essay contests history

MA in American History : Apply now and enroll in graduate courses with top historians this summer!

• AP US History Study Guide
• History U: Courses for High School Students
• History School: Summer Enrichment
• Lesson Plans
• Classroom Resources
• Spotlights on Primary Sources
• Professional Development (Academic Year)
• Professional Development (Summer)
• Book Breaks
• Inside the Vault
• Self-Paced Courses
• Browse All Resources
• Search by Issue
• Search by Essay
• Become a Member (Free)
• Monthly Offer (Free for Members)
• Program Information
• Scholarships and Financial Aid
• Applying and Enrolling
• Eligibility (In-Person)
• EduHam Online
• Hamilton Cast Read Alongs
• Official Website
• Press Coverage
• Veterans Legacy Program
• The Declaration at 250
• Black Lives in the Founding Era
• Celebrating American Historical Holidays
• Browse All Programs
• Donate Items to the Collection
• Search Our Catalog
• Research Guides
• Rights and Reproductions
• See Our Documents on Display
• Bring an Exhibition to Your Organization
• Interactive Exhibitions Online
• About the Transcription Program
• Civil War Letters
• Founding Era Newspapers
• College Fellowships in American History
• Scholarly Fellowship Program
• Richard Gilder History Prize
• David McCullough Essay Prize
• Affiliate School Scholarships
• Nominate a Teacher
• Eligibility
• State Winners
• National Winners
• Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize
• Gilder Lehrman Military History Prize
• George Washington Prize
• Frederick Douglass Book Prize
• Our Mission and History
• Annual Report
• Contact Information
• Student Advisory Council
• Teacher Advisory Council
• Board of Trustees
• Remembering Richard Gilder
• President's Council
• Scholarly Advisory Board
• Internships
• Our Partners
• Press Releases

David McCullough Essay Prizes

Programs & events, student opportunities.

David McCullough at Trinity School in Manhattan, October 15, 2019

The Gilder Lehrman Institute is now accepting submissions for the 2024 David McCullough Essay Prizes. The contest has been recently overhauled, and will recognize fourteen outstanding high school student research and interpretive essays with cash prizes of up to $5,000. This contest is named in memory of David McCullough (1933–2022)—a Pulitzer Prize–winning historian and Gilder Lehrman Life Trustee—and honors his career telling America’s stories and examining its histories. Learn more about his life and legacy here .

High school students attending schools in our Affiliate School Program are eligible and encouraged to participate. (Email [email protected] if you are not sure whether your school is an Affiliate School.) They are invited to submit an original essay, written independently or for a 2023–2024 class, that has been revised, expanded, and adapted to conform with the new McCullough Prize specifications. The two essay categories are as follows:

Research Essay: Students are invited to submit a research essay incorporating primary and secondary sources on a topic in American history from 1491 to 2001.

Interpretive Essay: Students are invited to submit an interpretive essay focusing on close reading and analysis of one primary source from American history, 1491 to 2001, in the Gilder Lehrman Collection of more than 85,000 historical documents.

More requirements for both essay categories can be found in these updated David McCullough Essay Prizes 2024 Rubrics .

All participants will receive a certificate of participation suitable for framing. Prize winners in each of our two categories—research essays and a new interpretive essay category—will receive cash awards as follows:

• 1st Prize: $5,000 (plus a $500 prize awarded to the school)
• 2nd Prize: $1,500 (plus a $500 prize awarded to the school)
• Five 3rd Prizes: $500 each

To be considered for the David McCullough Essay Prizes, students, or their teachers or parents, can submit the student entry by 8:00 p.m. ET on Friday, June 28, 2024 . A panel of Gilder Lehrman master teachers will choose the pool of finalists, from which a jury of eminent historians will choose the winners. Essays will be evaluated for their historical rigor, the clarity and correctness of their style, their use of evidence, and their qualities of empathy and imagination. Winners will be notified and announced no later than Friday, September 13, 2024.

Submit Essay

General Requirements

Font and Page Style: Papers should be submitted in 12-point, Times New Roman font with one-inch margins at the top, bottom, and sides. Essays should be free of teacher commentary or other notes.

Organization: Top essays have an introduction, body, and conclusion and a clearly stated, well-developed thesis statement with supportive historical evidence.

Essay Topics: Essays can be on any topic related to American history from 1491 to 2001. Essays in the interpretative category must feature a primary source (letter, broadside, art, political cartoon, speech, etc.) from the Gilder Lehrman Collection .

Past Winners

Read the winning essays submitted by previous years’ contestants.

2023 Contest Winners 2022 Contest Winners 2021 Contest Winners 2020 Contest Winners

Follow in the steps of these Past Winners and submit your entry today!

Stay up to date, and subscribe to our quarterly newsletter.

Learn how the Institute impacts history education through our work guiding teachers, energizing students, and supporting research.

• Grades 6-12
• School Leaders

How do You Use Social Media? Be entered to win a $50 gift card!

The Best Student Writing Contests for 2023-2024

Help your students take their writing to the next level.

When students write for teachers, it can feel like an assignment. When they write for a real purpose, they are empowered! Student writing contests are a challenging and inspiring way to try writing for an authentic audience— a real panel of judges —and the possibility of prize money or other incentives. We’ve gathered a list of the best student writing contests, and there’s something for everyone. Prepare highly motivated kids in need of an authentic writing mentor, and watch the words flow.

1.  The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

With a wide range of categories—from critical essays to science fiction and fantasy—The Scholastic Awards are a mainstay of student contests. Each category has its own rules and word counts, so be sure to check out the options  before you decide which one is best for your students.

How To Enter

Students in grades 7-12, ages 13 and up, may begin submitting work in September by uploading to an online account at Scholastic and connecting to their local region. There are entry fees, but those can be waived for students in need.

2.  YoungArts National Arts Competition

This ends soon, but if you have students who are ready to submit, it’s worth it. 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 as well as the chance to participate in artistic development with leaders in their fields.

YoungArts accepts submissions in each category through October 13. Students submit their work online and pay a $35 fee (there is a fee waiver option).

3. National Youth Foundation Programs

Each year, awards are given for Student Book Scholars, Amazing Women, and the “I Matter” Poetry & Art competition. This is a great chance for kids to express themselves with joy and strength.

The rules, prizes, and deadlines vary, so check out the website for more info.

4.  American Foreign Service National High School Essay Contest

If you’re looking to help students take a deep dive into international relations, history, and writing, look no further than this essay contest. Winners receive a voyage with the Semester at Sea program and a trip to Washington, DC.

Students fill out a registration form online, and a teacher or sponsor is required. The deadline to enter is the first week of April.

5.  John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest

This annual contest invites students to write about a political official’s act of political courage that occurred after Kennedy’s birth in 1917. The winner receives $10,000, and 16 runners-up also receive a variety of cash prizes.

Students may submit a 700- to 1,000-word essay through January 12. The essay must feature more than five sources and a full bibliography.

6. 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 receive $500. Grab a poster for your classroom here .

The contest runs from September 1 to November 1. The website links to a student registration form.

7. The Princeton Ten-Minute Play Contest

Looking for student writing contests for budding playwrights? This exclusive competition, which is open only to high school juniors, is 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. ( Note: Only open to 11th graders. )

Students submit one 10-page play script online or by mail. The deadline is the end of March. Contest details will be published in early 2024.

8. Princeton University Poetry Contest for High School Students

The Leonard L. Milberg ’53 High School Poetry Prize recognizes outstanding work by student writers in 11th grade. Prizes range from $100 to $500.

Students in 11th grade can submit their poetry. Contest details will be published this fall.

9. The New York Times Tiny Memoir Contest

This contest is also a wonderful writing challenge, and the New York Times includes lots of resources and models for students to be able to do their best work. They’ve even made a classroom poster !

Submissions need to be made electronically by November 1.

10.  Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest

The deadline for this contest is the end of October. Sponsored by Hollins University, the Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest awards prizes for the best poems submitted by young women who are sophomores or juniors in high school or preparatory school. Prizes include cash and scholarships. Winners are chosen by students and faculty members in the creative writing program at Hollins.

Students may submit either one or two poems using the online form.

11.  The Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers

The Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers is open to high school sophomores and juniors, and the winner receives a full scholarship to a  Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop .

Submissions for the prize are accepted electronically from November 1 through November 30.

12. Jane Austen Society Essay Contest

High school students can win up to $1,000 and publication by entering an essay on a topic specified by the Jane Austen Society related to a Jane Austen novel.

Details for the 2024 contest will be announced in November. Essay length is from six to eight pages, not including works cited.

13. Rattle Young Poets Anthology

Open to students from 15 to 18 years old who are interested in publication and exposure over monetary awards.

Teachers may choose five students for whom to submit up to four poems each on their behalf. The deadline is November 15.

14. The Black River Chapbook Competition

This is a chance for new and emerging writers to gain publication in their own professionally published chapbook, as well as $500 and free copies of the book.

There is an $18 entry fee, and submissions are made online.

15. YouthPlays New Voices

For students under 18, the YouthPlays one-act competition is designed for young writers to create new works for the stage. Winners receive cash awards and publication.

Scroll all the way down their web page for information on the contest, which accepts non-musical plays between 10 and 40 minutes long, submitted electronically. Entries open each year in January.

16. The Ocean Awareness Contest

The 2024 Ocean Awareness Contest, Tell Your Climate Story , encourages students to write their own unique climate story. They are asking for creative expressions of students’ personal experiences, insights, or perceptions about climate change. Students are eligible for a wide range of monetary prizes up to $1,000.

Students from 11 to 18 years old may submit work in the categories of art, creative writing, poetry and spoken word, film, interactive media and multimedia, or music and dance, accompanied by a reflection. The deadline is June 13.

17. EngineerGirl Annual Essay Contest

Each year, EngineerGirl sponsors an essay contest with topics centered on the impact of engineering on the world, and students can win up to $500 in prize money. 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 asks for pieces describing the life cycle of an everyday object. Check out these tips for integrating the content into your classroom .

Students submit their work electronically by February 1. Check out the full list of rules and requirements here .

18. NCTE Student Writing Awards

The National Council of Teachers of English offers several student writing awards, including Achievement Awards in Writing (for 10th- and 11th-grade students), Promising Young Writers (for 8th-grade students), and an award to recognize Excellence in Art and Literary Magazines.

Deadlines range from October 28 to February 15. Check out NCTE.org for more details.

19. See Us, Support Us Art Contest

Children of incarcerated parents can submit artwork, poetry, photos, videos, and more. Submissions are free and the website has a great collection of past winners.

Students can submit their entries via social media or email by October 25.

20. The Adroit Prizes for Poetry & Prose

The Adroit Journal, an education-minded nonprofit publication, awards annual prizes for poetry and prose to exceptional high school and college students. Adroit charges an entry fee but also provides a form for financial assistance.

Sign up at the website for updates for the next round of submissions.

21. National PTA Reflections Awards

The National PTA offers a variety of awards, including one for literature, in their annual Reflections Contest. Students of all ages can submit entries on the specified topic to their local PTA Reflections program. From there, winners move to the local area, state, and national levels. National-level awards include an $800 prize and a trip to the National PTA Convention.

This program requires submitting to PTAs who participate in the program. Check your school’s PTA for their deadlines.

22. World Historian Student Essay Competition

The World Historian Student Essay Competition is an international contest open to students enrolled in grades K–12 in public, private, and parochial schools, as well as those in home-study programs. The $500 prize is based on an essay that addresses one of this year’s two prompts.

Students can submit entries via email or regular mail before May 1.

23. NSHSS Creative Writing Scholarship

The National Society of High School Scholars awards three $2,000 scholarships for both poetry and fiction. They accept poetry, short stories, and graphic novel writing.

Apply online by October 31.

Whether you let your students blog, start a podcast or video channel, or enter student writing contests, giving them an authentic audience for their work is always a powerful classroom choice.

If you like this list of student writing contests and want more articles like it, subscribe to our newsletters to find out when they’re posted!

Plus, check out our favorite anchor charts for teaching writing..

You Might Also Like

Best 2024 Competitions for Students in Grades K-12

Competitions in STEM, ELA and the arts, and more! Continue Reading

Copyright © 2023. All rights reserved. 5335 Gate Parkway, Jacksonville, FL 32256

World Historian Student Essay Competition

Congratulations to Joshua Hangartner of La Jolla Country Day School, the winner of the 2023 World Historian Student Essay Competition for his essay, "World History: A Vehicle for Understanding Ourselves."

2023 World Historian Student Essay Competition Winner: Joshua Hangartner (La Jolla Country Day School)

• The WHA is pleased to announce that Joshua Hangartner of La Jolla Country Day School (La Jolla, CA) is the winner of the 2023 World Historian Essay Competition for his outstanding essay, "World History: A Vehicle for Understanding Ourselves." Focusing on its broad and deep complexities, Mr. Hangartner ably demonstrates how World History's vast and complex scope connects us personally to the sweeping historical themes that shaped the present day and serves as a "uniquely powerful tool" that allows us to discover ourselves in an incredibly complicated world. Congratulations, Joshua!

The World Historian Student Essay Competition is an international competition open to students enrolled in grades  K–12 in public, private, and parochial schools, and those in home-study programs. Membership in the World History Association is not a requirement for submission. Past winners may not compete in the same category again.  Finalist essays will be checked against AI internet components and will be automatically disqualified should stock answers be detected.

The World History Association established this $500 prize to recognize young scholars. A one-year membership in the WHA will also be included with each prize.

Each competitor will submit an essay that addresses one of the following topics and discuss how it relates to you personally and to World History:  Your view of a family story related to a historical event or your personal family cultural background, or an issue of personal relevance or specific regional history/knowledge, such as "My ancestor walked with Abraham Lincoln from Illinois to fight in the Black Hawk War of 1832." 

The committee will judge papers according to the following criteria:

• clear thesis;
• elaboration on the thesis with specific, concrete, personal example(s);
• evidence of critical-thinking, such as synthesis and evaluation, when reflecting on the essay question;
• organization and fluency; and
• overall effectiveness of the student’s ability to communicate his or her personal connection with the study of world history—in other words, how well has the student described the experience of being changed by a better understanding of world history?

To view some of our past winning essays, please click on the links below.

2023 Paper Prize Winner

2019 Paper Prize Winner

2018 Paper Prize Winner

2017 Paper Prize Winner

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Length & format.

Length:  Submissions for the  K–12  World Historian Award should be approximately 1,000 words.

Formatting:  Number all pages except for the title page. All pages are to be double-spaced. Use 12-point Times New Roman Font. Margins are to be 1 inch left and right, and top and bottom.

Submissions must be composed in Microsoft Word.

The author’s identity is to appear nowhere on the paper.

A separate, unattached page should accompany the paper, identifying the author, title of paper, home address, telephone number, e-mail address, and name of school.

Papers that do not adhere to these guidelines will be disqualified.

Entries must be emailed or postmarked by the annual deadline of 1 May.

Winning papers will be announced during the summer.

The  WHA  reserves the right to publish in the  World History Bulletin  any essay (or portion thereof) submitted to the competition. It will do so solely at its discretion, but full acknowledgment of authorship will be given. If someone’s essay is published in whole or in part, the author will receive three (3) copies of the  Bulletin.

E-mail submission

Send the following materials as separate attachments (formatted in  MS  Word) in the same e-mail, with the subject line  World Historian Student Essay :

• the paper, and
• a page with identifying information (author, title of paper, home address, telephone number, e-mail address, and name of school).

E-mail to:  Susan Smith <[email protected]> .

Postal submission

Send five copies of the paper and five copies of the page with identifying information. In the lower left hand corner on the front of the envelope write:  World Historian Student Essay.

