When college students write for academics, it will possibly really feel like an project. Once they write for an actual function, they’re empowered! Pupil writing contests are a difficult and galvanizing option to strive writing for an genuine viewers—an actual panel of judges—and the potential for prize cash or different incentives. We’ve gathered a listing of the perfect scholar writing contests, and there’s one thing right here for everybody. Put together extremely motivated youngsters in want of an genuine writing mentor, and watch the phrases circulate.
2024-2025 Pupil Writing Contests
1. The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
With a variety of classes—from crucial essays to science fiction and fantasy—the Scholastic Awards are a mainstay of scholar contests. Every class has its personal guidelines and phrase counts, so make sure to check out the options earlier than you resolve which one is greatest to your college students.
How To Enter
College students in grades 7 to 12, ages 13 and up, might start submitting work in September by importing to a web-based account at Scholastic and connecting to their native area. Entry charges are waived for college students in want.
2. YoungArts National Arts Competition
YoungArts gives an annual nationwide competitors within the classes of artistic nonfiction, novel, play or script, poetry, brief story, and spoken phrase. Pupil winners might obtain awards of as much as $10,000 in addition to the possibility to take part in creative growth with leaders of their fields.
How To Enter
Try the location for tips on writing modes, equivalent to brief tales and spoken phrase poetry, and join updates so that you’re prepared when the functions open.
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3. The Edit
The Edit is a digital storytelling problem from NBCU Academy and Adobe. Your center or highschool college students will construct crucial communication and collaboration expertise as they plan, script, and produce their very own 90-second video information stories on wellness subjects. Profitable lecture rooms might be rewarded with prizes like GoPros, Fandango reward playing cards, and extra!
How To Enter
It’s free to enter. All submissions should be obtained by March 3, 2025.
4. Write the World Competitions
Not solely is Write the World certainly one of my favourite locations to seek out writing assets, nevertheless it additionally hosts free month-to-month contests with money prizes. There are additionally alternatives for suggestions, and many concepts to assist college students get began.
How To Enter
With a scholar account, younger writers draft and submit their work on the web site.
5. National Youth Foundation Programs
Every year, awards are given for Pupil E-book Students, Superb Girls, and the “I Matter” Poetry & Artwork competitors. It is a nice likelihood for teenagers to precise themselves with pleasure and power.
How To Enter
The foundations, prizes, and deadlines fluctuate, so try the web site for more information.
6. American Foreign Service National High School Essay Contest
For those who’re seeking to assist college students take a deep dive into worldwide relations, historical past, and writing, look no additional than this essay contest. Winners obtain a voyage with the Semester at Sea program and a visit to Washington, D.C.
How To Enter
College students fill out a registration type on-line, and a trainer or sponsor is required. The deadline to enter is March 1, 2025.
7. Poets.org’s Annual Dear Poet Contest
Every year throughout Nationwide Poetry Month in April, college students can write letters to well-known poets in response to their work. On this interactive contest, all submissions obtain a normal letter and certificates, and winners obtain a personalised response from the poet they wrote to. It’s an effective way to #TeachLivingPoets, and youngsters get to ask questions concerning the artistic course of.
How To Enter
Return to the location in April to seek out the kinds for submitting letters. A guardian or trainer should additionally present a letter so the submissions will be revealed.
8. John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest
This annual contest invitations college students to jot down about an elected official’s act of political braveness that occurred anytime after 1917, the yr Kennedy was born. The winner receives $10,000, and 16 runners-up additionally obtain quite a lot of money prizes.
How To Enter
College students might submit a 700- to 1,000-word essay by means of January 12. The essay should function greater than 5 sources and a full bibliography.
9. WriteCause Competitions
These free quarterly contests settle for quite a lot of written submissions, every primarily based on a special quarterly theme. WriteCause additionally gives analysis hyperlinks so college students can study concerning the subjects earlier than writing. Open to youngsters ages 13 to 18.
How To Enter
Try the Compete hyperlink for contest data every quarter, and use the web submission type.
10. The Princeton Ten-Minute Play Contest
On the lookout for scholar writing contests for budding playwrights? This unique competitors, which is open solely to highschool juniors, is judged by the theater school of Princeton College. College students submit brief performs in an effort to win recognition and money prizes of as much as $500. (Word: Solely open to Eleventh graders.)
How To Enter
College students submit one 10-page play script on-line or by mail. The deadline might be introduced later this yr.
11. Princeton University Poetry Contest for High School Students
The Leonard L. Milberg ’53 Excessive Faculty Poetry Prize acknowledges excellent work by scholar writers in Eleventh grade. Prizes vary from $100 to $500.
How To Enter
College students in Eleventh grade can submit their poetry. Contest particulars might be revealed this fall.
12. The New York Times Tiny Memoir Contest
This contest can also be a beautiful writing problem, and the New York Occasions contains plenty of assets and fashions for college students to have the ability to do their greatest work. They’ve even made a classroom poster!
