When college students write for lecturers, it will possibly really feel like an task. After they write for an actual function, they’re empowered! Scholar writing contests are a difficult and galvanizing strategy to attempt writing for an genuine viewers—an actual panel of judges—and the opportunity of prize cash or different incentives. We’ve gathered a listing of the perfect pupil 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 Scholar Writing Contests
1. The Scholastic Artwork & Writing Awards
With a variety of classes—from important essays to science fiction and fantasy—the Scholastic Awards are a mainstay of pupil contests. Every class has its personal guidelines and phrase counts, so make sure you try the choices earlier than you determine 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 an internet account at Scholastic and connecting to their native area. Entry charges are waived for college students in want.
2. YoungArts Nationwide Arts Competitors
YoungArts gives an annual nationwide competitors within the classes of artistic nonfiction, novel, play or script, poetry, brief story, and spoken phrase. Scholar winners might obtain awards of as much as $10,000 in addition to the prospect to take part in inventive improvement with leaders of their fields.
How To Enter
Take a look at the positioning for pointers on writing modes, resembling brief tales and spoken phrase poetry, and join updates so that you’re prepared when the functions open.
FEATURED PICK
3. The Edit
The Edit is a digital storytelling problem from NBCU Academy and Adobe. Your center or highschool college students will construct important communication and collaboration abilities as they plan, script, and produce their very own 90-second video information studies on wellness subjects. Successful school rooms might be rewarded with prizes like GoPros, Fandango present 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 one in all my favourite locations to search out writing assets, but it surely additionally hosts free month-to-month contests with money prizes. There are additionally alternatives for suggestions, and plenty of concepts to assist college students get began.
How To Enter
With a pupil account, younger writers draft and submit their work on the web site.
5. Nationwide Youth Basis Packages
Annually, awards are given for Scholar Guide Students, Superb Ladies, and the “I Matter” Poetry & Artwork competitors. This can be a nice probability for youths to precise themselves with pleasure and energy.
How To Enter
The principles, prizes, and deadlines differ, so try the web site for more information.
6. American International Service Nationwide Excessive Faculty Essay Contest
If you happen to’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 Expensive Poet Contest
Annually 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 common letter and certificates, and winners obtain a customized response from the poet they wrote to. It’s a good way to #TeachLivingPoets, and children get to ask questions concerning the artistic course of.
How To Enter
Return to the positioning in April to search out the types for submitting letters. A guardian or trainer should additionally present a letter so the submissions might be revealed.
8. John F. Kennedy Profile in Braveness Essay Contest
This annual contest invitations college students to write 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 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 based mostly on a distinct quarterly theme. WriteCause additionally supplies analysis hyperlinks so college students can be taught concerning the subjects earlier than writing. Open to youngsters ages 13 to 18.
How To Enter
Take a look at the Compete hyperlink for contest info every quarter, and use the web submission type.
10. The Princeton Ten-Minute Play Contest
In search of pupil 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 College Poetry Contest for Excessive Faculty College students
The Leonard L. Milberg ’53 Excessive Faculty Poetry Prize acknowledges excellent work by pupil 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 Instances Tiny Memoir Contest
This contest can also be an exquisite writing problem, and the New York Instances contains a lot 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 should be made electronically by November 1.
13. The New York Instances Contest Calendar
For college kids who need to prolong past 100-word memoirs, the New York Instances additionally supplies aggressive alternatives in areas together with pictures, opinion items, and podcasting.
How To Enter
Discover an space that college students are thinking about and take a look at the foundations and deadlines.
14. The Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Younger 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 Assessment Younger Writers Workshop.
How To Enter
Submissions for the prize are accepted electronically from November 1 by November 30.
15. Jane Austen Society Essay Contest
Highschool college students can win as much as $1,000 and publication by coming 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 Younger Poets Anthology
Open to college students from 15 to 18 years previous who’re thinking about publication and publicity over financial awards.
How To Enter
Lecturers 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 Competitors
This can be a probability for brand spanking 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 below 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 internet web page for info on the competition, which accepts non-musical performs between 10 and 40 minutes lengthy, submitted electronically. The entry interval opens annually in January.
19. The Ocean Consciousness Contest
The theme for the 2025 Ocean Consciousness Contest is “Connections to Nature: Wanting Inside, Going Exterior.” 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 previous 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
Annually, EngineerGirl sponsors an essay contest with subjects centered on the influence 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 lecturers thinking 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. Take a look at the following pointers for integrating the content material into your classroom.
How To Enter
College students submit their work electronically by February 1. Take a look at the complete checklist of guidelines and necessities right here.
21. NCTE Scholar Writing Awards
The Nationwide Council of Lecturers of English gives a number of pupil 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. Take a look at NCTE.org for extra particulars.
22. Narrative Excessive Faculty Writing Contest
The immediate for Narrative’s Tenth Annual Writing Contest is “What I Can’t Say, I’ll Say Right here.” Tales are restricted to 600 phrases, and children may enter poems of not more than 50 traces. The web site additionally supplies completely different concepts and insights to assist college students method the immediate.
How To Enter
College students in grades 9 by 12 submit their work by their trainer, who might submit as much as 10 items.
23. US vs HATE Contests
Have interaction social media-savvy college students with this artistic contest that seeks messages of kindness, inclusivity, and bridge-building.
How To Enter
Examine the web site for an informational poster in addition to pointers and concepts about how college students can submit their work.
24. Nationwide 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 desired matter 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. Examine your faculty’s PTA for his or her deadlines.
25. World Historian Scholar Essay Competitors
The World Historian Scholar Essay Competitors is a world contest open to college students enrolled in grades Ok by 12 in public, personal, and parochial colleges, in addition to these in home-study packages. The $500 prize is predicated on an essay that addresses one in all this yr’s two prompts.
How To Enter
College students can submit entries by way of electronic mail or common mail earlier than Could 1.
26. Future Scholar Basis Brief Story Contest
Month-to-month contests, every with completely different themes, supply Amazon present playing cards and publication as awards. It’s open to elementary and center faculty college students.
How To Enter
Examine the positioning every month for the brand new theme. Submissions are due on the twenty eighth.
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