Susan Smith Maple Grove Senior High 9800 Fernbrook Lane  N. Maple Grove,  MN  55369-9747

WORLD HISTORIAN STUDENT ESSAY COMPETITION COMMITTEE:

• Susan Smith, chair
• Paul Richgruber

PAST WINNERS

• Joshua Hangartner, La Jolla Country Day School (La Jolla, CA) "World History: A Vehicle for Understanding Ourselves"
• Amanda Zhao, Pacific Ridge School (Carlsbad, CA) “History: An Ode to the Bricks of Progress”
• Akram Elkouraichi, Yonkers Middle High School (Yonkers, NY) “The Realization of Impermanence: Ephemerality in World History as a Conceptual Framework”
• Steven Chen, Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School (Vancouver, BC, Canada) “A Human Story: World History as an Optimist”
• Juliana Boerema, Cary Christian School (Cary, North Carolina) “Brilliant Painting: How the Study of World History Changes Perspective”
• Ahmad Aamir, Lahore Grammar School (Lahore, Pakistan) “Learning from History: Cooperation, Belief, Scholarship, & Words”
• Vivian Liu, International School of Beijing (Beijing, China) “History: Bread of the World”
• Vanessa Yan, Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School (Bradenton, Florida) “World History: The Great Macroscope”
• Rachel Hughes, Webber Academy (Calgary, Canada), “Fostering a Universal Understanding of World History is the Key to a Brighter Tomorrow”
• Campbell Munson, The Episcopal School of Dallas, “How History Has Affected My Worldview: Economies, Migration, Causality and Disease”
• Jacob Cooper, North Oconee High School (Bogart, Georgia), “World History: The Basis for Self-Determination, Democracy, and Religion“
• Luke J. Hamilton, Sword Academy (Bridgeport, Nebraska), “The Present: Living History”
• David Kim, Wydown Middle School ( St.  Louis), “History: The Shadow of the World”
• Elizabeth Mello, Dartmouth High School (Dartmouth, Massachusetts), “Out of Many Threads, One Cloth”

Awards Sample banner

Awards Sample banner EXCERPT

The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution

• DAR’s Continuing Commitment to Equality
• National Headquarters
• DAR Publications
• DAR History
• DAR's 125th Anniversary
• Did you know?
• What is DAR
• Who Are DAR Members
• Member Interests
• Volunteer Projects
• How to Join
• Chapter Locator
• Membership Interest Form
• Million Members Celebration
• Media Center
• Marian Anderson
• Preservation Efforts
• Historic Sites and Properties
• Honoring Our Patriots
• Inside This Issue
• Writers and Contributors
• Media and Advertising
• Our Patriots DAR Podcast
• Start With What You Know
• Speak With Relatives
• Start Looking Online
• Specialty Research
• Visit Libraries, Archives and Courthouses
• Work With A DAR Chapter
• Genealogical Research (GRS)
• Suggested Reading
• GRS for Educators
• Genie Clips
• Plan your Visit
• Hours of Operation
• Directions & Parking
• Education Resources

Essay Contests

• Youth Programs
• DAR Schools
• DAR Manual for Citizenship
• Constitution Week
• DAR Good Citizens
• Resources for Teachers
• Education Grant Program
• General Information
• Merit Scholarship
• Children and Step Children of DAR Members
• History, Economics, Government and Political Science
• Medical & Nursing
• Elementary and Secondary Teacher Education
• Specific Scholarships
• American Indians
• Scholarship FAQs
• Military Support & Service for Veterans
• Public Outreach
• Patriotic Awards
• DAR Historic Preservation Grants Poster
• Recipients and Photos
• Booking Process
• Event Rates
• Photography and Filming
• Schedule a Tour
• Job Openings
• Internships
• Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
• Employee Benefits
• Service to America
• America 250
• Celebrate 125!
• Who Is Margaret Cochran Corbin?
• Margaret Corbin Video
• Molly Pitcher Folklore
• 1926 DAR Efforts
• Discovery at West Point
• Margaret Corbin’s Legacy Lives On
• Margaret Corbin Rededication Ceremony
• DAR 2018 Search Efforts
• Resources and Further Reading

Member Resources

• Seating Map
• Visitor Services
• Technical Information
• FAQ - Constitution Hall

Upcoming Events

Jesús adrián romero, trevor noah: off the record.

• Girl Scouts
• Calendar of Events
• Featured Objects
• Online Quilt Index
• Search the Collection
• Current Exhibition
• Upcoming Exhibition
• Past Exhibitions
• Period Room Tours
• Online Exhibitions
• Teacher Resources
• Portable Education Program
• Online Exhibits
• Docent Website
• Correspondent Docent Website
• Museum Shop
• Museum Shop Trunk Show

Exhibition Workshop: Make your Own Storycloth

Unfinished objects (ufo) craft circle, dar library.

• Mission Statement & Collection Development Policy
• Planning Your Visit
• Donation Info
• FAQ - Library
• DAR Lineage Resources
• Digital Resources
• Print Resources
• DAR Special Collections
• DAR Library Catalog
• How-To Guides
• Pathfinders
• Collection Finding Aids
• Forgotten Patriots
• E Pluribus Unum Educational Initiative
• Researching British-Occupied Areas
• Search Services
• Family History Library Affiliate
• Group Visits
• Programming
• Online Library Lectures
• Genealogical Research System (GRS)
• Ancestor Search
• Member Search
• Descendants Search
• Library Catalog

DAR Americana Collection and NSDAR Archives

• History of the Collections
• Americana Collection
• NSDAR Archives
• Searching the DAR Americana Collection and NSDAR Archives
• DAR Applications and Genealogy
• DAR Magazine
• Contact a DAR Chapter
• FAQ – Archives and History

Learn how DAR members selflessly and tirelessly dedicated themselves to the war relief effort of World War I

Giving to the DAR

• Guardian Trust Endowment
• President General's Project
• General Fund/Area of Greatest Need
• Special Gift Opportunities
• The Daughters Tribute
• Download My Donor History
• Donor Information At A Glance
• Matching Gifts
• Planned Giving
• Sustaining Supporter
• Current Campaign
• 1890 Annual Giving Circle
• The Founders Club
• The Heritage Club
• Donation Pins
• President General's Project Donor Wall
• Virtual Donor Recognition
• Wall of Honor
• Daughters Tribute Recognition Wall
• Gift Acceptance
• Membership Challenge
• President General's Benefactor

American History Essay Contest

The American History Essay Contest was established to encourage young people to think creatively about our nation's great history and learn about history in a new light.

This contest is open to students in public, private, and parochial schools, and registered home-study programs. Students in grades five through eight are encouraged to participate. Each year, a selected topic for use during the academic year is announced, and contest instructions are published online and sent to schools by participating DAR chapters. Essays are judged for historical accuracy, adherence to the topic, organization of materials, interest, originality, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and neatness.

Participating chapters send one winning essay from each of the four grades for judging on the state level. The state will send one winning essay from each of the four grades to be judged on a divisional level. The winning essay from each of the four grades will then be judged on the national level and the winners are announced.

Each student participant receives a certificate of participation from the chapter and the chapter winners receive bronze medals and certificates. State winners receive certificates and silver medals. National winners receive special certificates, medals, and a monetary award.

Click here for an informational PDF handout . For additional contest information or guidelines, please contact your local DAR chapter .

Patriots of the American Revolution High School Essay Contest

In preparation for the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding, the DAR has launched the "Patriots of the American Revolution DAR High School Essay Contest.” This contest will focus on the men and women who figured in the events of the American Revolution (1773 – 1783), and it is hoped that students will find Patriots to write about who will interest and inspire them.

These Patriots may be one of our famous Founders, or an everyday man, woman, or child who supported the American Revolution in ways both large and small.  Students will be asked to discuss how their chosen Patriot contributed to the founding of the nation. Essays will be judged for historical accuracy, organization of materials, interest, originality, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and the quality and scope of references, particularly the use of primary sources.

This contest is open to students in public, private, and parochial schools, and registered home-study programs, in grades 9 through 12. Essays from students from all grades will be judged together, with one winning essay chosen at each level. Participating DAR Chapters will select one essay as the chapter winner, to be sent on to the State level; the State will select one essay winner to represent the state for judging at the Division level, and each Division level will also have one winner which will be sent on to the National contest. Each student participant receives a certificate of participation from the chapter and the chapter winners receive a bronze medal and certificate set. State winners receive a silver medal and certificate set. Division level winners receive certificates and a book. National winners receive special certificates, medals, and a monetary award.

The National Society will select first-, second- and third-place winners. The national winner will receive a National Winner Certificate, pin and monetary award, presented at NSDAR’s annual Continental Congress, and the winning essay may appear in official DAR communications. National second- and third-place winners will also receive a certificate and monetary award.

This essay contest is being launched to engage students during the 250 th anniversary of the American Revolution, and is designed to encourage students to think more about the many different people, known and unknown, who were a part of the American Revolution, and perhaps even see themselves in the figures they write about.

For additional contest information or guidelines, please contact your  local DAR chapter .

Looking for a Scholarship?

DAR offers a wide range of scholarships for a variety of different disciplines.   Learn more ...

Celebrate Constitution Week!

September 17-23 Learn More

Interested in Getting Involved?

DAR has Youth Programs in many local communities.   Learn More...

Archives mega Menu Title

Forms & publications.

Learn more about the relationship between Marian Anderson and the DAR.

Library Mega Menu Title

Member resources mega menu title, museum mega menu title, shopping cart.

DAR members selflessly dedicated themselves to the war relief effort of World War I

Open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

JOIN OUR MAILING LIST

History Contest

RSVP: May 15 Breakfast

Visit the Hershey Story Museum in Hershey, PA

The Hershey Story, The Museum on Chocolate Avenue

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Accessibility Information
• Directions & Parking
• Tour High Point Mansion
• Guest Feedback Survey

CURRENT SPECIAL EXHIBIT

Museum exhibits, events & programs, info & hours, students & teachers, looking for something.

Our History in Your Words

The Purpose of The Hershey Story History Contest for Young Writers

The Hershey Story offers this writing contest as a way to encourage students to communicate their interest in and knowledge of history in a creative and coherent manner. Awards are presented in support and acknowledgement of students’ efforts and for public recognition of their success.

View the Winning Entries from the 2022-2023 History Contest for Young Writers Here

Entry information.

Entries must be submitted here  beginning November 1, 2023.

Contest Opening Date and Deadline

Students may submit History Contest entries beginning November 1, 2023.  The deadline for submission of entries to the 2023-2024 contest has been extended one day to 11:59 p.m. on Friday, February 16, 2024, due to the snowstorm .

Eligibility

Any Pennsylvania student enrolled in public, private or homeschool, grades 5 through 8, in Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry or York County is eligible to submit one entry to the contest.

Entries must be the work of one individual student and a student may submit only one entry .

Each entry must be the original work of the contest entrant, but may also have been submitted as an assigned school project as long as it fulfills the requirements below.

Age Division

• Grades 5 and 6, Junior
• Grades 7 and 8, Senior

We suggest that entrants use the MLA format. For guidance, consult a website such as www.easybib.com (Please note that not all bibliography formatting may be preserved during the online submission process.)

Students may submit an entry in one of the following categories:

• Non-fiction: An essay about a historical event, era or person(s). The entry must include an explanation of the student’s personal interest in the chosen topic. For example, the student may include examples of personal experiences that influenced the choice of topic, or books, classroom activities, or travel experiences that sparked the student’s interest.
• Fiction: A piece of creative writing, such as a fictional diary or story, about a historical event, era or person(s).
• Poetry: A poem about a historical event, era or person(s).
• Science/Health: A non-fiction essay about a historical science or historical health-related event, era or person(s). The entry must include an explanation of the student’s personal interest in the chosen topic. For example, the student may include examples of personal experiences that influenced the choice of topic, or books, classroom activities, or travel experiences that sparked the student’s interest.

Essay entries must be at least 400 words but no more than 1000 words. Poems must be at least 35 lines but no more than 100 lines.

Please indicate paragraphs by either indenting the first line or adding an extra line between paragraphs. The form will allow the use of bold and italics . The entry form will strip any special characters or fonts that are used when the entry is submitted online.

Student & School Information

To complete the entry form, the following information is required. Please assemble required information before beginning the entry process.

• Title of Entry
• Category (Non-fiction, Fiction, Poetry, Science/Health)
• Name of Contest Entrant
• Home Address
• Parent’s Email
• Home Phone Number
• Teacher’s Name
• Teacher’s Email

Bibliography

A bibliography must be included with each entry (including poetry). The bibliography is not included in the word count. A least two (2) of the following types of sources must be cited:

• Magazine/Journal article
• Interview (oral or video)
• Internet (please include complete URL)

Students must use at least one source that is not from the Internet.

Entries will be evaluated on the following criteria:

• Evidence of an understanding of the historical context surrounding the event, era, or person(s) discussed in the entry
• Historical accuracy
• Clarity and coherence
• Creativity and imagination in the choice of subject and presentation.
• Grammar, spelling and compositional structure

Judging Committee

The judging panel includes historians, educators and other community leaders who are not employed by The Hershey Story. The decisions of the judges are final.

Eight (8) first place and eight (8) second place awards will be given in the following categories:

• Grades 5/6: Non-Fiction
• Grades 5/6 Fiction
• Grades 5/6 Poetry
• Grades 5/6 Science/Health
• Grades 7/8: Non-Fiction
• Grades 7/8: Fiction
• Grades 7/8: Poetry
• Grades 7/8: Science/Health

1 st place winners receive:

• 1 st place certificate
• One year family membership to The Hershey Story Museum
• Hershey’s Chocolate gift basket and 30 Hershey’s Milk Chocolate bars to share with winner’s class (donated by The Hershey Company)
• Two 1-day tickets to Hersheypark (donated by Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Company)

2 nd place winners receive:

• 2 nd place certificate
• A 1 lb Hershey’s Milk Chocolate bar (donated by The Hershey Company)

Winning students will be notified by mid-April.  All  honorable mention students will be notified in a timely fashion.  

Publication

By entering the contest, participants grant permission to The Hershey Story to publish winning entries and/or winners’ names and photographs for publicity purposes.

The Hershey Story – Background

The Hershey Story is a non-profit educational institution founded in 1933 by Milton S. Hershey. He believed in providing educational and cultural opportunities for Hershey residents and the Central Pennsylvania region. In keeping with Mr. Hershey’s philosophy, the museum is dedicated to helping people of all ages understand and enjoy many aspects of history.

For Further Information Contact Susan Hetrick, Supervisor of Education & Public Programs @ 717-520-5587 or email [email protected] .

Enter the History Contest for Young Writers here beginning November 1, 2023.

The Hershey Story is a non-profit educational institution founded in 1933 by Milton S. Hershey who believed in providing educational and cultural opportunities for the people of Hershey and the Central Pennsylvania region. In keeping with Mr. Hershey’s philosophy, The Hershey Story is dedicated to helping people of all ages understand and enjoy many aspects of history.

Choose Your Test

Sat / act prep online guides and tips, the 17 best writing contests for high school students.

Other High School

If you're a writer—fiction, non-fiction, or fanfiction—you can put those skills to work for you. There are tons of writing contests for high school students, which can award everything from medals to cash prizes to scholarships if you win .

Not only will a little extra money, whether cash or scholarships, help you when it comes time to pay for college, but the prestige of a respected reward is also a great thing to include on your college application.

Read on to learn more about what writing contests for high school students there are, how to apply, and what you could win !

Writing Contests With Multiple Categories

Some high school contests accept entries in a variety of formats, including the standard fiction and non-fiction, but also things like screenwriting or visual art. Check out these contests with multiple categories:

Scholastic Art and Writing Awards

• Award Amount: $1,000 to $12,500 scholarships
• Deadline: Varies between December and January, depending on your region
• Fee: $10 for single entry, $30 for portfolio

The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards celebrate art by students in grades seven through twelve (age 13 or older) on a regional and national scale. These awards have a huge number of categories and styles, including cash prizes or scholarships for some distinguished award winners . Categories include science-fiction and fantasy writing, humor, critical essays, and dramatic scripts, among others.

Deadlines vary by region (but are mostly in December and January), so use Scholastic's Affiliate Partner search to find out when projects are due for your area.

Scholastic partners with other organizations to provide prizes to winners, so what you can win depends on what you enter and what competition level you reach. Gold medal portfolio winners can earn a $12,500 scholarship, and silver medal winners with distinction can earn a $2,000 scholarship , as well as many other options in different categories.

The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards are open to private, public, or home-schooled students attending school in the US, Canada, or American schools in other countries. Students must be in grades seven through twelve to participate. Eligibility varies between regions, so consult Scholastic's Affiliate Partner search tool to figure out what applies to you .

The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards have a $10 entry fee for individual submissions and $30 for portfolio submissions, which may be waived for students in need . These fees may vary depending on location, so be sure to check your local guidelines .

Ocean Awareness Contest

• Award Amount: Scholarships up to $1,500
• Deadline: June 13, 2023 (submissions open in September)

The Ocean Awareness Contest asks students to consider the future of a coastal or marine species that is under threat from climate change. Submissions are accepted in a variety of art forms, but all must consider the way that climate change impacts ocean life .

Submissions for all categories, including art, creative writing, film, interactive and multimedia, music and dance, and poetry and spoken word are due in June, although the exact date varies slightly each year.

Winners may receive prizes of up to a $1,500 scholarship , depending on which division they fall into and what prize they win.

The contest is open to all international and US students between the ages of 11 and 18.

River of Words

• Award: Publication in the River of Words anthology
• Deadline: January 31, 2023

The River of Words contest asks students to consider watersheds—an area that drains into the same body of water—and how they connect with their local community. Students can explore this concept in art or poetry, with winners being published in the annual River of Words anthology .

Entries in all categories must be submitted by January 31, 2023. 

The River of Words contest is primarily for recognition and publication, as the website doesn't list any prize money . The contest includes specific awards for certain forms, such as poetry, some of which may have additional prizes .

The contest is open to International and US students from kindergarten to grade 12 (ages 5 through 19). Students who have graduated from high school but are not yet in college are also eligible.

Adroit Prizes

• Award Amount: $200 cash award
• Deadline: Typically April of each year

Sponsored by the Adroit Journal, the Adroit Prizes reward high school students and undergraduate students for producing exemplary fiction and poetry. Students may submit up to six poems or three works of prose (totaling 3,500 words) for consideration. Submissions typically open in spring .

Winners receive $200 and (along with runners-up) have their works published in the Adroit Journal . Finalists and runners-up receive a copy of their judge's latest published work.

The contest is open to secondary and undergraduate students, including international students and those who have graduated early . The Adroit Prizes has a non-refundable fee of $15, which can be waived.

YoungArts Competition

• Award Amount: Up to $10,000 cash awards
• Deadline: October 15, 2022; application for 2024 opens June 2023

Open to students in a variety of disciplines, including visual arts, writing, and music, the YoungArts competition asks students to submit a portfolio of work. Additional requirements may apply depending on what artistic discipline you're in .

Winners can receive up to $10,000 in cash as well as professional development help, mentorship, and other educational rewards.

Applicants must be 15- to 18-year-old US citizens or permanent residents (including green card holders) or in grades 10 through 12 at the time of submission . There is a $35 submission fee, which can be waived.

Fiction Writing Contests for High School Students

Many contests with multiple categories accept fiction submissions, so also check out the above contests if you're looking for places to submit original prose.

EngineerGirl Writing Contest

• Award Amount: $100 - $500 cash prize
• Deadline: February 1, 2023

This year's EngineerGirl Writing Contest asks students (though the name of the organization is "EngineerGirl," students of any gender may participate) to submit a piece of writing that shows how female and/or non-white engineers have contributed to or can enhance engineering’s great achievements. Word counts vary depending on grade level.