How To Enter
Submissions must be made electronically by November 1.
13. The New York Times Contest Calendar
For college students who need to lengthen past 100-word memoirs, the New York Occasions additionally gives aggressive alternatives in areas together with images, opinion items, and podcasting.
How To Enter
Discover an space that college students are inquisitive about and take a look at the principles and deadlines.
14. The Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers
The Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Younger Writers is open to highschool sophomores and juniors, and the winner receives a full scholarship to a Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop.
How To Enter
Submissions for the prize are accepted electronically from November 1 by means of November 30.
15. Jane Austen Society Essay Contest
Highschool college students can win as much as $1,000 and publication by getting into an essay on a subject specified by the Jane Austen Society associated to a Jane Austen novel.
How To Enter
Particulars for the 2024 contest might be introduced in November. Essay size is from six to eight pages, not together with works cited.
16. Rattle Young Poets Anthology
Open to college students from 15 to 18 years outdated who’re inquisitive about publication and publicity over financial awards.
How To Enter
Academics might select as much as 5 college students to submit as much as 4 poems every on their behalf. The deadline is November 15.
17. The Black River Chapbook Competition
It is a likelihood for brand new and rising writers to realize publication in their very own professionally revealed chapbook, in addition to $500 and free copies of the e book.
How To Enter
There’s an $18 entry charge, and submissions are made on-line.
18. YouthPlays New Voices
Younger writers beneath 18 create new one-act performs for the stage. Winners obtain money awards and publication.
How To Enter
Scroll all the way in which down their net web page for data on the competition, which accepts non-musical performs between 10 and 40 minutes lengthy, submitted electronically. The entry interval opens every year in January.
19. The Ocean Awareness Contest
The theme for the 2025 Ocean Consciousness Contest is “Connections to Nature: Wanting Inside, Going Outdoors.” College students are eligible for a variety of financial prizes as much as $1,000.
How To Enter
College students from 11 to 18 years outdated might submit work within the classes of artwork, artistic writing, poetry and spoken phrase, movie, interactive media and multimedia, or music and dance, accompanied by a mirrored image. The deadline is June 13.
20. EngineerGirl Annual Writing Contest
Every year, EngineerGirl sponsors an essay contest with subjects centered on the impression of engineering on the world, and college students can win as much as $500 in prize cash. This contest is a pleasant bridge between ELA and STEM and nice for academics inquisitive about incorporating an interdisciplinary undertaking into their curriculum. The brand new contest asks for items describing the life cycle of an on a regular basis object. Try these tips for integrating the content into your classroom.
How To Enter
College students submit their work electronically by February 1. Try the complete record of rules and requirements here.
21. NCTE Student Writing Awards
The Nationwide Council of Academics of English gives a number of scholar writing awards, together with Achievement Awards in Writing (for Tenth- and Eleventh-grade college students), Promising Younger Writers (for Eighth-grade college students), and an award to acknowledge Excellence in Artwork and Literary Magazines.
How To Enter
Deadlines vary from October 28 to February 15. Try NCTE.org for extra particulars.
22. Narrative High School Writing Contest
The immediate for Narrative’s Tenth Annual Writing Contest is “What I Can not Say, I’ll Say Right here.” Tales are restricted to 600 phrases, and youngsters also can enter poems of not more than 50 strains. The web site additionally gives totally different concepts and insights to assist college students strategy the immediate.
How To Enter
College students in grades 9 by means of 12 submit their work by means of their trainer, who might submit as much as 10 items.
23. US vs HATE Contests
Interact social media-savvy college students with this artistic contest that seeks messages of kindness, inclusivity, and bridge-building.
How To Enter
Test the web site for an informational poster in addition to tips and concepts about how college students can submit their work.
24. National PTA Reflections Awards
The Nationwide PTA gives quite a lot of awards, together with one for literature, of their annual Reflections Contest. College students of all ages can submit entries on the required subject to their native PTA Reflections program. From there, winners transfer to the native space, state, and nationwide ranges. Nationwide-level awards embrace an $800 prize and a visit to the Nationwide PTA Conference.
How To Enter
This program requires submitting to PTAs who take part in this system. Test your faculty’s PTA for his or her deadlines.
25. World Historian Student Essay Competition
The World Historian Pupil Essay Competitors is a global contest open to college students enrolled in grades Okay by means of 12 in public, non-public, and parochial colleges, in addition to these in home-study applications. The $500 prize relies on an essay that addresses certainly one of this yr’s two prompts.
How To Enter
College students can submit entries through e mail or common mail earlier than Could 1.
26. Future Scholar Foundation Short Story Contest
Month-to-month contests, every with totally different themes, supply Amazon reward playing cards and publication as awards. It’s open to elementary and center faculty college students.
How To Enter
Test the location every month for the brand new theme. Submissions are due on the twenty eighth.
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