunch Ticket , the literary and art journal produced by the MFA community of Antioch University Los Angeles.
Works must not have been published elsewhere. Award winners are required to submit a 100-word biography, recent photo and a short note thanking the Woods family for their generosity and support.
Deadlines: Biannual reading periods are in February for the Summer/Fall issue and in August for the Winter/Spring issue.
22. The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms Essay Contest
Each year, this Canadian organization offers three prizes, ranging from $500 to $1,500, to the essay with the most thoughtful, well-reasoned arguments around a specific human-rights theme. (For example, 2022’s prompt was, “ Canadian governments are making Digital ID technologies a precondition of access to essential services and goods. What can Canadians do to protect their Charter rights and freedoms against the dangers of these technologies? ”
The contest is open to Canadian college and university students, and essays should be 2,500 words or less in length.
Deadline: October 31, each year
23. Write the World
For young writers ages 13-18, these cool contests also serve as mini workshops. Recognizing that “a first draft is never perfect,” submissions actually receive peer review by authors, writing teachers and other experts and writers are given the chance to revise their pieces based on this feedback before submitting them for final prize consideration.
Contests vary each month, but there’s a $100 prize for the winner and $50 for the runner-up (plus $50 for the best peer-reviewer). All three are featured on Write the World’s blog alongside comments from a guest judge. And since each month’s prompt is from a different genre, developing writers get a chance to test out different styles.
Deadline: Monthly.
Stuck with writer’s block and looking for a way to jumpstart your escape? Prose offers weekly challenges meant to spark your creativity; many are just for fun, but look for the weekly numbered challenges posted by Prose (rather than community members or sponsors) for a chance to win money.
Prizes are typically between $100 to $200 and word counts are low — some as low as under 150, some as high as 500. So even if all you get from the prompt is a chance to flex your brain, it’s not a bad deal.
Deadline: Weekly and monthly.
25. The Restless Books Prize For New Immigrant Writing
First-generation immigrants have a chance to win $10,000 and publication by Restless Books for telling their stories (real or imagined). The contest alternates annually between fiction (novel or short story collection) and nonfiction (memoir, essay collection, narrative nonfiction). In 2021, it went to a work of nonfiction of at least 25,000 words; 2022 will be fiction.
Deadline: S ubmission window is usually between January and March.
26. AFSA National High School Essay Contest
The U.S. Institute of Peace and the American Foreign Service Association sponsor this annual high school essay contest, where the winner receives a $2,500 cash prize, an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C., and a full-tuition paid voyage with Semester at Sea upon the student’s enrollment at an accredited university. Essays should be between 1,000 and 1,250 words and have to answer all aspects of the prompt as well as demonstrate an understanding of the Foreign Service.
Runners-up get a pretty sweet deal, too — a $1,250 cash prize and a full scholarship to participate in the International Diplomacy Program of the National Student Leadership Conference.
Deadline : April, each year.
27. Science-me a Story
Born in 2018, the Society of Spanish Researchers invites talented and original writers to write a 100-word blurb for a hypothetical novel. This might sound really easy, but your blurb has to quickly hook readers and make them want to read more. Open to anyone over 18 anywhere in the world, your real or fictional short story for this competition must be either in English or Spanish and “conceived from the objective of scientific dissemination to primary school” to qualify for the cash prizes: £150, £100 and £50.
28. VCU Cabell First Novelist Award
Virginia Commonwealth University sponsors this award that honors an outstanding debut novel published in the preceding calendar year. While you may have published previous books in a different form, the submission must be your first published book marketed as a novel.
The award is a $5,000 cash prize, and the winning author must agree to attend the award event, usually scheduled for November.
Deadline : Annually; the submission window runs from July 1 through December 30
29. Daisy Utemorrah Award
The Daisy Utemorrah Award is for an unpublished manuscript of junior or YA fiction written by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples currently living in Australia. Generously supported by the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund and the State Government of Western Australia, the winner of the award receives $15,000 and a publishing contract with Magabala Books.
Deadline : Submission window usually opens at the beginning of each year
30. Ultimate Meal Plans Nutrition Scholarship
College students studying nutrition, kinesiology or exercise-science fields: you’re going to be all over this one. Twice per year, the Ultimate Paleo Guide (aka the best paleo resource on the internet) awards $500 scholarships to two deserving students who meet all eligibility requirements — as well as write an 800-word essay about why you chose your field, an impact you’d like to make in your career, a challenge you’ve faced and more.
Deadlines: January 30 (awards in March) and July 31 (awards in September).