At every grade level, first-place winners will receive $500, second-place winners will receive $250, and third-place winners will receive $100 . Winning entries and honorable mentions will also be published on the EngineerGirl website.

Students of any gender from third to 12th grade may submit to this contest. Home-schooled and international students are also eligible.

Nonfiction Contests for High School Students

Like fiction, non-fiction is often also accepted in contests with multiple categories. However, there are quite a few contests accepting only non-fiction essays as well.

The American Foreign Services Association Essay Contest

• Award Amount: $1,250 to $2,500
• Deadline: April 3, 2023

The American Foreign Services Association sponsors a high school essay contest tasking students with selecting a country or region in which the United States Foreign Service has been involved at any point since 1924 and describe, in 1,500 words or less, how the Foreign Service was successful or unsuccessful in advancing American foreign policy goals in this country/region and propose ways in which it might continue to improve those goals in the coming years .

One winner will receive $2,500 as well as a Washington D.C. trip and a scholarship to attend Semester at Sea . One runner-up receives $1,250 and a scholarship to attend the International Diplomacy Program of the National Student Leadership Conference.

Entries must be from US students in grade nine through 12, including students in the District of Columbia, US territories, or US citizens attending school abroad, including home-schooled students.

John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Contest

• Award Amount: $100 - $10,000
• Deadline: January 13, 2023

The John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage contest tasks students with writing an essay between 700 and 1,000 words on an act of political courage by a US elected official serving during or after 1917 , inspired by John F. Kennedy's Profiles in Courage . Each essay should cover the act itself as well as any obstacles or risks the subject faced in achieving their act of courage. Essays must not cover figures previously covered in the contest, and should also not cover John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, or Edward M. Kennedy.

One first-place winner will receive $10,000, one second-place winner will receive $3,000, five finalists will receive $1,000 each, and eight semi-finalists will win $100 each.

The contest is open to students in grades nine through 12 who are residents of the United States attending public, private, parochial, or home schools . Students under the age of 20 in correspondence high school programs or GED programs, as well as students in US territories, Washington D.C., and students studying abroad, are also eligible.

SPJ/JEA High School Essay Contest

• Award Amount: $300 - $1,000 scholarships
• Deadline: February 19, 2023 (submissions open in November)

The SPJ/JEA high school essay contest , organized by the Society of Professional Journalists and the Journalism Education Association, asks students to  analyze the importance of independent media to our lives (as of now, the official essay topic for spring 2023 is TBD) . Essays should be from 300 to 500 words.

A $1,000 scholarship is given to a first-place winner, $500 to second-place, and $300 to third-place.

The contest is open to public, private, and home-schooled students of the United States in grades 9-12 .

Playwriting Contests for High School Students

For those who love the stage, playwriting contests are a great option. An original play can earn you great rewards thanks to any of these contests!

VSA Playwright Discovery Program Competition

• Award: Participation in professional development activities at the Kennedy Center
• Deadline: January 4, 2023 (Application opens in October)

The VSA Playwright Discovery Program Competition asks students with disabilities to submit a ten-minute script exploring their personal experiences, including the disability experience . Scripts may be realistic, fictional, or abstract, and may include plays, screenplays, or musical theater.

All entries are due in January. Scripts may be collaborative or written by individuals, but must include at least one person with a disability as part of the group .

One winner or group of winners will be selected as participants in the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. Winners will have access to professional assistance in developing their script as well as workshops and networking opportunities.

This contest is open to US and international students in ages 14 to 18 . Groups of up to five members may collaborate on an essay, but at least one of those students must have a disability.

Worldwide Plays Festival Competition

• Award: Professional production in New York
• Deadline: March (official 2023 deadline TBD)

In the Worldwide Plays Festival Competition , students from around the world can submit an eight-minute script for a play set in a part of a neighborhood —specifically, at a convenience store, outside a character's front door, or at a place where people convene. Each play must have roles for three actors, should not have a narrator who isn't also a character, and should not contain set changes.

Entries are due in February. Winners will have their play produced by professionals at an off-Broadway New York theater . Scholarships are also available for winners.

Any student, including US and international, in first through 12th grade may submit work for consideration.

• Award Amount: $50 - $200 cash prize
• Deadline: 2023 deadline TBD (application opens January 2023)

Students may submit a one-act, non-musical play of at least ten pages to YouthPLAYS for consideration . Plays should be appropriate for high school audiences and contain at least two characters, with one or more of those characters being youths in age-appropriate roles. Large casts with multiple female roles are encouraged.

One winner will receive $250, have their play published by YouthPLAYS, and receive a copy of Great Dialog , a program for writing dialog. One runner up will receive $100 and a copy of Great Dialog.

Students must be under the age of 19, and plays must be the work of a single author.

The Lewis Center Ten-Minute Play Contest

• Deadline: Spring of each year

Students in grade 11 may submit a ten-minute play for consideration for the Lewis Center Ten-Minute Play Contest . Plays should be 10 pages long, equivalent to 10 minutes.

One first-prize winner will receive $500, one second-prize winner will receive $250, and one third-prize will receive $100.

All entries must be from students in the 11th grade .

Poetry Writing Contests for High School Students

For those who prefer a little free verse or the constraints of a haiku, there are plenty of poetry-specific contests, too.

Creative Communications Poetry Contest

• Award Amount: $25
• Deadline: December

Students in ninth grade or below may submit any poem of 21 lines or less (not counting spaces between stanzas) for consideration in the Creative Communications Poetry Contest .

Students may win $25, a free book, and school supplies for their teacher .

Public, private, or home-schooled US students (including those in detention centers) in kindergarten through ninth grade may enter.

Leonard L. Milberg '53 High School Poetry Prize

• Award Amount: $500-$1500
• Deadline: November 

Students in 11th grade may submit up to three poems for consideration in the Leonard L. Milberg '53 High School Poetry Prize . Submissions are due in November .

One first-prize winner will receive $1500, one second-prize winner will receive $750, and a third-prize winner will receive $500. Poems may be published on arts.princeton.edu. All entrants must be in the 11th grade.

Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest

• Award Amount: $500 - $5,000 renewable scholarship, $350 cash prize
• Deadline: October 31, 2022

Women poets who are sophomores or juniors in high school may submit two poems for consideration for the Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest .

One first-place winner will receive a $350 cash prize, publication in and ten copies of Cargoes , Hollins' student magazine, as well as a renewable scholarship of up to $5,000 for Hollins and free tuition and housing for the Hollinsummer creative writing program. One second-place winner will receive publication in and two copies of Cargoes, a renewable scholarship to Hollins of up to $1,000, and a $500 scholarship to attend Hollinsummer.

Applicants must be female students in their sophomore or junior year of high school .

What's Next?

If you're looking for more money opportunities for college , there are plenty of scholarships out there— including some pretty weird ones .

For those who've been buffing up their test scores , there are tons of scholarships , some in the thousands of dollars.

If you're tired of writing essays and applying for scholarships, consider some of these colleges that offer complete financial aid packages .

Melissa Brinks graduated from the University of Washington in 2014 with a Bachelor's in English with a creative writing emphasis. She has spent several years tutoring K-12 students in many subjects, including in SAT prep, to help them prepare for their college education.

Student and Parent Forum

Our new student and parent forum, at ExpertHub.PrepScholar.com , allow you to interact with your peers and the PrepScholar staff. See how other students and parents are navigating high school, college, and the college admissions process. Ask questions; get answers.

Ask a Question Below

Have any questions about this article or other topics? Ask below and we'll reply!

Improve With Our Famous Guides

• For All Students

The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 160+ SAT Points

How to Get a Perfect 1600, by a Perfect Scorer

Series: How to Get 800 on Each SAT Section:

Score 800 on SAT Math

Score 800 on SAT Reading

Score 800 on SAT Writing

Series: How to Get to 600 on Each SAT Section:

Score 600 on SAT Math

Score 600 on SAT Reading

Score 600 on SAT Writing

Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests

What SAT Target Score Should You Be Aiming For?

15 Strategies to Improve Your SAT Essay

The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 4+ ACT Points

How to Get a Perfect 36 ACT, by a Perfect Scorer

Series: How to Get 36 on Each ACT Section:

36 on ACT English

36 on ACT Math

36 on ACT Reading

36 on ACT Science

Series: How to Get to 24 on Each ACT Section:

24 on ACT English

24 on ACT Math

24 on ACT Reading

24 on ACT Science

What ACT target score should you be aiming for?

ACT Vocabulary You Must Know

ACT Writing: 15 Tips to Raise Your Essay Score

How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League

How to Get a Perfect 4.0 GPA

How to Write an Amazing College Essay

What Exactly Are Colleges Looking For?

Is the ACT easier than the SAT? A Comprehensive Guide

Should you retake your SAT or ACT?

When should you take the SAT or ACT?

Stay Informed

Get the latest articles and test prep tips!

Looking for Graduate School Test Prep?

Check out our top-rated graduate blogs here:

GRE Online Prep Blog

GMAT Online Prep Blog

TOEFL Online Prep Blog

Holly R. "I am absolutely overjoyed and cannot thank you enough for helping me!”

What are your chances of acceptance?

Calculate for all schools, your chance of acceptance.

Your chancing factors

Extracurriculars.

23 Writing Competitions for High School Students

What’s covered:, why should you enter a writing competition, writing competitions for high school students, how do writing competitions affect my admissions chances.

Do you dream of writing the next great American novel? Are you passionate about poetry? Do you aspire to become a screenwriter? No matter what genre of writing you’re interested in—whether it’s fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or something else entirely—there’s a writing competition focused on it.

Writing competitions provide great motivation to put pen to paper (or finger to key). Moreover, they’re an excellent step toward getting published, and can ultimately start you on the path to becoming a professional writer.

One of the best ways to improve your writing is simply to write—and competitions provide an excellent impetus to do so. Writing competitions also serve as an introduction to what life is like for many writers; participants entering writing competitions will receive a prompt or must think of an original idea, compose a piece of work, and submit it for review.

Another benefit of entering a writing competition for high schoolers is that many offer cash awards and scholarships, which can be used to help with the costs of college.

Additionally, many writing competitions are run by colleges and universities, so submitting them is a great way to introduce faculty to yourself and your work. If you win an award—especially a prestigious award—it can significantly improve your odds of college acceptance.

1. The Adroit Prizes for Poetry and Prose

Type: Poetry and Prose

Submission Fee: $15

Prize: $200

Deadline: May 1, 2023

Eligibility:

• All secondary and undergraduate students

Guidelines:

• Each student may send up to five total submissions across the genres of poetry and prose
• Each poetry submission may include up to six poems (maximum of ten pages single-spaced). Each prose submission may include up to three works of fiction or creative nonfiction (combined word limit of 3,500 words; excerpts are acceptable).

Adroit Prizes are awarded to emerging high school and college writers in two categories: poetry and prose. Winning pieces are considered for publication in the Adroit Journal and winners receive an award of $200. The 2023 judges are Natalie Diaz and Ocean Vuong.

2. Ten-Minute Play Contest

Type: Plays

Submission Fee: N/A

Deadline: Passed, but the contest will reopen in 2024

Eligibility: Students in the eleventh grade in the U.S. (or international equivalent of the eleventh grade)

Guidelines: Applicants may submit only one play (10 pages maximum)

The Ten-Minute Play Contest is put on by Princeton University’s Lewis Center of the Arts. Applicants are allowed to submit one play that is no longer than 10 pages. Their submissions are judged by members of Princeton University’s Theater Program faculty.

3. Ayn Rand Anthem and The Fountainhead Essay Contests

Type: Essays

• Anthem: $2,000
• The Fountainhead : $5,000
• Anthem: Grades 8-12
• The Fountainhead : Grades 11-12
• Anthem: Essays must be written in English only and between 600 and 1,200 words in length, double-spaced
• The Fountainhead: Essays must be written in English only and between 800 and 1,600 words in length, double-spaced

In this essay competition, students pick one of three prompts about a topic related to Ayn Rand’s books and write an essay that goes through three stages of grading. Students are graded on their clarity, organization, understanding, and ability to stay “on topic.”

4. Leonard L. Milberg ’53 High School Poetry Prize

Type: Poetry

Prize: $500-$1,500

Eligibility: Students must be in the 11th grade in the U.S. or abroad

Guidelines: Applicants may submit up to 3 poems

The Leonard L. Milberg ’53 High School Poetry Prize is another contest run by Princeton University’s Lewis Center of the Arts. Winners are chosen by judges who are both poets and members of Princeton University’s creative writing faculty. Three monetary awards are available.

5. World Historian Student Essay Competition

Prize: $500

Eligibility: Students enrolled in grades K–12 in public, private, and parochial schools, and those in home-study programs

Guidelines: Essays should be approximately 1,000 words

Winners of this competition receive a $500 prize along with a free yearlong membership to the World History Association . To apply, you must submit an approximately 1,000-word essay responding to the following prompt:

• Submit an essay that addresses the following topic and discusses how it relates to you personally and to World History: Your view of a family story related to a historical event or your personal family cultural background, or an issue of personal relevance or specific regional history/knowledge.

6. Jane Austen Society of North America Essay Contest

Prize: $250-$1,000

Deadline: June 1, 2023

Eligibility: Open to high school, undergraduate, and graduate students

• Must be submitted by the student through the official Essay Contest Submission website
• Entries may include a statement about the student’s mentor; however, a mentor statement is not required
• The essay must be 6-8 pages in length, not including the Works Cited page
• The essay must use MLA documentation, including a Works Cited page and parenthetical citations in the body of the text. Use endnotes only for substantive notes. Source material that is directly quoted, paraphrased, or summarized must be cited. Quotations from the Jane Austen work under discussion should be cited as well.

The Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA) Essay Contest is an annual writing competition aimed at fostering an appreciation for its namesake’s work. The contest is broken down into three divisions—high school, college/university, and graduate school.

First-place winners are awarded a $1,000 prize along with free registration and lodging for two nights at JASNA’s Annual General Meeting—smaller monetary awards are also given to second- and third-place essayists.

This year’s essay topic:

• In Pride and Prejudice and Jane Austen’s other novels, we see proposals and marriages that are motivated by love, as well as those that are better described as arranged marriages or marriages of convenience. Many cultures today also expect arranged marriages (not the same as forced). In your essay, compare and discuss the different types of marriages or courtships found in the novels, whether those relationships are new or longstanding.

7. Bennington College Young Writers Awards

Type: Poetry, Fiction, and Nonfiction

Deadline: November 1, 2023

Eligibility: Students in grades 9-12

• Poetry: A group of three poems
• Fiction: A short story (1,500 words or fewer) or one-act play (run no more than 30 minutes of playing time)
• Nonfiction: A personal or academic essay (1,500 words or fewer)

Bennington College has a strong history of developing writers—it’s produced twelve Pulitzer Prize winners, three U.S. poet laureates, and countless New York Times bestsellers—and the Bennington College Young Writers Awards celebrate this legacy.

In addition to offering cash awards to winners and finalists in all three categories, winners and finalists who apply and are accepted to Bennington College are also eligible for substantial scholarships.

8. Rachel Carson Intergenerational Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Contest

Type: Poetry and Essays

Deadline: November 16, 2023

• You are required to have a team of 2 or more people
• The team must be intergenerational

Guidelines: Maximum length of 500 words (approximately 2 pages)

This unique writing competition requires that entries must be submitted by a team of two people from different generations—for example, a high school student and a teacher. Contestants can compete in a number of categories and themes, each with unique submission requirements.

9. NSHSS Creative Writing Scholarship

Type: Fiction and Poetry

Prize: $2,000

Deadline: October 2, 2023

Eligibility: Rising high school students graduating in 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027, and recently graduated 2023 seniors

• Poetry: Students may submit their original poetry in any style, from formal verse to free verse to experimental. The poem should be formatted as you wish it to appear in the publication.
• Fiction: Students may submit a piece of short fiction, which must be no more than 5,000 words and should not be single-spaced. The entry may be any genre of the student’s choice, including graphic novel or story.
• Must submit educator recommendation, academic resume, and current transcript with application

Winning works for this competition are chosen based on their creativity, technique, expression, and originality. Three winners are chosen in each category and each winner receives a $2,000 prize.

10. John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Contest

Prize: $100-$10,000

Eligibility: The contest is open to United States high school students in grades 9-12, U.S. students under the age of twenty enrolled in a high school correspondence/GED program,  and U.S. citizens attending schools overseas.

• Essays can be no more than 1,000 words but must be a minimum of 700 words. Citations and bibliography are not included in the word count.
• Essays must have a minimum of five sources.

The prestigious John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Contest is one of the most recognizable and prestigious writing competitions for high schoolers in the nation. Essays for the contest are required to describe an act of political courage by a U.S. elected official who served during or after 1917. The first-place winner of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Contest takes home a $10,000 award and second place receives a $3,000 prize.

11. YoungArts National Writing Competition

Deadline: Opens June 2023

Eligibility: 15- to 18-year-old visual, literary, or performing artist based in the United States

Guidelines: To be released

YoungArts supports talented young artists between the ages of 15 and 18 (or grades 10-12) in 10 disciplines, including writing. Applicants can submit entries in six genres—creative nonfiction, novel, play or script, poetry, short story, and spoken word.

12. SPJ/JEA High School Essay Contest

Submission Fee: $5

Prize: $300-$1,000

Eligibility: All students enrolled in grades 9-12 in U.S. public, private and home schools within the United States

• The essay should be 300-500 words
• Entries may be typed or handwritten but must be double-spaced

This high school writing contest is presented by the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) and the Journalism Education Association (JEA) to increase awareness of the importance of independent media.

Last year’s prompt was:

• While consumers are drawn toward tweets and sound bites, how can journalists tell more of the story without losing readers’ interest?

