When college students write for lecturers, it may well really feel like an task. After they write for an actual goal, they’re empowered! Pupil writing contests are a difficult and provoking strategy to attempt 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 one of the best pupil writing contests, and there’s one thing right here for everybody. Put together extremely motivated children in want of an genuine writing mentor, and watch the phrases move.
2024-2025 Pupil Writing Contests
1. The Scholastic Artwork & Writing Awards
With a variety of classes—from crucial 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 be sure you try the choices earlier than you resolve which one is finest in your college students.
How To Enter
College students in grades 7 to 12, ages 13 and up, could 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 kids 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. Pupil winners could obtain awards of as much as $10,000 in addition to the prospect to take part in creative improvement with leaders of their fields.
How To Enter
Try the positioning for tips on writing modes, equivalent to brief tales and spoken phrase poetry, and join updates so that you’re prepared when the purposes 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 crucial communication and collaboration expertise as they plan, script, and produce their very own 90-second video information stories on wellness matters. Successful school rooms can be rewarded with prizes like GoPros, Fandango present playing cards, and extra!
How To Enter
It’s free to enter. All submissions have to be acquired by March 3, 2025.
4. Write the World Competitions
Not solely is Write the World considered one of my favourite locations to search out writing sources, 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 pupil account, younger writers draft and submit their work on the web site.
5. Nationwide Youth Basis Packages
Every year, awards are given for Pupil E book Students, Superb Ladies, and the “I Matter” Poetry & Artwork competitors. This can be a nice probability for teenagers to specific themselves with pleasure and energy.
How To Enter
The foundations, prizes, and deadlines fluctuate, so try the web site for more information.
6. American Overseas Service Nationwide Excessive College Essay Contest
When you’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 instructor or sponsor is required. The deadline to enter is March 1, 2025.
7. Poets.org’s Annual Pricey 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 children get to ask questions concerning the artistic course of.
How To Enter
Return to the positioning in April to search out the varieties for submitting letters. A guardian or instructor should additionally present a letter so the submissions could be revealed.
8. John F. Kennedy Profile in Braveness 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 12 months Kennedy was born. The winner receives $10,000, and 16 runners-up additionally obtain a wide range of money prizes.
How To Enter
College students could submit a 700- to 1,000-word essay by way of January 12. The essay should function greater than 5 sources and a full bibliography.
9. WriteCause Competitions
These free quarterly contests settle for a wide range of written submissions, every primarily based on a distinct quarterly theme. WriteCause additionally gives analysis hyperlinks so college students can study concerning the matters earlier than writing. Open to children ages 13 to 18.
How To Enter
Try the Compete hyperlink for contest info every quarter, and use the web submission type.
10. The Princeton Ten-Minute Play Contest
Searching for pupil writing contests for budding playwrights? This unique competitors, which is open solely to highschool juniors, is judged by the theater college of Princeton College. College students submit brief performs in an effort to win recognition and money prizes of as much as $500. (Be aware: Solely open to Eleventh graders.)
How To Enter
College students submit one 10-page play script on-line or by mail. The deadline can be introduced later this 12 months.
11. Princeton College Poetry Contest for Excessive College College students
The Leonard L. Milberg ’53 Excessive College 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 can be revealed this fall.
12. The New York Occasions Tiny Memoir Contest
This contest can also be an exquisite writing problem, and the New York Occasions contains a number of sources and fashions for college kids to have the ability to do their finest work. They’ve even made a classroom poster!
How To Enter
Submissions must be made electronically by November 1.
13. The New York Occasions Contest Calendar
For college students who need to prolong past 100-word memoirs, the New York Occasions additionally gives aggressive alternatives in areas together with pictures, opinion items, and podcasting.
How To Enter
Discover an space that college students are excited by 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 way of 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 can 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 excited by publication and publicity over financial awards.
How To Enter
Academics could 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 new and rising writers to achieve publication in their very own professionally revealed chapbook, in addition to $500 and free copies of the e-book.
How To Enter
There may be an $18 entry price, 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 best way down their net web page for info 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 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 could 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 matters 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 excited by incorporating an interdisciplinary venture into their curriculum. The brand new contest asks for items describing the life cycle of an on a regular basis object. Try the following tips for integrating the content material into your classroom.
How To Enter
College students submit their work electronically by February 1. Try the total listing of guidelines and necessities right here.
21. NCTE Pupil Writing Awards
The Nationwide Council of Academics 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. Try NCTE.org for extra particulars.
22. Narrative Excessive College 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 children may also enter poems of not more than 50 strains. The web site additionally gives completely different concepts and insights to assist college students method the immediate.
How To Enter
College students in grades 9 by way of 12 submit their work by way of their instructor, who could 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
Test the web site for an informational poster in addition to tips and concepts about how college students can submit their work.
24. Nationwide PTA Reflections Awards
The Nationwide PTA gives a wide range 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 embody 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 Pupil Essay Competitors
The World Historian Pupil Essay Competitors is a global contest open to college students enrolled in grades Okay by way of 12 in public, non-public, and parochial colleges, in addition to these in home-study packages. The $500 prize is predicated on an essay that addresses considered one of this 12 months’s two prompts.
How To Enter
College students can submit entries by way of e-mail or common mail earlier than Might 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
Test the positioning every month for the brand new theme. Submissions are due on the twenty eighth.
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