31. Insecure Writer’s Support Group Annual Anthology Contest
As long as you stick to the guidelines, The Insecure Writer’s Support Group’s annual contest welcomes your 5,000- to 6,000-word (previously unpublished) creative story. But before you send it off, make sure your story is polished and formatted! Plus, the prizes aren’t too shabby — winning stories will be edited and published, authors will receive royalties, and the top story will even get to give the anthology its title.
Deadlines: September 1, each year.
32. Short Fiction Prize
If you’re an undergrad at a college in the U.S. or Canada, this writing competition is for you. (Traditionally, this contest has encouraged applicants with an Asian background, but anyone is invited to apply.) Submissions should be no more than 7,500 words.
One winner will get a $1,000 prize as well as a scholarship to the next Southampton Writers Conference .
Deadline : Submission window is usually between March 1- July 14
33. Bacopa Literary Review Contest
The Bacopa Literary Review is an international journal published by the Writers Alliance of Gainesville. Each year, it opens submissions for pieces in four genres: fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry and prose poetry. Find detailed guidelines for each genre on its website. First place gets $300, and the second prize in each of the four genres gets $100.
Deadline: May 30, each year
Poetry contests this year
Curious about opportunities for poets? Your stanzas — rhyming or not — could be worth a fair amount of money in these poetry competitions.
Check out these poetry writing contests.
34. Black Voices in Children’s Literature Writing Contest
This contest is open to Black writers who are over the age of 18 and residents of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota or Wisconsin. It’s hosted by Strive Publishing and Free Spirit Publishing and seeks to fill the need for Black representation in children’s and young adult books. Original board and picture books for children aged 0-4 and picture books for ages 4-8 are eligible, provided they feature contemporary, realistic Black characters and culture and focus on character development, self esteem, community and other aspects of positive childhood development.
Three prizes, ranging from $250 to $1,000, will be awarded, and the first-place winner will be “seriously considered” for publication, though it’s not guaranteed.
Deadline: Usually late July , each year.
35. James Laughlin Award
If you’re already a published poet, this is the award for you; it’s given for a second book of poetry due to come out in the forthcoming year. The winner receives $5,000 and an all-expenses-paid week-long residency at The Betsy Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida. In addition, copies of the winning book are distributed to 1,000 members of the Academy of American Poets.
Deadline: Annual submission window is January 1 through May 15.
36. African Poetry Book Fund Prizes
The APBF awards three prizes annually for African Poetry. The Luschei Prize for African Poetry gives $1,000 for a book of original African poetry published in the prior year.
The Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets gives $1,000 and a publication contract for a book-length collection of poetry by an as-yet-unpublished African author.
The Brunel International African Poetry Prize is a new prize that grants £3,000 to a poet who was born in Africa, or has African parents, who has not yet had a full-length book of poetry published. (U.S. citizens qualify.) To submit, you’ll need 10 poems.
Deadlines: See individual prize pages.
37. Tufts Poetry Awards
Claremont Graduate University presents two awards each year to poets they deem to be “outstanding.” The Kate Tufts Poetry Award grants $10,000 for a published first book of poetry that shows promise.
The Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award grants a mammoth $100,000 for a published book of poetry by an established or mid-career poet.
Deadline: Submission window is July 1 to June 30, each year
38. Graywolf Press Walt Whitman Award
The Walt Whitman Award is a $5,000 prize awarded, along with publication, to an American poet with a winning first book manuscript. He or she also receives an all-expenses-paid six-week residency at the Civitella Ranieri Center in Umbria, Italy.
Graywolf Press is also one of the publishers of the Cave Canem Poetry Prize , “a first book award dedicated to the discovery of exceptional manuscripts by Black poets.” Winners receive $1,000 and Graywolf publishes every third winner of the prize.
Deadline : July 1 to Sept 1, each year
39. Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest
Now in its 21st year, this humor contest wants your best published or unpublished work for a grand prize of $2,000; runners-up are awarded $500 and 10 honorable mentions will receive $100 each. Writers of all ages from eligible countries can submit an original, humorous poem with 250 lines or less, and it must be in English.
Deadline : April 1, each year (and no, this isn’t an April Fools joke)
40. The Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize
This writing competition is looking for the best piece of unpublished, themed writing. For example, one year, the theme was “Untamed: On Wilderness and Civilization.” Submissions may be prose, poetry or non-academic essays. Maximum word count is 2,500, and this is open to all nationalities and to anyone 18 or older. The winner gets a £10,000 cash prize, second place gets £3,000 and third place gets £2,000.
Deadline : Applications open at the beginning of each year. Follow the Alpine Fellowship on Instagram for updates.
Where to find more legitimate, free writing contests
Looking for more opportunities to submit your work? Here are a few great sites to keep an eye on for writing contests.