13. VSA Playwright Discovery Program Competitions

Eligibility: High school students with disabilities

• 10-minute script
• Entries may be the work of an individual student or a collaboration between two students that includes at least one student with a disability

This writing competition, presented by the Kennedy Center, is open to students ages 15-18 (or enrolled in high school) with disabilities. Writers may submit a “ten-minute” script in any genre, including plays, musicals, multimedia, video, film, TV, and podcasts.

Entries can be the work of an individual or the product of collaboration—provided that at least one of the collaborators has a disability. Multiple winners are chosen and given the chance to work with industry professionals, attend Kennedy Center professional development activities, and participate in networking opportunities.

14. Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest

Prize: $350

Eligibility: Women who are sophomores or juniors in high school or preparatory school

Guidelines: No more than two poems by any one student may be submitted

For almost six decades, the Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest has provided recognition, scholarships, and awards to the best female high school sophomore and junior poets. Submissions are reviewed by faculty members of Hollins University’s creative writing program and students enrolled in its M.F.A. in creative writing.

The first-place winner receives a $350 cash prize, a renewable $5,000 scholarship to Hollins University if they choose to enroll there, as well as free tuition and housing at the university’s Hollinsummer creative writing program. Their winning work is also published in Cargoes , the university’s student literary magazine.

15. Scholastic Art and Writing Awards

Type: Various

Submission Fee: $10 for individual entry, $30 for portfolio (can use Fee Waiver Form)

Prize: Varies

Deadline: Opens in September

Eligibility: Teens in grades 7–12 (ages 13 and up)

Guidelines: Varies by category

The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards is the nation’s longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens. They offer 28 submission categories, including writing, critical essay, dramatic scripts, flash fiction, journalism, humor, novel writing, personal essay and memoir, poetry, science fiction and fantasy, and short story.

Works are judged by famous jurors who look for works that show originality, skill, and the emergence of a personal voice or vision. Students can earn a variety of scholarships through success in these competitions.

Works that celebrate individual differences or personal grief, loss, and bereavement are eligible for $1,000 scholarships. High school seniors submitting winning portfolios of six works are eligible for up to $12,500 in scholarships.

16. Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Contest

Type: Creative Writing and Poetry

Prize: $100-$1,500

Deadline: June 13, 2023

• Students ages 11-18 from around the world
• Students can participate as an individual or as a club, class, or group of any size
• All students must provide the contact information for an Adult Sponsor (teacher, parent, mentor, etc.)
• Creative Writing: no more than 5 pages (approximately 1,250 words)
• Poetry: no more than 2 pages
• A written reflection is required to accompany your submission, regardless of category. It is like the introduction to a book or an artist’s statement in a museum.

The 12th annual Ocean Awareness 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. Students can participate in six different categories, including poetry and spoken word, and creative writing.

This year’s prompt centers around climate issues:

• Research and choose an inspirational scientist, activist, artist, educator, or other hero who is working to solve climate change issues. Create a piece of art, writing, or media that highlights their efforts, organizations, and/or positive impacts. We are familiar with the amazing work of environmental giants like Greta Thunberg and David Attenborough. We challenge you to introduce the Bow Seat community to a Climate Hero whose work we may not know about yet – but should.

17. John Locke Global Essay Competition

Submission Fee: N/A (unless late entry)

Prize: $2,000-$10,000 toward attending any John Locke Institute program

Deadline: June 30, 2023 (must register by May 31, 2023)

Eligibility: Candidates must be no older than 18 years old on June 30, 2023 (Candidates for the Junior Prize must be no older than 14 on the same date)

Guidelines: Each essay must address only one of the questions in your chosen subject category, and must not exceed 2,000 words (not counting diagrams, tables of data, footnotes, bibliography, or authorship declaration)

Students competing in this competition have the opportunity to write an essay in one of seven categories—philosophy, politics, economics, history, psychology, theology, and law. Each category has three prompts, from which students choose and respond to one.

Essays are judged on knowledge and understanding of the relevant material, the competent use of evidence, quality of argumentation, originality, structure, writing style, and persuasive force.

If you miss the deadline, you can submit a late entry up until July 10. Late entries will be charged a $20 late fee.

18. AFSA National High School Essay Contest

Prize: $2,500

• Students whose parents are not in the Foreign Service are eligible to participate.
• Students must be in grades 9-12 in any of the 50 states, Washington, D.C, the U.S. territories, or—if they are U.S. citizens/lawful permanent residents —attending high school overseas.

Guidelines: Your essay should be at least 1,000 words but should not exceed 1,500 words (word count does not apply to the list of sources)

The AFSA Essay Contest focuses on knowledge of foreign policy and the American Foreign Service. Last year’s prompt was:

• In your essay, you will select a country or region in which the United States Foreign Service has been involved at any point since 1924 and describe, in 1,500 words or less, how the Foreign Service was successful or unsuccessful in advancing American foreign policy goals – including promoting peace – in this country/region and propose ways in which it might continue to improve those goals in the coming years.

The first-place winner receives $2,500, a paid trip to the nation’s capital with their parents from anywhere in the U.S., and an all-expenses-paid educational voyage courtesy of Semester at Sea. The runner-up wins $1,250 and full tuition to attend a summer session of the National Student Leadership Conference’s International Diplomacy program.

19. EngineerGirl Writing Contest

Prize: $100-$500

• The contest is open to individual students in the following three competition categories—Elementary School Students (grades 3-5), Middle School Students (grades 6-8), or High School Students (grades 9-12).
• You can also qualify with corresponding homeschool or international grade levels.
• High school student essays must be no more than 750 words
• You must also include a reference list of 3-10 resources

In this competition, students choose one of four prompts related to the 20 Greatest Engineering Achievements of the 20th Century and explore the technologies that have been developed in the last century and technologies that are being developed today. Students are judged based on their presentation and examples of engineering (~35%), their celebration of diversity (~50%), and their quality of writing (~15%).

20. The Blank Theatre Young Playwright’s Festival

Prize: Play is produced

Eligibility: Playwrights must be 19 years old or younger as of March 15, 2023; co-authored plays are welcome, provided all authors are 19 or younger

• Original plays or musicals of any length or genre and on any subject
• Up to three plays per playwright or team

While winners of this theater competition do not receive a cash prize, they have the unique opportunity to be mentored by leaders in the field, then will have their play directed and performed by professional artists during the following summer. The 12 best submissions are produced and professionally performed.

21. Saint Mary’s College of California River of Words Contest

Type: Poetry and Arts

• The contest is open to K-12 students, ages 5-19
• Students must be enrolled in school to be eligible
• Participants may submit up to 5 entries for poetry and 5 entries for art (total of up to 10 entries)
• Poems should not exceed 32 lines in length (written) or 3 minutes (signed)
• Collaborative poems and artwork are accepted, but only one student (chosen as the group representative) will be eligible for any prizes awarded

The River of Words contest aims to promote environmental literacy through the exchange of arts and culture. River of Words has been inspiring educators and students through this competition for over 25 years.

The goal of River of Words is to connect youth with their watersheds—the environments they live in—through engagement with art and poetry related to the idea of “place.” They look for art and poetry that shows the connection between students and the worlds around them.

22. Ayn Rand Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest

Prize: $10,000

Deadline: November 6, 2023

Eligibility: Open to all 12th grade, college, and graduate students worldwide

Guidelines: Essays must be between 800 and 1,600 words in length

In this essay competition, high school seniors pick one of three prompts about a topic related to Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged and write an essay that goes through three stages of grading. Students are graded on their clarity, organization, understanding, and ability to stay “on topic.”

23. Writopia Lab’s Worldwide Plays Festival

Prize: Play produced

Eligibility: Playwrights ages 6 to 18

• 8 minutes maximum
• Any genre or style
• Plays should have no more than three characters
• There can be no narrator of the play who is not emotionally invested in the story
• Students must incorporate at least one of the following props or costumes —blue plates, a yellow blouse, a Valentine’s heart with the word “Love,” a flower crown, a plush hotdog, a Mardi Gras bead with jester heads, a pack of clothespins, Russian nesting dolls, a set of miniature cymbals, a lavender blouse, a lei, or a roll of aluminum foil

Since 2010, Writopia Lab has been producing, designing, and directing one-act plays submitted by young playwrights. These winning plays are then performed by New York City theater professionals. The contest looks for playwrights who embody fearlessness and imagination. Writopia Lab says, “Write deeply! Write fiercely! Write politically and personally! And don’t be afraid to write with a sense of play – they are called plays, after all.”

While we can’t know exactly how activities outside of the classroom will affect your college admissions odds, the 4 Tiers of Extracurricular Activities provide a helpful framework for understanding how colleges view your extracurriculars.

Extracurricular activities in Tiers 1 and 2 are reserved for the most exclusive and acclaimed awards, and can significantly improve your odds of college admission. By contrast, Tiers 3 and 4 are reserved for more common extracurriculars, and have less of an impact on your chances of college admission.

For example, if you place in a nationally renowned writing competition—a Tier 2 activity—this will positively affect your admissions chances. On the other hand, if you receive an honorable mention in your high school’s poetry contest—a Tier 4 activity—your admissions chances will not be significantly affected.

That said, if you are applying to an English Literature or Creative Writing program with a well-developed essay and recommendations that emphasize your commitment to language, participation in Tier 3 and 4 writing competitions could help admissions officers conceptualize your passion for your future career.

Curious how the writing competition you participated in will affect your college admission chances? CollegeVine can help! Our free chancing calculator uses a variety of factors—including grades, test scores, and extracurriculars—to estimate your odds of getting into hundreds of colleges and universities, while also providing insight into how to improve your profile.

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

Meet this Year's American History Essay Winners

The American History Essay Contest welcomes essays from students in grades 5 through 8, all centered on a theme that changes annually, often to commemorate the anniversary of an important event. The 2021-2022 American History Essay Contest commemorates the 100th anniversary of the dedication of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arlington National Cemetery. This monument was dedicated on Armistice Day in 1921, with a ceremony led by President Harding.

In their essays, students were asked to write from the perspective of a young person whose brother had lost his life in The Great War, and who had traveled to Arlington National Cemetery to be present with their family at the dedication. Students wrote about what this even meant to them and why they believed remembering those who gave their lives for our country is so important. 

This year, over 23,000 students entered the American History Essay Contest, from all 50 states. The Southeast Division was particularly active, with over 8,800 students participating, and the South Central and East Central divisions were also active with over 3,700 and 3,500 students participating, respectively. Chapters, states and divisions gathered the entries and enlisted a variety of distinguished judges to read and rank the essays. Winners from each level are forwarded to the next level. This committee wishes to thank the enthusiastic involvement of so many chapters across the country and in the Units Overseas.

The winners are:

First place

Elizabeth “Mei-Mei” Payne, a 5th grader from Kansas City, Missouri, who was sponsored by the Mission Hill Chapter in Kansas.

Catherine Hogan, a 6th reader from Farmington, CT, sponsored by the Abigail Phelps Chapter in Connecticut.

Lana Chan, a 7th grader from Cottonwood Heights, UT, sponsored by the Uintah Chapter. in Utah.

Alaina Voeller, an 8th grader from Newberg, Oregon, sponsored by the Yamhill Chapter in Oregon.

Second place

Abigail Lilly, a 5th grader from Marshall, North Carolina, sponsored by the Rebecca Sevier Waddel Chapter in North Carolina.

Ainsley Voeller, a 6th grader from Newburg, Oregon, sponsored by the Yamhill Chapter in Oregon.

Isadora Nassa, a 7th grader from Riverside, Connecticut, sponsored by the Putnam Hill Chapter in Connecticut.

Savannah Clingan, an 8th grader from Hays, Kansas, sponsored by the Courtney Spalding Chapter in Kansas.

Third place

Sophia Thompson, a 5th grader from Meridien, Idaho, sponsored by the Ee-dah-how Chapter in Idaho.

Mathias Mayo-Hostetter, a 6th grader from Los Angeles, California, sponsored by the Beverly Hills Chapter in California.

Phoebe Turner, a 7th grader from Kelly, Wyoming, sponsored by the Davey Jackson Chapter in Wyoming.

Sam Longhurst, an 8th grader from Lehi, Utah, sponsored by the Wasatch Range Chapter in Utah.

The first place winners from each grade will be presented with a pin, certificate and monetary award on stage at the Education Awards Night during Continental Congress. The second and third place winners will receive a certificate and monetary award. The National First Place Winners’ essays will be on display in the Americana Room during Continental Congress.

This committee is also delighted to see a number of familiar names: students who have entered in the past have entered again, and sets of siblings, both who have entered in their respective grade levels this year, and siblings who have entered over the past few years. We can see that students do enjoy this contest and look forward to writing essays again, and we thank all the chapters across the country and from Units Overseas for promoting this contest and making it such a successful way to reach out to our local communities!

Print this page

Connect with DAR

Daughters of the american revolution national headquarters.

• #OnThisDay in 1907 the DAR dedicated the memorial portico on the southside of its Memorial Continent... 1 day 16 hours ago

Stay Up-to-Date

Search, Subscribe, & Send us a comment

Get Involved

Historic preservation, education, patriotism.

Through restoring historic properties, funding scholarships and supporting our troops, DAR makes a difference in local communities.

Looking to publish? Meet your dream editor, designer and marketer on Reedsy.

Find the perfect editor for your next book

1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy. Come meet them.

Best Essay Writing Contests in 2024

Showing 50 contests that match your search.

National Essay Contest

U.S. Institute of Peace

Genres: Essay

This year, AFSA celebrates the 100th anniversary of the United States Foreign Service. Over the last century, our diplomats and development professionals have been involved in groundbreaking events in history – decisions on war and peace, supporting human rights and freedom, creating joint prosperity, reacting to natural disasters and pandemics and much more. As AFSA looks back on this century-long history, we invite you to join us in also looking ahead to the future. This year students are asked to explore how diplomats can continue to evolve their craft to meet the needs of an ever-changing world that brings fresh challenges and opportunities to the global community and America’s place in it.

Additional prizes:

Runner-up: $1,250

📅 Deadline: April 01, 2024 (Expired)

Personal Essay Competition 2024

Write the World

Genres: Essay and Memoir

We want to hear about an experience in your life, rife with characters and description and conflict and scene… but we also want to hear how you make sense of this experience, how it sits with you, and why it has surfaced as writing. Open a window into your life and invite your readers to enter.

Best entry: $100

Runner up: $50 | Best peer review: $50

📅 Deadline: June 24, 2024

A Very Short Story Contest

Gotham Writers Workshop

Genres: Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Humor, Memoir, and Non-fiction

Write a great short story in ten words or fewer. Submit it to our contest. Entry is free. Winner of the bet gets a free Gotham class.

Free writing class from Gotham Writers Workshop.

📅 Deadline: May 31, 2024

Craft your masterpiece in Reedsy Studio

Plan, write, edit, and format your book in our free app made for authors.

Learn more about Reedsy Studio .

The Letter Review Prize for Unpublished Books

The Letter Review

Genres: Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Novel, Novella, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult

Free to enter. Seeking 0-5000 word (poetry: 15 pgs) excerpts of unpublished books (Fiction, Poetry, Nonfiction), including most self-published and indie-published works. 2-4 Winners (publication of extract is optional). We Shortlist 10-20 writers. Open to writers from anywhere in the world, with no theme or genre restrictions. Judged blind.

Optional Publication of Excerpt, Letter of Recommendation

📅 Deadline: April 30, 2024

Literary and Photographic Contest 2023-2024

Hispanic Culture Review

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, and Poetry

As we move forward we carry our culture wherever we go. It keeps us alive. This is why we propose the theme to be “¡Hacia delante!”. A phrase that means to move forward. This year we ask that you think about the following questions: What keeps you moving forward? What do you carry with you going into the future? How do you celebrate your successes, your dreams, and your culture?

Publication in magazine

📅 Deadline: February 07, 2024 (Expired)

International Essay Competition 2023/24

Avernus Education

Welcome to our prestigious International Essay Competition. At Avernus Education, we are thrilled to provide a platform for young minds to showcase their prowess in Medicine, Engineering, Law, Economics, Psychology, History and Politics. These varied subject categories underscore the importance of interdisciplinary study, a crucial foundation for future leaders in our increasingly interconnected world. Winners receive an exclusive Avernus Education Scholarship worth over £5000 - granting them free entrance to our exclusive summer camp at Oxford University! Outstanding Runners Up receive 5 hours worth of Credits for Avernus Education courses, conferences and tutoring services.

100% Scholarship Award to our Oxford University Summer Programme (worth £5995)

Partial scholarship

📅 Deadline: February 19, 2024 (Expired)

International Voices in Creative Nonfiction Competition

Vine Leaves Press

Genres: Essay, Memoir, Non-fiction, and Novel

Small presses have potential for significant impact, and at Vine Leaves Press, we take this responsibility quite seriously. It is our responsibility to give marginalized groups the opportunity to establish literary legacies that feel rich and vast. Why? To sustain hope for the world to become a more loving, tolerable, and open space. It always begins with art. That is why we have launched this writing competition.

Book publication

💰 Entry fee: $25

📅 Deadline: July 01, 2024

Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award

Killer Nashville

Genres: Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Novel, Poetry, Science Fiction, Script Writing, Short Story, and Thriller

The Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award is committed to discovering new writers, as well as superlative books by established authors and, upon discovery, sharing those writers and their works with new readers. There are a large number of both fiction and non-fiction categories you can enter.

💰 Entry fee: $79

📅 Deadline: June 15, 2024

High School Academic Research Competition

Columbia Undergraduate Science Journal

Genres: Essay and Non-fiction

The High School Academic Research Competition is where talented students from around the world compete to publish high-quality research on any topic. SARC challenges students to sharpen their critical thinking skills, immerse themselves in the research process, and hone their writing skills for success.

