Writing Contests
Cancer Unwrapped Writing Contest
This annual event encourages teens to write about their experience with cancer for the opportunity to win one of several cash prizes.
Awards: Several $1,000 cash prizes
Who: Open to students in grades 9-12
Essays must be 500 to 1500 words.
Deadline: March 3rd, 2023
Click here for more info and to submit an essay.
Posted: 12/05/19 - Updated: 11/14/2022
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
A Creative Challenge for Teens Worldwide - this is a platform for young people to learn about ocean issues through art-making and creative communication, and where teens can explore their relationship to a changing world and become advocates for environmental action.
Awards: Various awards, see website for more details
Who: Public, private, or home-schooled students in the U.S., Canada, or American schools in the rest of the world enrolled in grades 7-12 (ages 13 & up) are eligible to participate in the Scholastic Awards.
Submissions are accepted in a variety of Art Categories and Writing Categories. For a complete list, please click below for more information.
Deadline: Vary for each award
Posted: 09/27/19
Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs
A Creative Challenge for Teens Worldwide - this is a platform for young people to learn about ocean issues through art-making and creative communication, and where teens can explore their relationship to a changing world and become advocates for environmental action.
Awards: Ranging from $100-$1500
Who: Senior division Age 15-18
Submissions are accepted in Visual Art, Film, Music, Poetry, Prose, Interactive and Multimedia
Deadline: June 15, 2020
Posted: 09/17/19
Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth
Art and Writing Competitions
Awards: Various awards
Who: High School Students
Students must click on each competition to find out what is needed
Deadline: Various
Posted: 09/10/19
Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest
Sponsored by Hollins University, the Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest provides scholarships, prizes, and recognition for the best poems submitted by high-school aged women
Awards: First-place: $350 & Renewable scholarship up to $5,000 Second-place: Renewable Scholarship up to $1,000
Who: High School Aged Women
Students must submit their poem(s) in Microsoft Word, 12pt Times New Roman - online
Deadline: October 31, 2019
Posted: 09/10/19
John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest
Contest Topic: Describe and analyze an act of political courage by a US elected official who served during or after 1917
Awards: First-place: $10,000 Second-place: $3,000 Five Finalists: $1,000 each Eight Semi-finalists: $100 each
Who: Open to US high school students grades 9-12 attending public, private, parochial, or home schools under the age of 25
Essays can be no more than 1,000 words but must be a minimum of 700 words
Deadline: January 17, 2020
Posted: 09/09/19
YOUNG WRITERS AWARDS
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.
Awards: First-place winners in each category are awarded a prize of $500; second-place winners receive $250; third-place winners receive $125. There are 3 categories
Who: Each year, students in the 10th, 11th, and 12th grades are invited to enter in one of the following categories with the following submission:
Poetry: A group of three poems
Fiction: A short story or one-act play (1,500 words or fewer)
Nonfiction: A personal or academic essay (1,500 words or fewer)
Deadline: The competition runs from September 3 - November 1.
Posted: 09/09/19
We the Students Essay Contest
2018-2019 We the Students Essay Prompt - What are the essential qualities of a citizen in your community in 21st century America?
Awards: 1st Place – $5,000 and a scholarship to Constitutional Academy, Runners Up – Six prizes at $1,250 each, Honorable Mentions – Eight prizes at $500 each
Who: grades 8-12 and between the ages of 14-19
Essays must be 500 to 800 words.
Deadline: Feb. 14, 2019
Posted: 01/18/19
Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering free educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition to high schools across the country
The Poetry Foundation provides and administers all aspects of the monetary prizes awarded in Poetry Out Loud. State champions and runners up will need a valid tax identification number or social security number at the time that monetary prizes are issued by the Poetry Foundation. Prizes are not transferable
Who: Open to any schools in Washington State serving students in grades 9-12
At the state and national finals, students must have 3 poems prepared. One must be 25 lines or fewer, and one must be written before the 20th century. One poem may be used to meet both criteria, and may be the student’s third poem
Deadline: November 6, 2019
Posted: 09/09/19
Cancer Unwrapped Writing Contest
Have you survived cancer? Have you watched a loved one of friend deal with cancer? We want to hear your story!
The Cancer Unwrapped High School Writing Contest invites students to submit essays about their experience with cancer for the opportunity to win one of several $1000 cash prizes. Winning essays will be well-written, compelling and emotionally honest.
Who: 9th to 12th graders in WA state
Essays must be between 500 and 2000 words.
Deadline: Mar. 4, 2019
For more information, contact Liz Lange at 1-866-200-2383 or liz@cancerpathways.org.
Posted: 10/17/18
Veterans of Foreign Wars Youth Scholarship
Who: 9th to 12th graders
ESSAY PROMPT for the 2018-2019 school year
"Why my vote matters"
Award: Series of essay contests awards an all-expense paid trip to Washington DC and up to a $30,000 scholarship to a high school student
Deadline: Oct. 31, 2018
Students in the Maple Valley area can submit their essays to VFW Post 5052 via email at vfwpost5052@gmail.com or by mail to P.O. Box 1491, Maple Valley, WA 98038
Posted: 6/8/18
Jane Austen Essay Contest
Who: The Jane Austen Society of North America Puget Sound Region is conducting an essay contest for high school and university students. The members who love and enjoy Jane Austen’s books are the audience for the essay. The question is on the subject of sexual misconduct: a timely topic and one Jane Austen wrote about 200 years ago. We are looking for original insights, captivating writing, a genuine voice and an essay of clear and correct writing.
ESSAY QUESTION
Identify one or more incidents that could be termed sexual harassment or sexual predation in a Jane Austen novel and explain why the term applies. Discuss how the characters of the novel deal with the damage caused by the incident(s). Was justice done? How are their methods similar to or different from how our society today deals with such problems?
Amount: $500-$1000
Deadline: Jun. 20, 2018
Email scholarship@austenps.com requesting the high school or college essay rules and application form or register with www.washboard.org and use search term “Austen”.
Posted: 5/1/18