Winning Writers
A number of the contests found on our list came highly recommended by this site, which compiles some of the best free literary contests out there. Along with a wide range of recommended contests for writers of all stripes, Winning Writers also lists some contests and services to avoid — which is just as useful!
They also offer a handful of contests themselves , including the North Street Book Prize .
Poets & Writers
Another fantastic source for legitimate writing contests we consulted when compiling this list, Poets & Writers vets competitions, contests, awards and grants to make sure they’re following legitimate practices and policies. It’s worth checking out regularly as it features both annual and one-time contests.
(This listing contains affiliate links. That means if you purchase through our links, you’re supporting The Write Life — and we thank you for that!)
The original version of this story was written by Kelly Gurnett . We updated the post so it’s more useful for our readers.
Photo via Viktoriia Hnatiuk / Shutterstock
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The Ultimate List of Student Writing Contests
No one would argue against the importance of writing. Writing expresses who we are as individuals; writing makes our ideas, thoughts, and memories visible. For students, writing is the primary basis upon which one’s learning and development are assessed, whether it is a book review for an English class, a research brief for a STEM class, or the college admissions essays. Writing is undeniably one of the most important skills any student must master.
Becoming a better writer takes time and practice--you have to keep writing, a lot. There are no shortcuts or secret formulas. While some students may be more talented with writing, writing is first and foremost a skill that can be honed, developed, and perfected. “Keep writing” is easier said than done, however. For the majority of students who are not passionate writers, how can you stay motivated and disciplined to keep writing?
Participate in writing contests! There are many writing contests for students from kindergarten to high school, with different types of awards from medals to cash prizes to scholarships. No matter what the award is, participating in writing contests will push you to stay focused and keep improving. Moreover, the prestige of a respected award will certainly boost your college application profile, giving you an edge in a selection process that is fiercely competitive.
Contrary to conventional belief, you don’t have to be a humanities enthusiast to participate in these writing contests. There is a great variety of topics to choose from: history, supernatural, foreign affairs, STEM, business, and even restaurant reviews! The categories range from poetry to play to academic essay. No matter what your academic interest is or where your writing skills shine, there is a writing contest for you. Below is our carefully curated list of the best student writing contests. Find the ones that fit your interest and skill set and start writing!
Contests of Essays and Reviews
Scholastic art and writing awards.
Organization: Alliance for Young Artists & Writers
Category: 28 categories, including critical essays, journalism, personal essay, among others
Subject/topic: Free to choose
Award Amount: $1,000 to $10,000
Deadline: Varies
Eligibility: Grades 7-12 (ages 13 and up)
Wharton Youth Comment & Win Contest
Organization: U of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business
Category: Review and reflection
Subject/topic: Entrepreneurship, economics, leadership, business, finance and careers
Award Amount: Recognition from Wharton
Deadline: 4 rounds from June to August
Eligibility: Grades 9-12
Bennington Young Writers Awards
Organization: Bennington College
Category: 3 categories, including personal or academic essay, poetry, play
Award Amount: $125 to $500
Deadline: Usually in November
Eligibility: Grades 10-12
The American Foreign Services Association Essay Contest
Organization: American Foreign Services Association
Category: Essay
Subject/topic: International relations and foreign affairs
Award Amount: $1,250-$2,500
Deadline: Usually April
John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Contest
Organization: John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
Subject/topic: An act of political courage by a US elected official
Award Amount: $100-$10,000
Deadline: Usually January
We the Students Essay Contest
Organization: Bill of Rights Institute
Subject/topic: Government, democracy, civics, public policy, among others
Award Amount: $500-$7,500
Deadline: Usually February
Eligibility: Ages 14-19
Voice of Democracy Audio-Essay Contest
Organization: Veterans of Foreign Wars
Category: Audio essay
Subject/topic: Democracy and patriotism
Award Amount: $1,000-$30,000
Deadline: Usually October
Patriot’s Pen Essay Contest
Subject/topic: American history, society, and citizenship
Award Amount: $500-$5,000
Eligibility: Grades 6-8
John Locke Essay Competition
Organization: John Locke Institute
Subject/topic: Philosophy, politics, economics, history, psychology, theology and law
Award Amount: $2,000 to $10,000
Deadline: Usually June
Eligibility: Ages 18 and under
New York Times STEM Writing Contest
Organization: The New York Times
Subject/topic: Science, technology, engineering, math or health
Award Amount: None
Eligibility: Ages 11-19
New York Times Summer Reading Contest
Deadline: June to August
New York Times Student Review Contest
New york times personal narrative writing contest.
Deadline: Usually November
New York Times Editorial Writing Contest
New york times review contest.