Indigo Research Intensive Summer Program

📅 Deadline: March 20, 2024 (Expired)

Aurora Polaris Creative Nonfiction Award

Trio House Press

Genres: Essay, Memoir, and Non-fiction

We seek un-agented full-length creative nonfiction manuscripts including memoir, essay collections, etc. 50,000 - 80,000 words.

Publication

📅 Deadline: May 15, 2024

Jane Austen Society of North America Essay Contest

Jane Austen Society of North America

Genres: Children's and Essay

JASNA conducts an annual student Essay Contest to foster the study and appreciation of Jane Austen's works in new generations of readers. Students world-wide are invited to compete for scholarship awards in three divisions: high school, college, and graduate school.

$1,000 scholarship

Two nights’ lodging for JASNA’s Annual General Meeting

📅 Deadline: June 02, 2022 (Expired)

Climate Change Writing Competition

This month, dear writers, ahead of COP27, help us raise the voices of young people in this urgent fight. In a piece of personal narrative, tell the world’s leaders gathering in how climate change impacts you. How has this crisis changed your environment, your community, your sense of the future? Storytelling, after all, plays a critical role in helping us grasp the emergency through which we are all living, igniting empathy in readers and listeners—itself a precursor to action.

Runner-up: $50

📅 Deadline: October 18, 2022 (Expired)

The Hudson Prize

Black Lawrence Press

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, and Short Story

Each year Black Lawrence Press will award The Hudson Prize for an unpublished collection of poems or prose. The prize is open to new, emerging, and established writers.

💰 Entry fee: $28

📅 Deadline: March 31, 2024 (Expired)

Share Your Story

FanStory.com Inc.

Write about an event in your life. Everyone has a memoir. Not an autobiography. Too much concern about fact and convention. A memoir gives us the ability to write about our life with the option to create and fabricate and to make sense of a life, or part of that life.

💰 Entry fee: $10

📅 Deadline: September 15, 2022 (Expired)

Irene Adler Prize

Lucas Ackroyd

Genres: Essay, Non-fiction, and Travel

I’ve traveled the world from Sweden to South Africa, from the Golden Globes to the Olympic women’s hockey finals. I’ve photographed a mother polar bear and her cubs and profiled stars like ABBA, Jennifer Garner and Katarina Witt. And I couldn’t have done it without women. I’ve been very fortunate, and it’s time for me to give back. With the Irene Adler Prize, I’m awarding a $1,000 scholarship to a woman pursuing a degree in journalism, creative writing, or literature at a recognized post-secondary institution.

2x honorable mentions: $250

📅 Deadline: May 30, 2024

Environmental Writing 2024

The writer and activist Bill McKibben describes Environmental Writing as "the collision between people and the rest of the world." This month, peer closely at that intersection: How do humans interact with their environment? Given your inheritance of this earth, the world needs your voices now more than ever.

📅 Deadline: April 22, 2024

Bacopa Literary Review Annual Writing Contest

Writers Alliance of Gainesville

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, and Short Story

Bacopa Literary Review’s 2024 contest is open from March 4 through April 4, with $200 Prize and $100 Honorable Mention in each of six categories: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Flash Fiction, Free Verse Poetry, Formal Poetry, and Visual Poetry.

📅 Deadline: April 04, 2024 (Expired)

Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize

Genres: Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult

The Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize is a writing competition sponsored by the stage and radio series Selected Shorts. Selected Shorts is recorded for Public Radio and heard nationally on both the radio and its weekly podcast. This years entries will be judged by Carmen Maria Machado (In the Dream House, Her Body and Other Parties).

$1000 + free 10 week course with Gotham Writers

📅 Deadline: March 01, 2024 (Expired)

Work-In-Progress (WIP) Contest

Unleash Press

Genres: Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Novel, Novella, Poetry, Science Fiction, Science Writing, and Young Adult

We aim to assist writers in the completion of an important literary project and vision. The Unleash WIP Award offers writers support in the amount of $500 to supplement costs to aid in the completion of a book-length work of fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. Writers will also receive editorial feedback, coaching meetings, and an excerpt/interview feature in Unleash Lit.

Coaching, interview, and editorial support

💰 Entry fee: $35

📅 Deadline: July 15, 2024

Military Anthology: Partnerships, the Untold Story

Armed Services Arts Partnership

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Humor, Memoir, Non-fiction, Poetry, and Short Story

Partners are an integral aspect of military life, at home and afar, during deployment and after homecoming. Partnerships drive military action and extend beyond being a battle buddy, wingman, or crew member. Some are planned while others arise entirely unexpectedly. Spouses, family, old or new friends, community, faith leaders, and medical specialists all support the military community. Despite their importance, the stories of these partnerships often go untold. This anthology aims to correct that: We will highlight the nuances, surprises, joy, sorrow, heroism, tears, healing power, and ache of partnerships. We invite you to submit the story about partnerships from your journey, so we can help tell it.

$500 Editors' Choice award

$250 for each genre category (prose, poetry, visual art)

Brink Literary Journal Award for Hybrid Writing

Genres: Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Humor, Memoir, Non-fiction, Poetry, Science Writing, and Short Story

The Brink Literary Journal Award for Hybrid Writing will be administered to the winner of a literary contest designed to champion innovative hybrid and cross-genre work.

💰 Entry fee: $22

📅 Deadline: February 16, 2024 (Expired)

NOWW 26th International Writing Contest

Northwestern Ontario Writers Workshop (NOWW)

Open to all writers in four categories: poetry, short fiction, creative nonfiction, and critical writing.

2nd: $100 | 3rd: $50

💰 Entry fee: $7

📅 Deadline: February 29, 2024 (Expired)

Hispanic Culture Review Contest 2022-2023

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Short Story, and Flash Fiction

As the Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano once said, "the best that the world has is in the many worlds that the world contains." Therefore, this year we invite you to reflect on the following questions: How do you or your community celebrate these connections? How do you value those experiences with those people who leave a mark on your life? 1 work will be awarded in each category: 1) photography & visual arts, 2) poetry, and 3) narrative/essay/academic investigation.

$100 for photography, poetry, and essay winners

💰 Entry fee: $0

📅 Deadline: February 01, 2023 (Expired)

Great American Think-Off

New York Mills Regional Cultural Center

The Great American Think-Off is an exhibition of civil disagreement between powerful ideas that connect to your life at the gut level. The Cultural Center, located in the rural farm and manufacturing town of New York Mills, sponsors this annual philosophy contest.

Solas Awards

Best Travel Writing

Extraordinary stories about travel and the human spirit have been the cornerstones of our books since 1993. With the Solas Awards we honor writers whose work inspires others to explore. We’re looking for the best stories about travel and the world. Funny, illuminating, adventurous, uplifting, scary, inspiring, poignant stories that reflect the unique alchemy that occurs when you enter unfamiliar territory and begin to see the world differently as a result. We hope these awards will be a catalyst for those who love to leave home and tell others about it.

📅 Deadline: September 21, 2024

Artificial Intelligence Competition

New Beginnings

Genres: Essay, Non-fiction, Science Fiction, Science Writing, and Short Story

There is no topic relating to technology that brings more discussion than artificial intelligence. Some people think it does wonders. Others see it as trouble. Let us know your opinion about AI in this competition. Include experiences you have had with AI. 300-word limit. Winners will be selected January 1, 2024. Open to anyone, anywhere.

💰 Entry fee: $5

📅 Deadline: December 15, 2023 (Expired)

Journalism Competition 2024

What are the most important issues taking place close to home? Perhaps a rare bird sighting near your town? Or a band of young people in your province fighting for access to higher education? This month, immerse yourself in a newsworthy event inside the borders of your own country, and invite us there through your written reporting.

📅 Deadline: July 22, 2024

Askew's Word on the Lake Writing Contest

Shuswap Association of Writers

Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Essay, Memoir, and Short Story

Whether you’re an established or emerging writer, the Askew’s Word on the Lake Writing Contest has a place for you. Part of the Word on the Lake Writers’ Festival in Salmon Arm, BC, the contest is open to submissions in short fiction (up to 2,000 words), nonfiction (up to 2,000 words), and poetry (up to three one-page poems).

💰 Entry fee: $11

📅 Deadline: January 31, 2024 (Expired)

Annual Contest Submissions

So To Speak

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Flash Fiction, LGBTQ, Non-fiction, and Poetry

So To Speak is seeking submissions for poetry, fiction, and non-fiction with an intersectional feminist lens! It is no secret that the literary canon and literary journals are largely comprised of heteronormative, patriarchal, cisgender, able-bodied white men. So to Speak seeks work by writers, poets, and artists who want to challenge and change the identity of the “canonical” writer.

💰 Entry fee: $4

📅 Deadline: March 15, 2024 (Expired)

100 Word Writing Contest

Tadpole Press

Genres: Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Thriller, Young Adult, Children's, Poetry, Romance, Short Story, Suspense, and Travel

Can you write a story using 100 words or less? Pieces will be judged on creativity, uniqueness, and how the story captures a new angle, breaks through stereotypes, and expands our beliefs about what's possible or unexpectedly delights us. In addition, we are looking for writing that is clever or unique, inspires us, and crafts a compelling and complete story. The first-place prize has doubled to $2,000 USD.

2nd: writing coach package

💰 Entry fee: $15

World Historian Student Essay Competition

World History Association

The World Historian Student Essay Competition is an international competition open to students enrolled in grades K–12 in public, private, and parochial schools, and those in home-study programs. Membership in the World History Association is not a requirement for submission. Past winners may not compete in the same category again.

📅 Deadline: May 01, 2024

Narratively 2023 Memoir Prize

Narratively

Genres: Essay, Humor, Memoir, and Non-fiction

Narratively is currently accepting submissions for their 2023 Memoir Prize. They are looking for revealing and emotional first-person nonfiction narratives from unique and overlooked points of view. The guest judge is New York Times bestselling memoirist Stephanie Land.

$1,000 and publication

💰 Entry fee: $20

📅 Deadline: November 30, 2023 (Expired)

Goldilocks Zone

Sunspot Literary Journal

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, Novel, Novella, Poetry, Script Writing, and Short Story

Sunspot Lit is looking for the perfect combination of craft and appeal in stories, CNF, novel or novella excerpts, artwork, graphic novels, poems, scripts/screenplays. Literary and genre accepted. Enter through Submittable or Duotrope.

Lazuli Literary Group Writing Contest

Lazuli Literary Group

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Poetry, Short Story, Flash Fiction, Non-fiction, Novella, and Script Writing

We are not concerned with genre distinctions. Send us the best you have; we want only for it to be thoughtful, intelligent, and beautiful. We want art that grows in complexity upon each visitation; we enjoy ornate, cerebral, and voluptuous phrases executed with thematic intent.

Publication in "AZURE: A Journal of Literary Thought"

📅 Deadline: March 24, 2024 (Expired)

The Letter Review Prize for Nonfiction

Genres: Essay, Memoir, Non-fiction, Crime, Humor, and Science Writing

2-4 Winners are published. We Shortlist 10-20 writers. Seeking Nonfiction 0-5000 words. Judges’ feedback available. Open to writers from anywhere in the world, with no theme or genre restrictions. Judged blind. All entries considered for publication + submission to Pushcart.

Publication by The Letter Review

💰 Entry fee: $2

Discover the finest writing contests of 2024 for fiction and non-fiction authors — including short story competitions, essay writing competitions, poetry contests, and many more. Updated weekly, these contests are vetted by Reedsy to weed out the scammers and time-wasters. If you’re looking to stick to free writing contests, simply use our filters as you browse.

Why you should submit to writing contests

Submitting to poetry competitions and free writing contests in 2024 is absolutely worth your while as an aspiring author: just as your qualifications matter when you apply for a new job, a writing portfolio that boasts published works and award-winning pieces is a great way to give your writing career a boost. And not to mention the bonus of cash prizes!

That being said, we understand that taking part in writing contests can be tough for emerging writers. First, there’s the same affliction all writers face: lack of time or inspiration. Entering writing contests is a time commitment, and many people decide to forego this endeavor in order to work on their larger projects instead — like a full-length book. Second, for many writers, the chance of rejection is enough to steer them clear of writing contests. 

But we’re here to tell you that two of the great benefits of entering writing contests happen to be the same as those two reasons to avoid them.

When it comes to the time commitment: yes, you will need to expend time and effort in order to submit a quality piece of writing to competitions. That being said, having a hard deadline to meet is a great motivator for developing a solid writing routine.

Think of entering contests as a training session to become a writer who will need to meet deadlines in order to have a successful career. If there’s a contest you have your eye on, and the deadline is in one month, sit down and realistically plan how many words you’ll need to write per day in order to meet that due date — and don’t forget to also factor in the time you’ll need to edit your story!

For tips on setting up a realistic writing plan, check out this free, ten-day course: How to Build a Rock-Solid Writing Routine.

In regards to the fear of rejection, the truth is that any writer aspiring to become a published author needs to develop relatively thick skin. If one of your goals is to have a book traditionally published, you will absolutely need to learn how to deal with rejection, as traditional book deals are notoriously hard to score. If you’re an indie author, you will need to adopt the hardy determination required to slowly build up a readership.

The good news is that there’s a fairly simple trick for learning to deal with rejection: use it as a chance to explore how you might be able to improve your writing.

In an ideal world, each rejection from a publisher or contest would come with a detailed letter, offering construction feedback and pointing out specific tips for improvement. And while this is sometimes the case, it’s the exception and not the rule.

Still, you can use the writing contests you don’t win as a chance to provide yourself with this feedback. Take a look at the winning and shortlisted stories and highlight their strong suits: do they have fully realized characters, a knack for showing instead of telling, a well-developed but subtly conveyed theme, a particularly satisfying denouement?

The idea isn’t to replicate what makes those stories tick in your own writing. But most examples of excellent writing share a number of basic craft principles. Try and see if there are ways for you to translate those stories’ strong points into your own unique writing.

Finally, there are the more obvious benefits of entering writing contests: prize and publication. Not to mention the potential to build up your readership, connect with editors, and gain exposure.

Resources to help you win writing competitions in 2024

Every writing contest has its own set of submission rules. Whether those rules are dense or sparing, ensure that you follow them to a T. Disregarding the guidelines will not sway the judges’ opinion in your favor — and might disqualify you from the contest altogether. 

Aside from ensuring you follow the rules, here are a few resources that will help you perfect your submissions.

Free online courses

On Writing:

How to Craft a Killer Short Story

The Non-Sexy Business of Writing Non-Fiction

How to Write a Novel

Understanding Point of View

Developing Characters That Your Readers Will Love

Writing Dialogue That Develops Plot and Character

Stop Procrastinating! Build a Solid Writing Routine

On Editing:

Story Editing for Authors

How to Self-Edit Like a Pro

Novel Revision: Practical Tips for Rewrites

How to Write a Short Story in 7 Steps

How to Write a Novel in 15 Steps

Literary Devices and Terms — 35+ Definitions With Examples

10 Essential Fiction Writing Tips to Improve Your Craft

How to Write Dialogue: 8 Simple Rules and Exercises

8 Character Development Exercises to Help You Nail Your Character

Bonus resources

200+ Short Story Ideas

600+ Writing Prompts to Inspire You

100+ Creative Writing Exercises for Fiction Authors

Story Title Generator

Pen Name Generator

Character Name Generator

After you submit to a writing competition in 2024

It’s exciting to send a piece of writing off to a contest. However, once the initial excitement wears off, you may be left waiting for a while. Some writing contests will contact all entrants after the judging period — whether or not they’ve won. Other writing competitions will only contact the winners. 

Here are a few things to keep in mind after you submit:

Many writing competitions don’t have time to respond to each entrant with feedback on their story. However, it never hurts to ask! Feel free to politely reach out requesting feedback — but wait until after the selection period is over.

If you’ve submitted the same work to more than one writing competition or literary magazine, remember to withdraw your submission if it ends up winning elsewhere.

After you send a submission, don’t follow it up with a rewritten or revised version. Instead, ensure that your first version is thoroughly proofread and edited. If not, wait until the next edition of the contest or submit the revised version to other writing contests.

Join a community of over 1 million authors

Reedsy is more than just a blog. Become a member today to discover how we can help you publish a beautiful book.

Save your shortlist

Enter your email address to save your shortlist so that you don't lose it!

By continuing, you will also receive Reedsy's weekly publishing tips and access to our free webinars.

We sent over your shortlist. Thank you for using Reedsy's Writing Contest Directory, happy publishing! 🙌

Join our weekly contest

Get 5 new writing prompts every Friday. Write and submit a story for a chance to win $250.

1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy. Come meet them.

Enter your email or get started with a social account:

World Historian Student Essay Competition

The World Historian Student Essay Competition is an international competition open to students enrolled in grades K–12 in public, private, and parochial schools, and those in home-study programs. Membership in the World History Association is not a requirement for submission. Past winners may not compete in the same category again.

The World History Association established this $500 prize to recognize young scholars. A one-year membership in the WHA will also be included with each prize.

Each competitor will submit an essay that addresses the issue: In what way has the study of world history affected my understanding of the world in which I live?

The committee will judge papers according to the following criteria:

• clear thesis;
• elaboration on the thesis with specific, concrete, personal example(s);
• evidence of critical-thinking, such as synthesis and evaluation, when reflecting on the essay question;
• organization and fluency; and
• overall effectiveness of the student’s ability to communicate his or her personal connection with the study of world history—in other words, how well has the student described the experience of being changed by a better understanding of world history?

To view some of our past winning essays, please click on the links below.

2019 Paper Prize Winner

2018 Paper Prize Winner

2017 Paper Prize Winner

Submission Guidelines

Length & format.

