Writing contests are an inspiring and rewarding way to encourage our youth writer. Writing contests are a great way for high school students to showcase their creative skills. Some schools might not have many extracurricular activities for aspiring writers. A writing competition is a great way to do so.
Writing Contest increase changes of admittance, Essay competitions and contests abound across many fields – STEM, Business, Humanities and the “Arts”. The primary reason to compete is the opportunity to explore more about your passions and add to your extra curriculum or activities on your resume. Many top writing contests for high school students will offer cash prizes or even a scholarship to a summer writing program.
Better yet, many writing contests will grant multiple levels of recognition, so if you don’t win the top prize, you still are acknowledged for your hard work and skillset. Placing this award on your college applications can go a long way towards helping to build a strong candidate profile. Furthermore, participating in a contest is a fun way to hone your writing skills, challenge and empower yourself while you are still in high school. A great essay can make you stands-out during your college application process as well.
We have writing experts here to assist you with all your essays from start to finish to submit - brainstorming content, polishing finished pieces and pushing you way outside your comfort zone to create some amazing work.
Our teacher recommended list of writing contests as below. We will also be hosting various writing courses or workshops to help you preparing those contests.
Best Student Writing Contests for High School
- The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
Since 1923, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have recognized the vision, ingenuity, and talent of our nation’s youth. Through the Awards, students receive opportunities for recognition, exhibition, publication, and scholarships.
With a wide range of categories—from the critical essay to science fiction & fantasy. Each category has its own rules and word counts. Through the Awards, students receive opportunities for recognition, exhibition, publication, and scholarships.
Grades: 7-12.
Submissions period: September to December
- YoungArts’ National Arts Competition
The National YoungArts Foundation identifies and nurtures the most accomplished young artists in the visual, literary, design and performing arts and assists them at critical junctures in their educational and professional development. 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.
Additionally, YoungArts Winners are eligible for nomination as a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts, one of the nation’s highest honors for high school students who exemplify academic and artistic excellence.
Ages: 15-18 or Grades: 10-12
Submissions period: By October
- American Foreign Service High School Essay Contest
USIP partners with the American Foreign Service Association ((AFSA) on the annual National High School Essay Contest. The contest engages 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.
The winner of the contest receives a $2,500 cash prize, an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. to meet U.S.
Grade: 9-12
Submissions period: April 6, 2020
- John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest
In Profiles in Courage, John F. Kennedy recounted the stories of eight U.S. senators who risked their careers to do what was right for the nation. 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 700–1000 word essays between September and January. The essays must feature more than five sources and a full bibliography.
Submissions period: By January 15, 2021.
- 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 in each category are awarded a prize of $500; second-place winners receive $250.
Grade: 10-12
Submissions period: from September 1 to November 1
- The Princeton Ten-Minute Play Contest
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
Grade: 11
Submissions period: By the end of March.
- The Adroit Prizes For Poetry And Prose
Adroit Prizes is open to all secondary and undergraduate students. Students can include up to six poems (maximum 10 pages) or three works of prose (maximum 3,500 words). You can also submit excerpts from longer pieces of your work.
Even if you aren’t awarded the top prize, your work could still be published in The Adroit Journal. You can submit both a poetry and prose piece within the same contest period. Award: $200
Submissions period: Typically the end of April
- Jane Austen Society Essay Contest
The Essay Contest connected Jane Austen’s novels to her Juvenilia. The latter are short pieces she wrote as a young teenager—brief stories, plays, and chapters of novels.
Submissions period: By June 1st.
- Contest: SPJ / JEA High School Essay Contest
The Sigma Delta Chi Foundation of the Society of Professional Journalists and the Journalism Education Association want to increase high school students’ knowledge and understanding of the importance of independent media to our lives. National winners of this essay contest receive scholarship awards up to $1,000
Grade: 9-12
Submissions period: By February
- We the Students Essay Contest
We want to know what you think civil discourse truly means. Students can win up to $7,500 through this essay contest sponsored by the Bill of Rights Institute.
Age: 14-19
Submissions period: By April 15th.
- The Voice of Democracy Audio-Essay Contest
Students compete by writing and recording an audio essay on an annual patriotic theme. Over 50,000 students enter annually but don’t let that discourage you. The top prize is a $30,000 scholarship!
Grade: 9-12
Submissions period: By October 31st.
- The Critical Pass Review Junior Poet’s Contest
The Critical Junior Poet's Award Contest is an editor's choice award awarded annually to an outstanding junior poet for exceptional promise in the art of poetry. The winner receives a $100 prize and $20 iTunes gift card.
Age: 13-18
Submissions period: By September 1st. They strongly suggest that students read previous winning entries before writing their own.
- 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, Contest is a platform for young people to learn about environmental issues through art-making and creative communication, explore their relationship to a changing world, and become advocates for positive change.
Age: 11-18 from around the world
Submissions period: by June 15th.
- Patriot’s Pen Contest
The essay contest encourages young minds to examine America’s history, along with their own experiences in modern American society, by drafting a 300- to 400-word essay, expressing their views based on a patriotic theme chosen by the VFW Commander-in-Chief.
The first-place winner from each state competes for national awards totaling $50,000, with each first-place state winner receiving a minimum of $500 at the national level. The national first-place winner wins $5,000 and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., in March.
Grade: 6-8
Submissions period: by October 31st.
- The National WWII Museum Essay Contest
Students will use events from American and WWII history to complete an essay prompt. Your essay will be judged foremost for its originality, clarity of expression, and adherence to contest theme, as well as its historical accuracy, grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
open to both middle school and high school age students.
Submissions period: By February.
Best Student Writing Contests for All Ages
- Engineer Girl Annual Essay Contest
Each year, Engineer Girl sponsors an essay contest with topics centered on the impact of engineering on the world. 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 prompt is published in October.
Submissions period: By Feb
- NCTE Student Writing Awards
This school-based writing program encourages high school students in their writing and publicly recognizes some of the best student writers in the nation.
Achievement Awards in Writing (for 11th grade students)
Submissions period: by February 15
- Promising Young Writers
This school-based writing program stimulates and recognizes student’s writing talents and emphasizes the importance of writing skills among eighth-grade students.
Grade: 8
Submissions period: by February 15
- Recognizing Excellence in Art and Literary Magazines (REALM)
This program for middle schools, high schools and universities/colleges recognizes students, teachers, and schools for producing excellent literary magazines. It provides encouragement for all schools to develop literary magazines with excellence in writing and school-wide participation.
Submissions period: by October 1
- Rachel Carson Intergenerational Sense of Wonder / Sense of the Wild Contest
The enthusiasm for nature in the young can enable older participants to appreciate and reconnect with familiar experiences by seeing them through fresh, eager, “sense of wonder” eyes. This contest requires two participants of two generations. It can be a student/teacher, student/parent, or a student and another adult. Categories include poetry and essays, along with optional photographic elements. Annual topics are tied to nature.
Submissions period: by November
- PTA Reflection’s Contest
National PTA's Reflections program provides opportunities for recognition and access to the arts which boost student confidence and success in the arts and in life.
Students of all ages can submit entries on the specified topic to their local PTA Reflections program. National level awards include an $800 prize and a trip to the National PTA Convention.
Submissions period: This program requires submitting to PTAs who participate in the program.
- GPS Writing Contest for Scifi and More
This is a fun contest for fictional writing! Entries must be science fiction, fantasy, horror, supernatural, and alternate history in short fiction, poetry, or comics. Categories are broken up by topic and age and the award values go up to $100.
Submissions period: By January.