Category: Review
EngineerGirl Writing Contest
Organization: National Academy of Engineering
Subject/topic: Engineering
Award Amount: $100-$500
Eligibility: Grades 3-12
SPJ/JEA High School Essay Contest
Organization: Journalism Education Association
Subject/topic: Journalism
Award Amount: $300-$1,000
YoungArts’ National Arts Competition
Organization: National YoungArts Foundation
Category: Multiple categories, including writing, art, and music
Award Amount: Up to $10,000
Eligibility: Grades 10-12 or ages 15-18
NCTE Student Writing Awards
Organization: National Council of Teachers of English
Subject/topic: Varies
Eligibility: Grade 11
NCTE Promising Young Writers Awards
Eligibility: Grade 8
World Historian Student Essay Contest
Organization: World History Association
Subject/topic: History
Award Amount: $500
Deadline: Usually May
Eligibility: Grades K-12
Jane Austen Society Essay Contest
Organization: Jane Austen Society of North America
Subject/topic: Jane Austen’s works
Award Amount: $250-$1,000
Contests of Poetry, Play, and Fiction
Category: 28 categories, including science fiction, among others
Young Lions Fiction Award
Organization: New York Public Library
Category: Fiction
Award Amount: $10,000
Deadline: Usually in September
Eligibility: Ages 35 or under
Category: 3 categories, including poetry, play, personal or academic essay,
Just Poetry!!!
Organization: The National Poetry Quarterly
Category: Poetry
Deadline: March, June, September, December
Creative Communications Poetry Contest
Organization: Creative Communication
Award Amount: $25
Deadline: Usually December
Eligibility: Grades K-9
Leonard L. Milberg ‘53 High School Poetry Prize
Organization: Princeton University
The Lewis Center Ten-Minute Play Contest
Category: Play
Award Amount: $100 to $500
Deadline: Usually March
Worldwide Plays Festival Competition
Organization: Writopia Lab
Award Amount: Professional production in New York
Eligibility: Grades 1-12
NSHSS Creative Writing Scholarship Contest
Organization: National Society of High School Scholars
Category: Poetry and fiction
Award Amount: $2,000
The Adroit Prizes for Poetry and Prose
Organization: The Adroit Journal
Category: Poetry and prose
Award Amount: $200
Organization: YouthPLAYS
Award Amount: $50-$200
Eligibility: Ages 19 and under
Nancy Thorp Poetry Prize
Organization: Hollins University
Award Amount: $350-$5,000
Eligibility: Female students in grades 10-11
Ocean Awareness Contest
Organization: Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs
Category: Multiple categories, including poetry, prose, art, among others
Subject/topic: Ocean awareness
Award Amount: Up to $1,500
Eligibility: Ages 11-18
River of Words
Organization: Saint Mary’s College of California
Subject/topic: Environmental literacy
Eligibility: Ages 5-19
Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers
Organization: Kenyon Review
Award Amount: Scholarship to attend the Kenyon Review Young Writers workshop
Eligibility: Grades 10-11
Geek Partnership Society Writing Contest
Organization: Geek Partnership Society
Category: Multiple categories, including fiction, poetry, and comics
Subject/topic: Science fiction, fantasy, horror, supernatural, alternate history
Award Amount: Up to $100
Deadline: Usually July
Eligibility: Any age
- Competitions
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COMMENTS
In this article, we bring to you 15 writing contests that offer high school students the chance to showcase their talent, and exercise their creativity
1. The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards · 2. YoungArts' National Arts Competition · 3. American Foreign Service National High School Essay Contest.
1. Scholastic Art and Writing Awards · 2. Young Lions Fiction Award · 3. Ocean Awareness Contest · 4. The Adroit Prizes for Poetry and Prose · 5. NSHSS Creative
Find information about more than two hundred full- and low-residency programs in creative writing in our MFA Programs database, which includes details about
National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS) Creative Writing Scholarships are available in two categories: fiction and poetry. Applicants
Discover the best writing contests of 2023, vetted by Reedsy! ... Women On Writing Quarterly Creative Nonfiction Essay Contest ... Free online courses.
Showing 24 contests · North Street Book Prize · "It's All Write!" Teen Writing Contest · Promising Young Writers Contest · $1000 for 1000 Words Contest.
Writing Contests With Multiple Categories · Scholastic Art and Writing Awards · Ocean Awareness Contest · River of Words · Adroit Prizes · YoungArts
1. L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest · 2. Inkitt · 3. Drue Heinz Literature Prize · 4. St. Francis College Literary Prize · 5. Young
Contests of Essays and Reviews · Scholastic Art and Writing Awards · Wharton Youth Comment & Win Contest · Bennington Young Writers Awards · The American Foreign