Length:  Submissions for the K–12 World Historian Award should be approximately 1,000 words.

Formatting:  Number all pages except for the title page. All pages are to be double-spaced. Use 12-point Times New Roman Font. Margins are to be 1 inch left and right, and top and bottom.

Submissions must be composed in Microsoft Word.

The author’s identity is to appear nowhere on the paper.

A separate, unattached page should accompany the paper, identifying the author, title of paper, home address, telephone number, e-mail address, and name of school.

Papers that do not adhere to these guidelines will be disqualified.

Entries must be emailed or postmarked by the annual deadline of 1 May.

Winning papers will be announced during the summer.

The WHA reserves the right to publish in the  World History Bulletin  any essay (or portion thereof) submitted to the competition. It will do so solely at its discretion, but full acknowledgment of authorship will be given. If someone’s essay is published in whole or in part, the author will receive three (3) copies of the  Bulletin.

E-mail submission

Send the following materials as separate attachments (formatted in MS Word) in the same e-mail, with the subject line World Historian Student Essay :

• the paper, and
• a page with identifying information (author, title of paper, home address, telephone number, e-mail address, and name of school).

E-mail to: Susan Smith <[email protected]> .

Postal submission

Send five copies of the paper and five copies of the page with identifying information. In the lower left hand corner on the front of the envelope write:  World Historian Student Essay.

Susan Smith Maple Grove Senior High 9800 Fernbrook Lane N. Maple Grove, MN 55369-9747

World Historian Student Essay Competition Committee:

• Susan Smith, chair
• Paul Richgruber

Past Winners

• Amanda Zhao, Pacific Ridge School (Carlsbad, CA) “History: An Ode to the Bricks of Progress”
• Akram Elkouraichi, Yonkers Middle High School (Yonkers, NY) “The Realization of Impermanence: Ephemerality in World History as a Conceptual Framework”
• Steven Chen, Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School (Vancouver, BC, Canada) “A Human Story: World History as an Optimist”
• Juliana Boerema, Cary Christian School (Cary, North Carolina) “Brilliant Painting: How the Study of World History Changes Perspective”
• Ahmad Aamir, Lahore Grammar School (Lahore, Pakistan) “Learning from History: Cooperation, Belief, Scholarship, & Words”
• Vivian Liu, International School of Beijing (Beijing, China) “History: Bread of the World”
• Vanessa Yan, Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School (Bradenton, Florida) “World History: The Great Macroscope”
• Rachel Hughes, Webber Academy (Calgary, Canada), “Fostering a Universal Understanding of World History is the Key to a Brighter Tomorrow”
• Campbell Munson, The Episcopal School of Dallas, “How History Has Affected My Worldview: Economies, Migration, Causality and Disease”
• Jacob Cooper, North Oconee High School (Bogart, Georgia), “World History: The Basis for Self-Determination, Democracy, and Religion“
• Luke J. Hamilton, Sword Academy (Bridgeport, Nebraska), “The Present: Living History”
• David Kim, Wydown Middle School ( St. Louis), “History: The Shadow of the World”
• Elizabeth Mello, Dartmouth High School (Dartmouth, Massachusetts), “Out of Many Threads, One Cloth”

Copyright © 2024 | WordPress Theme by MH Themes

Upcoming Summer 2024 Application Deadline is May 12, 2024.  

Click here to apply.

Featured Posts

10 Software Engineering Programs for High School Students

8 ICEF Conferences You Should Be Attending as an Educational Consultant

11 Ways to Use AI Ethically in the College Admissions Process

NYU's Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP) - Our Review

10 Animation Summer Programs for High School Students

Discovery to Cure (DTC) High School Internship - Is It Worth It?

PCACAC's 2024 Conference - Should You Attend It?

RMACAC's Conference in 2024 - Should You Attend?

CEISMC's Summer P.E.A.K.S Program At Georgia Tech - Is It Worth It?

10 Kinesiology Summer Programs for High School Students

10 History Competitions for High School Students

Are you in high school and looking to participate in a history competition? Check out this curated list below of opportunities from across the country!

Competing and performing well in a history competition can offer valuable exposure by indicating your interest in the subject of history to potential colleges. Competitions also grant the opportunity to improve one’s skills in writing, public speaking, or debate , for example. Additionally, you can also choose to conduct independent research on various topics that come under the umbrella of history, and publish them in prestigious journals like the Concord Review !

Below are 10 history competitions to consider, some of which are offered in the summer and others during the school year. The programs range from live quiz competitions to essay competitions to oratory contests , so there is something for everyone!

We’ve also covered some great history programs in this blog, and research ideas in history here !

1. International History Olympiad

One of the most popular competitions at the high school level, the International History Olympiad is a competition attended by hundreds of students from all over the world. The multi-day series of events features numerous competitions (as well as non-competitive events) that offer many opportunities for students to win awards and connect with other individuals. The Olympiad takes place in a new location around the world each year (with past editions being held at Honolulu, Berlin, Rome), deeming it also a great opportunity to take advantage of in terms of international travel. Qualification is conducted through participation in regional, national, and international qualifying events.

Application Deadline: July 2024

Location: TBD, 2023’s competition took place in Rome

Prizes: Prizes vary by rank and competition

Eligibility: All high school students are eligible through participation in regional, national, and international qualifying events

2. The National History Bee

This popular competition takes place on an annual basis in the capital of the United States. In order to qualify for participation at the national level of the competition, students must advance beyond rounds at the local and state levels in their respective districts. The History Bee is a buzzer-based history quiz that occurs at the individual level, without the help of teammates. Students compete 1-1 over many rounds where they answer paragraph-long questions about various historical topics . Visit the National History Bee’s website to learn more about specific competition rules and formatting. This is a very esteemed competition where you can network with other students, learn more about historical facts, and impress colleges.

Application Deadline: TBA

Location: Washington, DC and Arlington, VA

Eligibility: All high school students younger than 19 years old: Varsity (11th and 12th grade), Junior Varsity (9th or 10th grade)

3. Joseph S. Rumbaugh Historical Oration Contest

This contest is offered by The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) and is an oration competition. Each participant must draft and present an original oration between five to six minutes in length . Then, students must deliver the oration from memory without notes or props. The topic must be an event, personality, or document related to the Revolutionary War. The oration must also show a relation between the chosen topic and America today. This is a great way to simultaneously develop public speaking and writing skills!

Students must get through preliminary local rounds, state levels, and then advance to the national level at which place scholarships and prizes are awarded. The orations are evaluated on composition, delivery, significance, historical accuracy, and other secondary criteria. Winners on the national level in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place receive cash prizes, as well as an Olympic-sized medal.

Application Deadline: TBA, varying by state and SAR chapter

Location: Virtual

Prizes: Varying cash prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners

Eligibility: Students in grades 9-12th

4. George S. & Stella M. Knight Essay Contest

Offered by The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), this essay competition invites students to submit an 800-1,200 word essay. The essay needs to be based on an event, person, philosophy or ideal associated with the American Revolution , Declaration of Independence, or the framing of the U.S Constitution. Essays will be judged on historical accuracy, clarity, organization, grammar, spelling, and documentation.

Like other competitions offered by the SAR, the contest is conducted in stages on the local, state, and national level. Contact your local chapter to enter into the competition. All essays must additionally include a title page, bibliography page, and a biography page. The prizes vary for the top 5 essay writers. However, the first place winning essay will be submitted in the SAR magazine and will have an opportunity to visit Washington, D,C. This is a great opportunity to strengthen one’s ability to conduct research and synthesize historical information .

Location: Virtual, through each SAR chapter

Prizes: Varying cash prizes for winners at each tier

5. The National History Day National Contest

The National Contest of National History Day is a massive gathering of nearly 3,000 individuals offered annually by the organization to student scholars and their families. National History Day invites successful winners of local and affiliate contests to share their research and other history-related work widely. Beyond competing in a variety of competitions, partnerships with local museums and cultural institutions offer students dynamic programming and professional development opportunities .

The gathering takes place in Maryland for a week-long series of events inviting students from all across the U.S., and the world. Students can also take the competition as a chance to explore Washington, D.C and benefit from the plethora of historical sites at the nation’s capital. This is a fantastic opportunity! To compete on such a national level is an amazing opportunity and very impressive feat that is sure to demonstrate your passion for history and historical reasoning to colleges.

Application Deadline: June 9-13, 2024

Location: University of Maryland, College Park

Prizes: Varying prizes per category of the competition

Eligibility: All high school students, teachers and parents are also invited

6. The National History Bowl

In a similar fashion to The National History Bee, The National History Bowl is offered once a year in the nation’s capitol to students who have advanced past local, regional, and state History Bowl competitions. The format is a buzzer-based history quiz with teams of up to 6 students . Students seek to answer questions faster than their opponents about topics covering: the history of the arts, sciences, religion, philosophy, language, historical geography, recent history, and even a bit of the history of sports and entertainment. Questions can reference all eras of history in all geographic regions of the world . Check out their website for specific information about the tournament format and how to advance in each round.

Note : We’ve covered the competition in depth here !

Application Deadline: TBD

7. World Historian Student Essay Competition

Offered by the World History Association, this international contest asks students to address a historical topic and its relation to student’s personal lives and world history at large. An example of a past paper topic is: “My ancestor walked with Abraham Lincoln from Illinois to fight in the Black Hawk War of 1832." The essays are judged based on the thesis, evidence of critical-thinking, organization, and other criteria. Overall, this written competition is a pretty good opportunity to assess your writing ability from a renowned organization in the discipline of history.

Application Deadline: May 1, 2024

Prizes: $500 Prize and a one year membership to the World History Association

Eligibility: An international competition for students in grades K-12

8. The American History Essay Contest

Presented by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), this essay competition seeks to introduce younger students to employ creativity in thinking about the history of the United States . The DAR set out a unique topic for each competition cycle and the submissions are judged for historical accuracy, topic adherence, organization of materials, originality, and writing quality. The essays are evaluated on a local, state, divisional, and national level. The contest is carried out through participating chapters of the DAR organization.

Application Deadline: Varies, contact your local DAR chapter

Prizes: Certificate of participation for each student and varying medals and awards for winners at each division (local, state. national)

Eligibility: Students in 9th-12th grade

9. Write Your Own Historical Fiction Competition

The Write Your Own Historical Fiction Competition is offered by The Historical Association each year to students across the world. Although varying by year, the organization typically does not assign a firm theme for the entries to the competition. The essays, ranging from 400 to 3500 words, are evaluated for their historical accuracy, convincing storytelling, effective use of historical vocabulary, and creativity. Do note that entries must be submitted by a teacher on behalf of a school.

Although the competition’s premise is a bit unconventional for a history competition, this contest offers students a unique opportunity to channel their creativity through the lens of an important academic subject . This will prove very beneficial when writing applications to colleges, or other writing endeavors at large.

Application Deadline: TBA, likely June 2024

Prizes: Cash awards for winners as well as a specially-designed notebook

Eligibility: Students in Years 5-13. Internationally

10. The David McCullough Essay Prize

Named after the Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, this essay competition offered by The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History , recognizes outstanding high school student research essays each year. Essays for the competition (between 1,500-2,000 words) are required to center primary source analysis of a document in American history from 1493 to 2000. This is a solid opportunity to conduct historical research very similar to collegiate writing , with citations, a bibliography and secondary sources attached.

Prizes: Cash awards for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place and a certificate of participation for all students

Eligibility: Students in 10th-12th grade part of the National Academy of American History and Civics

If you are interested in doing university-level research in history and politics, then you could also consider applying to the Lumiere Research Scholar Program , a selective online high school program for high school students. Last year, we had over 4000 students apply for 500 spots in the program! You can find the application form here.

Aisha is a student at Princeton University, studying Anthropology and Global Health. On campus, she is involved with student groups centered around health equity and cultural affinity. In her free time, she enjoys podcasting, learning languages, and trying new recipes.

Image Source: National History Bowl logo

Skip to Main Content of WWII

2023 student writing contest, 2023-2024 student writing contest winners.

Congratulations to our winners! There were over 200 entries from students across the United States. Entries went through three vigorous rounds of blind vetting by classroom teachers from across the country, Museum curators and Museum educators.

Junior Division

Senior division.

The 2024-2025 Student Writing Contest topic will go live in mid-October and submissions will be accepted from the end of October through January 2025. We look forward to having YOU participate!

Topic Overview

According to Cornell Law School, civil liberties are:

• Freedoms guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution (primarily from the First Amendment ). They are natural rights which are inherent to each person. While they are commonly referred to as " rights ," civil liberties actually operate as restraints on how the government can treat its citizens . As such, the First Amendment's language (" congress shall make no law") explicitly prohibits the government from infringing on liberties, such as the freedom of speech .
• Civil liberties are constitutionally protected freedoms.
• Civil rights are claims built upon legislation .
• A violation of civil rights affords the injured party a right to legal action against the violator. For example, the freedom of religion is recognized as both a civil right and civil liberty; it is protected under the Constitution from government infringement (liberty) as well as under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 from being the basis of discriminatory practices.

Approximately 33,000 Japanese Americans served in the US Armed Forces during World War II. Many of them voluntarily enlisted despite having their civil liberties infringed upon by the US government with the execution of Executive Order 9066 in 1942. This order forcibly incarcerated around 122,000 men, women and children in relocation centers in the interior of the United States.

The majority of those 33,000 served in the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team or as linguists with the Military Intelligence Service. The 100th/442nd remains the most decorated unit for its size and duration of service in US Army history. “Go for Broke” means risking everything to win big. This was the motto adopted by these units.

Writing Prompt

Write a speech from the perspective of one of these service members speaking to a group of students today in 2023.

In it, you must:

• Include that person’s motivation for voluntarily enlisting in the military despite the circumstances.
• Describe any opposition to that idea (motivation) that people may have had then or may have now.
• Discuss the legacy of this chapter of American history and how it relates to modern civil liberties.
• Use evidence from at least three sources listed here.
• Use information and examples from your own knowledge of US History.
• Civil Exclusion Order Poster
• Article on Japanese Incarceration
• Glossary of Terms
• Walter Imahara Oral History
• 1944 Rohwer Center Yearbook
• Article on High School Life in Rohwer Center
• Article on Music at Heart Mountain
• Article on Jimmy Kanaya
• Profile of Sadao Munemori
• Profile of Senator Daniel Inouye
• Article on 100th Infantry Battalion
• Article on 442nd Regimental Combat Team
• Article on the Military Intelligence Service
• Article on 1800th Engineering Battalion
• Article on Japanese American Wartime Experiences in Hawaii
• Article on Servicemen’s Thoughts on Japanese Incarceration
• Article on the Return of Japanese Americans to the West Coast
• Article on an Incarcerated Interracial Couple
• Article on Redress and Reparations
• Letter of Apology
• Student Webinar on Japanese American Servicemembers Pt. 1
• Student Webinar on Japanese American Servicemembers Pt. 2
• Electronic Field Trip on Japanese Incarceration
• 1943 Government Propaganda Film
• Image Gallery
• Day of Remembrance
• The Go for Broke Spirit Website
• Korematsu v. US Case
• Fred T. Korematsu Institute Website
• 14th Amendment

Contest Policies

Eligibility

The contest is open to United States students in grades 7 through 12 attending public, private, parochial, or home schools; U.S. students under the age of twenty enrolled in a high school correspondence/GED program in any of the fifty states, the District of Columbia, or the U.S. territories; and U.S. citizens attending schools overseas.

Requirements

• The contest opens on October 18, 2023 and the deadline to submit is January 29, 2024 at 11:59 PM (CST).
• Students may submit a typed copy OR a video of themselves reciting it.
• If typed, speeches can be no more than 750 words but must be a minimum of 500 words. It should be double spaced, have a title and be in 12-point font. It should be uploaded as a PDF.
• If you choose to record yourself in a video, it should be between 4 and 8 minutes long. Please be mindful of background noise and your attire. Be sure to speak loudly and clearly. Please do not read; instead, speak naturally (it's okay to write and review before you record or to have talking points). It must be uploaded as a MOV, MP4 or WMV.
• Speeches must be the original work of the student.

All entries must be submitted by 11:59pm (CST) on January 29, 2024 to be eligible for judging. The National WWII Museum is not responsible for lost, late, misdirected, damaged, illegible, or incomplete submissions.

Decisions of the NWWIIM Student Writing Contest are final. Winners will be notified by email by February 7, 2024. The winners will be posted on The National WWII Museum’s website and will also receive a certificate by the end of February 2024. Awards will be sent via direct deposit during the Spring of 2024.

By entering, you agree that your speech will become the property of The National WWII Museum and will not be returned. The National WWII Museum reserves the right to print and display the speeches names and photographs of the contest winners.

Recognition and Awards

There will be 2 categories: Junior (grades 7-9) and Senior (grades 10-12).

• First place winners in both categories will win $750 each.
• Second place winners in both categories will win $500 each.
• Third place winners in both categories will win $250 each.
• Honorable Mention in both categories will win $100 each.

Submit your speech here .

This writing contest is inspired by the special exhibit currently at The National WWII Museum. The Go for Broke Spirit: Legacy in Portraits is on display in the Joe W. and Dorothy D. Brown Foundation Special Exhibit Gallery until March 31, 2024.

Student Essay Contest $3,000 First Prize

The 2021 Essay Contest is complete.  Scroll down to see the winners. We look forward to our second annual essay contest in 2022!

2021 Essay Contest Winners

Recipe for Success: The Campbell’s Story

Nov 20, 2021 | Articles , Consumer Products , Newsletters , Student Essay Contest

In this week’s newsletter, we publish one of the best essays from our high school essay contest, by one of our honorable mention winners.  This excellent history of the Campbell Soup Company was written by Diya Patel of Woodland Park, New Jersey.  Diya...

From Olympic Swimmer to Small Business Owner: The Tale of Calphin

Oct 28, 2021 | Articles , Media & Entertainment , Newsletters , Student Essay Contest

American business and entrepreneurial energy extends to every industry.  Many great businesses have been created by immigrants from around the globe.  The excellent company history below, which won third prize in our Essay Contest for High School students,...

A Family of Brands in a Family Business: The Story of National Safety Apparel

Oct 14, 2021 | Articles , Newsletters , Other Industries , Student Essay Contest

This week we proudly present another one of the top essays submitted by high school students.  You can see that we had many great essays and picking the top ones was difficult.  This essay won our second highest prize.  Gary Hoover Executive Director...

High School Essay Contest Winners and First Prize Essay: The Champion Bridge Story

Oct 1, 2021 | American Business History Center News , Newsletters , Student Essay Contest

We are very proud to announce the winners in our first annual Student Essay Contest, open to American residents eighteen or under who submitted a history of a local company.  Thanks to our donors, we are able to give out $7500 in prizes, including a $3000 first...

Essay Contest Results

• Tickets & Hours
• Parking & Directions
• Accessibility
• AWM Exclusives
• Watch Past Events
• American Writers Festival
• Venue Rentals
• Adult Group Experiences
• Corporate Experiences
• Field Trips (K-12)
• In-Person Permanent Exhibits
• In-Person Temporary Exhibits
• Online Exhibits
• Book Club Reading Recommendations
• AWM Author Talks
• Nation of Writers
• Dead Writer Drama
• Affiliate Museums
• In-Person Field Trips
• Virtual Field Trips
• Resources by Grade Level
• Resources by Exhibit
• Inquiry-Based Curriculum
• Using Primary Sources
• Educational Updates
• Current Competition
• Past Winners
• My America Curriculum
• Dark Testament Curriculum
• Donor Societies
• Apply to Volunteer
• OnWord Annual Benefit
• Planned Giving
• Sponsorship
• History & Mission
• Diversity & Equity
• National Advisory Council
• Curating Team
• Board of Trustees
• Jobs & Volunteering

John Estey Student Writing Competition

5th Annual Student Writing Competition

2024 Competition Prompt

“Tradition was safety; change was danger.” — Mary Doria Russell, The Sparrow

Mary Doria Russell’s The Sparrow is a visionary work that combines speculative fiction with deep philosophical inquiry. The Sparrow tells the story of a charismatic Jesuit priest and linguist, Emilio Sandoz, who leads a scientific mission entrusted with a profound task: to make first contact with intelligent extraterrestrial life. The mission begins in faith, hope, and beauty, but a series of small misunderstandings brings it to a catastrophic end.

The Sparrow is recommended for ages 16 and up.

This prompt is a quote from Russell’s The Sparrow and can be used as a first line, a last line, a jumping-off point, an inspiration for your students’ work. They can use the entire quote or portions of it to write a fiction or nonfiction story, poem, song, scene, short monologue or other form of writing. Submissions should be 1,000 words or less regardless of format.

Prizes for the John Estey Student Writing Competition are as follows:

• 3 Winners from the Elementary Grade category will receive $500 each
• 3 Winners from the Middle School Category will receive $1,000 each
• 3 Winners from the High School category will receive $2,000 each

Homeschoolers are welcome to participate in the competition. Please indicate school name as ‘Homeschool’ while filling out the form.

International students may participate in the competition. Please indicate your school’s city and country clearly in the school name field when filling out the form. Be advised, the AWM requires a teacher email and name to participate. 

Steps to submit your students’ written pieces:

• Fill out the intent to participate form below.
• Submission links will be sent out to you on Monday, April 22, 2024. Note: Submissions will be accepted only via our submission link.
• Once you submit your written piece, you will receive an automated email.
• Winners will be contacted by August 30, 2024 before the names are announced to the public.

Submission deadline: June 7, 2024 at 11:59 PM CDT*

Winner announcement: September 10, 2024

* Not eligible to participate: Past winners of the competition, relatives of AWM staff or board.

*To submit your student’s work, please fill out the intent to participate form and you will receive a submission link from the education team at a later date. Submissions will ONLY be accepted through the submission link.

• The 3  winners of the Elementary Grade category will receive $500
• The 3 winners of the Middle School category will receive $1,000
• The 3 winners of the High School category will receive $2,000

Category Selection

• Elementary Grade Level (Grades 3-5)
• Middle School Grade Level (Grades 6-8)
• High School Grade Level (Grades 9-12)
• Only 3 entries per category from one school.
• Teachers will be allowed to submit entries for multiple categories.
• A school with K-8 students can submit 6 entries (3 for Elementary and 3 for Middle School).
• A school that is a stand alone middle school, or a high school can submit only 3.
• If multiple teachers in a school have their students compete, the school needs to pick the top 3 for the school.
• Winners agree to be filmed reading their work and to be featured in a press release and on the American Writers Museum website.

Contact [email protected] with any questions

Previous Winners

• Siaansh Singh Bhadauria – Deerfield Elementary School, CA
• Aydin Soner – Homeschool, SC
• Aiza Liya Vattoth – Forest Park Elementary, AR
• Olivia Bakal – Oakwood School, CA
• Evelyn Basken – Alcott College Prep Elementary School, IL
• Catherine Huang – Collegewood Elementary School , CA
• Chloe Truong – Norwood Park School, IL
• Sophiya Subba – Whittier Elementary School, IL
• Raymond Cai – Keystone School, TX
• Audriana Giudice – Lazar Middle School, NJ
• Taylor Haase – The Rhoades School, CA
• Chloe Lind – Ashley Hall School, SC
• Alessandra Giordano – Lazar Middle School, NJ
• Alisha Walker – Lincoln Middle School, IL
• Taskin Arisha – Castle Hill Middle School, NY
• Aisling Panjwani – Skinner North Classical School, IL
• Brooke Elwell – Eastern Camden County Regional High School, NJ
• Anita Raj – Eastern Camden County Regional High School, NJ
• Charity White – Carlisle School, VA
• Elizabeth Boguslavsky – Glenbard South High School, IL
• Lana Olarte – Durham School of the Arts, NC
• Katie Liske – Marian High School, NE
• Adina Tanner – Yeshiva University High School for Girls, NY
• Nina Artwell – Niles North High School, IL
• Ysa Quiballo – Niles North High School, IL
• Search for:

Username or email address  *

Password  *

Remember me Log in

Lost your password?

• Preservation
• Digitization

Essay Contest

2023 Save Texas History Essay Contest Results.

Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, M.D., is pleased to announce the winners and finalists of the 2023 Save Texas History Essay Contest, sponsored by the Texas General Land Office’s Save Texas History Program. Fourth- and seventh-grade students from across Texas answered the question, “What history in your community is worth saving?”

"It has been an honor to read about young Texans' passion for our state's rich history. These students truly produced many incredible essays for this one-of-a-kind competition," said Commissioner Buckingham. “Both of our grand prize winners, Katy and Coltier, wrote about unique parts of their communities that bring people and families together in tradition and good fun. Congratulations to this year’s winners, the finalists, and all who contributed their creativity and invaluable perspectives to the ongoing story of Texas' history!"

The fourth-grade grand prize winner is Katy Bowman, daughter of Melony and James Bowman. Katy is in Yeraldinne John’s class at Doral Academy Texas in Buda. Her essay, My Courthouse , shares her love of Caldwell County’s courthouse and square. She particularly loves the many festivals and events it hosts, such as farmers’ markets, Courthouse Nights, Run for the Bulls, Día de los Muertos, and the annual Christmas parade. As Katy notes, “People from the community come and listen to music, talk, dance, and laugh together.”

  CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD ESSAY

The seventh-grade grand prize winner is Coltier Dodd, son of Lauren and Shawn Dodd. Coltier is in Darcey Ham’s class at Northside ISD in Vernon . His essay, The Santa Rosa Rodeo Grounds – Keeping Traditions Alive , showcases the only wooden rodeo arena still in use in Texas. Coltier’s connection is also personal, with both his grandfather and mother having a long history with the local riding club – and hopefully that will continue “for many more generations to come.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD ESSAY

The grand prize winners will each receive a $500 gift card courtesy of Christopher Cantu of Kingsview Partners in Georgetown. The ten finalists will each receive a $100 gift card courtesy of the Sons of the Republic of Texas (SRT) – Moses Austin Chapter, and Buck Cole. In addition, the SRT, Texas State Historical Association, and Texas General Land Office will provide an assortment of contest prizes to all the winning students and their teachers.

Fourth Grade Finalists:

Thiago Braga

Dearing Elementary School

Parent(s)/Guardian(s): Andrea Fernandes and Augusto Braga, Pflugerville, TX

Teacher: Jamie Cowan

Essay Topic: Texas Capitol Building

William Miller

Brentwood Christian School

Parent(s)/Guardian(s): Lindsay and Michael Miller, Austin, TX

Teacher: Brittney Rackley

Essay Topic: Walnut Creek

Olen Nnabuihe

Windermere Elementary School

Parent(s)/Guardian(s): Miriam and Obi Nnabuihe, Pflugerville, TX

Teacher: Tim Lee

Essay Topic: Lake Pflugerville

Arielle Solomon

Ohr Zahava School/Great Hearts Online Texas

Parent(s)/Guardian(s): Leah and Avraham Solomon, Houston, TX

Teachers: Sara Masarsky and Megan Salaiz

Essay Topic: Honeybees and the local environment

Kinsey Paige Weinheimer

Industrial Elementary West

Parent(s)/Guardian(s): Joleen and Klint Weinheimer, Inez, TX

Teacher: Kori Bordovsky

Essay Topic: Industrial Little League Ballpark

Seventh Grade Finalists:

Ganessa Kluger

Parent(s)/Guardian(s): Megan and Jacob Kluger, Houston, TX

Teachers: Sara Masarsky and Jessica Guinn

Essay Topic: Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park

Malayshia Livingston

Odyssey Academy

Parent(s)/Guardian(s): Meoucha Davis and Aretha Davis (Grandmother), Galveston, TX

Teacher: Kella Dohring

Essay Topic: 1900 Great Storm Statue

Yukta Sri Mididoddi

Bill Hays Middle School

Parent(s)/Guardian(s): Swarna Latha and Gopi Krishna Mididoddi, Frisco, TX

Teacher: Jessica McDowell

Essay Topic: The St. Louis San Francisco Railway

Benjamin Rottinghaus

Memorial Middle School

Parent(s)/Guardian(s): Tracy Leroy and Brandon Rottinghaus, Houston, TX

Teacher: Caroline Maddox

Essay Topic: Texas expressions and language

Pranati S. Tumuluri

Parent(s)/Guardian(s): Madhavi and Srinivas Tumuluri, Frisco, TX

Essay Topic: Cattle Trails on Preston Road

All public, private and home-schooled students of appropriate age for the fourth grade or seventh grade were eligible to participate. Essays for the annual contest were judged on originality of idea, cohesiveness of thought and organization. Proper grammar, spelling and punctuation were also taken into account.

For more information, contact [email protected] .

The Texas General Land Office Save Texas History™ program is a statewide initiative to rally public support and private funding for the preservation and promotion of more than 35 million historic maps and documents. With the twin goals of preservation and education, the Save Texas History program seeks to conserve these documents for future generations and educate Texans about the rich heritage found in these vital records.

LOCATION & HOURS

Connect & follow.

Jump to navigation Skip to content

Search form

• P&W on Facebook
• P&W on Twitter
• P&W on Instagram

Find details about every creative writing competition—including poetry contests, short story competitions, essay contests, awards for novels, grants for translators, and more—that we’ve published in the Grants & Awards section of Poets & Writers Magazine during the past year. We carefully review the practices and policies of each contest before including it in the Writing Contests database, the most trusted resource for legitimate writing contests available anywhere.

Find a home for your poems, stories, essays, and reviews by researching the publications vetted by our editorial staff. In the Literary Magazines database you’ll find editorial policies, submission guidelines, contact information—everything you need to know before submitting your work to the publications that share your vision for your work.

Whether you’re pursuing the publication of your first book or your fifth, use the Small Presses database to research potential publishers, including submission guidelines, tips from the editors, contact information, and more.

Research more than one hundred agents who represent poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers, plus details about the kinds of books they’re interested in representing, their clients, and the best way to contact them.

Every week a new publishing professional shares advice, anecdotes, insights, and new ways of thinking about writing and the business of books.

Find publishers ready to read your work now with our Open Reading Periods page, a continually updated resource listing all the literary magazines and small presses currently open for submissions.

Since our founding in 1970, Poets & Writers has served as an information clearinghouse of all matters related to writing. While the range of inquiries has been broad, common themes have emerged over time. Our Top Topics for Writers addresses the most popular and pressing issues, including literary agents, copyright, MFA programs, and self-publishing.

Our series of subject-based handbooks (PDF format; $4.99 each) provide information and advice from authors, literary agents, editors, and publishers. Now available: The Poets & Writers Guide to Publicity and Promotion, The Poets & Writers Guide to the Book Deal, The Poets & Writers Guide to Literary Agents, The Poets & Writers Guide to MFA Programs, and The Poets & Writers Guide to Writing Contests.

Find a home for your work by consulting our searchable databases of writing contests, literary magazines, small presses, literary agents, and more.

Poets & Writers lists readings, workshops, and other literary events held in cities across the country. Whether you are an author on book tour or the curator of a reading series, the Literary Events Calendar can help you find your audience.

Get the Word Out is a new publicity incubator for debut fiction writers and poets.

Research newspapers, magazines, websites, and other publications that consistently publish book reviews using the Review Outlets database, which includes information about publishing schedules, submission guidelines, fees, and more.

Well over ten thousand poets and writers maintain listings in this essential resource for writers interested in connecting with their peers, as well as editors, agents, and reading series coordinators looking for authors. Apply today to join the growing community of writers who stay in touch and informed using the Poets & Writers Directory.

Let the world know about your work by posting your events on our literary events calendar, apply to be included in our directory of writers, and more.

Find a writers group to join or create your own with Poets & Writers Groups. Everything you need to connect, communicate, and collaborate with other poets and writers—all in one place.

Find information about more than two hundred full- and low-residency programs in creative writing in our MFA Programs database, which includes details about deadlines, funding, class size, core faculty, and more. Also included is information about more than fifty MA and PhD programs.

Whether you are looking to meet up with fellow writers, agents, and editors, or trying to find the perfect environment to fuel your writing practice, the Conferences & Residencies is the essential resource for information about well over three hundred writing conferences, writers residencies, and literary festivals around the world.

Discover historical sites, independent bookstores, literary archives, writing centers, and writers spaces in cities across the country using the Literary Places database—the best starting point for any literary journey, whether it’s for research or inspiration.

Search for jobs in education, publishing, the arts, and more within our free, frequently updated job listings for writers and poets.

Establish new connections and enjoy the company of your peers using our searchable databases of MFA programs and writers retreats, apply to be included in our directory of writers, and more.

• Register for Classes

Each year the Readings & Workshops program provides support to hundreds of writers participating in literary readings and conducting writing workshops. Learn more about this program, our special events, projects, and supporters, and how to contact us.

The Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Award introduces emerging writers to the New York City literary community, providing them with a network for professional advancement.

Find information about how Poets & Writers provides support to hundreds of writers participating in literary readings and conducting writing workshops.

Bring the literary world to your door—at half the newsstand price. Available in print and digital editions, Poets & Writers Magazine is a must-have for writers who are serious about their craft.

View the contents and read select essays, articles, interviews, and profiles from the current issue of the award-winning Poets & Writers Magazine .

Read essays, articles, interviews, profiles, and other select content from Poets & Writers Magazine as well as Online Exclusives.

View the covers and contents of every issue of Poets & Writers Magazine , from the current edition all the way back to the first black-and-white issue in 1987.

Every day the editors of Poets & Writers Magazine scan the headlines—publishing reports, literary dispatches, academic announcements, and more—for all the news that creative writers need to know.

In our weekly series of craft essays, some of the best and brightest minds in contemporary literature explore their craft in compact form, articulating their thoughts about creative obsessions and curiosities in a working notebook of lessons about the art of writing.

The Time Is Now offers weekly writing prompts in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction to help you stay committed to your writing practice throughout the year. Sign up to get The Time Is Now, as well as a weekly book recommendation for guidance and inspiration, delivered to your inbox.

Every week a new author shares books, art, music, writing prompts, films—anything and everything—that has inspired and shaped the creative process.

Listen to original audio recordings of authors featured in Poets & Writers Magazine . Browse the archive of more than 400 author readings.

Ads in Poets & Writers Magazine and on pw.org are the best ways to reach a readership of serious poets and literary prose writers. Our audience trusts our editorial content and looks to it, and to relevant advertising, for information and guidance.

Start, renew, or give a subscription to Poets & Writers Magazine ; change your address; check your account; pay your bill; report a missed issue; contact us.

Peruse paid listings of writing contests, conferences, workshops, editing services, calls for submissions, and more.

Poets & Writers is pleased to provide free subscriptions to Poets & Writers Magazine to award-winning young writers and to high school creative writing teachers for use in their classrooms.

Read select articles from the award-winning magazine and consult the most comprehensive listing of literary grants and awards, deadlines, and prizewinners available in print.

• Subscribe Now

Writing Contests, Grants & Awards

• See Recent Winners
• View the Submission Calendar

The Writing Contests, Grants & Awards database includes details about the creative writing contests—including poetry contests, short story competitions, essay contests, awards for novels, and more—that we’ve published in Poets & Writers Magazine during the past year. We carefully review the practices and policies of each contest before including it. Ours is the most trusted resource for legitimate writing contests available anywhere.

Whiting Foundation

Creative nonfiction grants.

Up to 10 grants of $40,000 each are given annually for creative nonfiction works-in-progress to enable writers to complete their books. Creative nonfiction writers under...

Poetry and Short Story Awards

Two prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Sixfold are given quarterly for a group of poems and a short story. Using only the online submission system, submit up to...

Australian Book Review

Elizabeth jolley short story prize.

A prize of $6,000 AUD (approximately $3,931) is given annually for a short story. A second-place prize of $4,000 AUD (approximately $2,621) and a third-place prize of $2,500...

Poetry International

Poetry international prize.

A prize of $1,000 and publication in Poetry International is given annually for a single poem. Using only the online submission system, submit up to three poems of any...

Short Story Contest

A prize of $1,000 is given biannually for a short story. Using only the online submission system, submit a story of 1,001 to 7,500 words with a $15 entry fee...

Tadpole Press

100-word writing contest.

A prize of $2,000 is given biannually for a work of flash poetry or prose. Manuscripts written in a language other than English are accepted when accompanied by an English...

Chapbook Prize

A prize of $1,000, publication by Oversound , and 50 author copies is given annually for a poetry chapbook. Diana Khoi Nguyen will judge. Using only the online submission...

Autumn House Press

Nonfiction prize.

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Autumn House Press is given annually for a book of nonfiction. The winner also receives a $1,500 travel and publicity grant. Clifford...

University of Iowa Press

Iowa poetry prize.

Publication by University of Iowa Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 50 to 150 pages with a $20...

University of Pittsburgh Press

Agnes lynch starrett poetry prize.

A prize of $5,000 and publication by University of Pittsburgh Press is given annually for a debut poetry collection. Using only the online submission system, submit a...

Marsh Hawk Press

Poetry prize.

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Marsh Hawk Press is given annually for a poetry collection. John Keene will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a...

Inlandia Institute

Hillary gravendyk prizes.

Two prizes of $1,000 each, publication by the Inlandia Institute, and 20 author copies are given annually for a poetry collection by a U.S. resident and a poetry collection by...

Ghost Story

Supernatural fiction award.

A prize of $1,500 and publication on the Ghost Story website and in the 21st Century Ghost Stories anthology series is given biannually for a short story with a...

Tupelo Press

Berkshire prize.

A prize of $3,000, publication by Tupelo Press, and 20 author copies is given annually for a first or second poetry collection. English translations of works originally written...

Winning Writers

Tom howard/john h. reid fiction & essay contest.

Two prizes of $3,500 each, two gift certificates for two-year memberships to the literary database Duotrope, and publication on the Winning Writers website are given annually...

McGill University

Montreal international poetry prize.

A prize of $20,000 Canadian (approximately $14,807) and publication in the Montreal Poetry Prize anthology is given biennially for a poem. A.E. Stallings will judge, and...

Backwaters Press

Backwaters prize in poetry.

A prize of $2,000 and publication by Backwaters Press, an imprint of University of Nebraska Press, is given annually for a poetry collection. An honorable...

Noemi Press

A prize of $2,000 and publication by Noemi Press is given annually for a book of poetry. The editors will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of...

Atlanta Review

International poetry contest.

A prize of $1,000 and publication in Atlanta Review is given annually for a single poem. Using only the online submission system, submit up to five poems of any length...

Breakwater Review

Peseroff prize.

A prize of $1,000 and publication in Breakwater Review ...

Ashland Poetry Press

Richard snyder memorial publication prize.

A prize of $1,000, publication by Ashland Poetry Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Matthew Rohrer will judge. Using only the online...

High Desert Museum

Waterston desert writing prize.

A prize of $3,000 is given annually for a work of nonfiction that recognizes “the vital role deserts play worldwide in the ecosystem and the human narrative...

Writer’s Digest

Annual writing competition.

A prize of $5,000, an interview in Writer’s Digest , and an all-expenses-paid trip to the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference is given annually for a single poem, a short...

Ploughshares

Emerging writer’s contest.

Three prizes of $2,000 each and publication in Ploughshares are given annually for a poem or group of poems, a short story, and an essay. Each winner also receives a...

Academy of American Poets

Lenore marshall poetry prize.

A prize of $25,000 is given annually for a poetry collection by a living poet published in the United States during the previous year. The winner also...

• View Calendar

The Ph.D. Program in History

at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York

George Watt Essay Contest 2024

The Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives is an organization dedicated to preserving the legacy of the American volunteers who fought in the Spanish Civil War. They have an annual essay contest, The Watt Prize, named in honor of Lincoln Brigade volunteer George Watt, a writer, and lifelong activist central to the creation of ALBA, which is now accepting submissions. Students from anywhere in the world are invited to submit an essay or thesis chapter about any aspect of the Spanish Civil War, the global political or cultural struggles against fascism in the 1920s and 1930s, or the lifetime histories and contributions of the international volunteers who fought in support of the Spanish Republic from 1936 to 1938.

The contest offers cash prizes and accepts submissions in the Graduate and Undergraduate categories. More information about the essay contest and a detailed look at the contest requirements and judging criteria are located here on their website . The essay requirements and deadline are also listed below:

Email Submissions to  WattAward@alba-valb.org

Graduate Award ( Up to $1000)

• Submissions must be between 3,500 and 12,500 words.
• Submissions may be in Spanish or English.
• The Applicant must currently be registered as a graduate student and work must be related to graduate studies.
• Winners are expected to make a statement/presentation to the selection committee prior to award disbursement.
• Any work produced since August 1, 2023, is eligible for the competition.
• One essay will be awarded up to $1000
• Deadline: July 5, 2024

Undergraduate Award ( Up to $500)

• Essays must be between 2,000 and 10,500 words.
• Submissions must have been produced to fulfill an undergraduate course or degree requirement (please specify course, degree, and institution; for thesis chapters, please add a thesis abstract).
• One essay will be awarded up to $500

Share this:

• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

This entry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.

• Summer 2024 Digital Humanities / Research Assistant

Need help with the Commons?

Email us at [email protected] so we can respond to your questions and requests. Please email from your CUNY email address if possible. Or visit our help site for more information:

• Terms of Service
• Accessibility
• Creative Commons (CC) license unless otherwise noted

• What majors and programs are available at WKU?
• How do I apply for financial aid and scholarships?
• Where can I register for a campus tour?
• What housing options are available?
• How can I contact an academic advisor?

• Potter College

WKU History Department - Essay Contests

2019-20 History Essay/Video Contests

The WKU History Department is pleased to announce its first annual history contest for Kentucky high school students. There are three separate contests students may enter (students are free to enter as many as they would like):

Students will need to write an essay that makes a historical argument  that incorporates a variety of primary documents and puts it into its chronological context.

Students will be provided a primary source with all references to location and time period removed.  They then will have to use historical reasoning to figure out where and when it’s from and explain their reasoning.

Students will make a short video reporting on or acting out a famous historical event.  The video should be mostly historically accurate and point to the event’s significance but can also be fun and creative.  

Full descriptions of each contest and rules for applying are listed at the links above or to the right; you can also view or download the WKU History Essay Contests flyer .

Because we got a late start announcing the contest last Fall and submissions so far are limited, we've decided to extend the deadline for entering the WKU History Department's first annual history essay and video contest for regional high school students.

The new deadline is Friday Feb. 28th.

Applicants’ entries will be assessed by the WKU History Department in terms of how much they reveal student understanding of the relevant history and the process of doing history.

Awards Recognition for finalists, teachers, and/or families will be on Friday, March 20 at Diddle Arena and will commence right after the awards announcements for the Frances Thompson History Contest.

The winners will receive the following prizes:  First Place: $150 cash; Second Place: $100 cash; Third Place: $50 cash. The winners' schools will also receive $50 contributions to their PTA funds. In addition, students who enroll at WKU and become History minors and majors will also become eligible for substantial scholarship awards.

Submissions:

Submit your application for the 2020 Essay Contests (you may enter more than one) at the link below:

https://wku.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2n5tOD7fkpC1dAN

Be sure to follow the instructions at the end of the application form for how to send in your work, and to include the student's name, the school name, and the teacher's name in all email communications.

Questions can be addressed to Dr. Anthony Harkins at [email protected]

Document Based Essay Contest

History Detective Contest

Reel History Video Contest

 Visit us on Facebook , Twitter , YouTube , and Instagram

Some of the links on this page may require additional software to view.

University Interscholastic League

This is the main content.

Latino History Essay Competition

Academic contests.

• Contest Materials
• Computer Applications
• Current Issues & Events
• Essay Contests
• Literary Criticism
• Ready Writing
• Social Studies
• Spelling & Vocabulary

Essay Contests Contact Info

Essay Contests Assistant Director: Lisa Parker

Department Phone: 512-471-5883

Founded in 2011 as an event sponsored by The University of Texas at Austin, the Latino History Essay Competition has found a new home with UIL Academics beginning with the 2012-2013 school year. In its initial year the competition was open to students in South Texas; beginning with 2012-2013 the competition was opened to students statewide.

Competition Theme

Historical and cultural legacies of latinos in texas history.

Essays should focus on a prominent or relatively unknown Latino individual, organization or movement in Texas history. How has the subject of the essay positively and significantly influenced today's Latino communities?

Entry Deadline

February 14, 2024 .

Entries will be submitted electronically. All essays received on or before February 14, 2024, that meet the basic requirements of the competition will be entered for judging.

General Guidelines

• Essay with a word count between 1,500 and 2,500 words.

• Research paper format - MLA format or APA format recommended

• Source citations and bibliography required

• Essays should display original research; use of primary sources and interviews strongly encouraged

Competition Structure and Awards

• Any student in grades 9-12 who attends a UIL member high school is eligible to enter

• Open division structure - all entries that meet basic requirements will be included in essay judging

• Judges will evaluate each entry and provide comments that will be returned to contestants

• Judges will nominate essays to be considered as state finalists

• A selection committee will determine state finalists from among the nominees

• All state finalists will be invited to attend Academic State Meet in May, where state awards will be presented

• All state finalists will become eligible to apply for Texas Interscholastic League Foundation scholarships

Essay Competition Main Page

Forms and documents.

• LHEC Entry Instructions
• LHEC 2024 Entry Form    
• Essay Evaluation Form
• Download a promotional flyer

Additional Information

• Frequently Asked Questions

• Packet of 1st Place Essays

2022 LHEC Results 

These 11 Essay Contests with Generous Prizes Will Change Your Life

Table of Contents

Essay contests are unusual because to win them you have to use your words. If you are a student who aspires to become a journalist, novelist, or poet, then these essay contests are a stepping stone for you to make that dream a reality.

Essay contests often ask participants to answer a question in the most original and obvious way. However, each contest will have its own rules and regulations to fulfill. You may have to write an essay on a specific topic and meet word count limits. To enter an essay contest, you must have the ability to write something fresh.

There are several essay contests that are valid for students of all levels of education regardless of nationality. As long as you meet the specified requirements, you may register for one or more of the following essay contests.

1. FIRE Free Speech Essay Contest

FIRE is an organization that aims to defend and sustain individual rights at America’s colleges and universities. These rights include freedom of speech, legal equality, due process, religious liberty, and sanctity of conscience—the essential qualities of individual liberty and dignity.

In this contest, you will be asked to write an essay or persuasive letter in 700 to 900 words on the theme of current events, historical examples, your personal experiences, and other resources posted on the FIRE website. Registration for this contest closes on December 31 st , 2020 at 11:59 a.m. EST.

Who should apply?

Open to juniors and seniors in U.S. high schools, including home-schooled students, as well as U.S. citizens attending high school overseas.

What are the prizes of this contest?

One $10,000 first-place prize, one $ 5,000 second-place prize, three $1,000 third-place prizes, and four $500 prizes will be awarded.

2. Ayn Rand Institute Essay Contests

Have you ever read one of Ayn Rand’s thought-provoking novels? Now’s the time! Enter an Ayn Rand Institute essay contest and you’ll have a chance to win thousands of dollars in scholarship prize money.

ARI has held worldwide essay contests for students on Ayn Rand’s fiction for more than thirty years, awarding over $2 million in total prize money! To enter this contest, choose one of the three works of Ayn Rand fiction below and decide what theme you will cover in your essay by answering one of the questions posed on the essay contests web page.

• The Fountainhead
• Atlas Shrugged

You must sign up as a member of the ARI website to find out the deadlines for the contest.

These essay contests are available for students who are interested in Ayn Rand’s work ranging from grade eight students to postgraduate students. Please note that, however, the eligibility for each contest is different.

Total prizes to be awarded to the winners are $30,000.

3. AFSA National High School Essay Contest

The United States Foreign Service—often referred to as America’s first line of defense—works to prevent conflict from breaking out abroad and threats from coming to our shores. Peacebuilders work on the ground to create the conditions for peace and resolve conflicts where they are most needed.

Successful essays will identify, in no more than 1,250 words, a situation where diplomats worked on a peacebuilding initiative with partners from the country/region in question, nongovernmental organizations, and other parts of the U.S. government, and then go on to analyze what characteristics and approaches made the enterprise a success.

The deadline for essay submission is April 5 th , 2021 at 11:59 p.m. EDT.

Students whose parents are not in the Foreign Service are eligible to participate if they are in grades nine through twelve in any of the fifty states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. territories, or if they are U.S. citizens/lawful permanent residents attending high school overseas.

$2,500 will be awarded to the writer of the winning essay, in addition to an all-expense-paid trip to the nation’s capital from anywhere in the U.S. for the winner and his or her parents, and an all-expense-paid educational voyage courtesy of Semester at Sea. Runner-up receives $1,250 and full tuition to attend a summer session of the National Student Leadership Conference’s International Diplomacy program.

4. JASNA Essay Contests

Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA) conducts an annual student essay contest to foster the study and appreciation of Jane Austen’s works in new generations of readers.

The 2021 Essay Contest topic is tied to the theme of our upcoming Annual General Meeting: “Jane Austen in the Arts.” It encompasses a wide variety of arts, including fine arts, performance arts, decorative arts, and crafts.

The deadline for the essay submissions is June 1 st , 2021.

Students and home-schooled students enrolled at the high school level during the contest year, students enrolled in at least six credit hours of course work at a junior college, college, or university during the contest year, and students enrolled during the contest year in at least three credit hours of graduate course work at a college or university leading to an advanced degree are encouraged to apply.

Membership in JASNA is not required to enter the contest.

JASNA awards scholarships to winners in each of the three divisions:

• First Place: $1,000 scholarship and free registration and two nights’ lodging for JASNA’s upcoming Annual General Meeting,
• Second Place: $500 scholarship,
• Third Place: $250 scholarship.

Winners and their mentors each receive a one-year JASNA membership. Besides, each winner receives a set of Norton Critical Editions of Jane Austen’s novels.

5. The Immerse Education Essay Competition

The Immerse Education Essay Competition provides the opportunity for students aged 13-18 to submit essay responses to a pre-set question relating to their chosen subject. The essay questions are pre-defined according to your age group and preferred subject. You are encouraged to tailor your essay response to reflect your interest in your chosen subject.

The application for the competition will be closed on January 5 th , 2021.

The essay contests are available to students of all nationalities who will be aged 13-18 during the summer of 2021.

First-place winners will be awarded a 100% scholarship to study their chosen subject with Immerse. There will be 10 first place winners across the Immerse Education Competitions. Runners up will be awarded partial scholarships of up to 70% to study their chosen subject with Immerse.

6. Fraser Institute Student Essay Contest

Showcase your ideas on public policy and the role of markets by entering this essay competition. Construct an essay exploring the importance of Joseph Schumpeter’s concept of creative destruction in understanding entrepreneurialism and economic progress in today’s world. You may choose to analyze a particular industry or business (during any time-period) as a case study to bolster your essay.

The essay submission for the contest will be closed on June 1 st , 2021.

This essay contest is open to high school, undergraduate, and postgraduate students.

$9,000 in cash prizes will be awarded $3,000 of this designated just for high school students. Winning essays may be published in Fraser Institute journals and authors will have the opportunity to experience the peer-review process.

7. Optimist International Essay Contests

This essay contest is sponsored by Optimist International to give young people the opportunity to write about their own opinions regarding the world in which they live. The approach can encompass a young person’s personal experience, the experience of their country, or a more historical perspective.

In addition to developing skills for written expression, participants also have the opportunity to win a college scholarship. The topic for the academic year of 2020-2021 is “Reaching your Dreams by Choosing Optimism”. All essay contests are held by early February.

Youth under the age of 19 as of October 1 st , 2020 (and is not enrolled as a degree seeking student of a post-secondary institution) in the United States, Canada, or the Caribbean are eligible for entry. There is no minimum age.

Winners have the opportunity to receive scholarships of up to $2,500.

8. 2021 We the Students Essay Contest

We the Students Essay Contest expects the participants to explore the relationship between equality and justice in an essay with 500 to 800 words. Applicants are encouraged to bring emotion, creativity, specific examples, and well-researched facts into what they write. The deadline for entry is April 15 th , 2021 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

Students in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Armed Forces schools abroad, and students in United States territories are eligible to participate in the contest. In addition to going to school in a contested state, you must be in grades 8-12 and between the ages of 14-19.

A total of $7,500 will be awarded to the first winner. The second winner and honorable mentions will receive $1,500 and $500, respectively.

9. Student Essay Contest Sponsored by AWM and Math for America

To increase awareness of women’s ongoing contributions to the mathematical sciences, the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) and Math for America co-sponsor an essay contest for biographies of contemporary women mathematicians and statisticians in academic, industrial, and government careers.

The essays will be based primarily on an interview with a woman currently working in a mathematical sciences career. Essay submissions are open from December 1 st to February 1 st .

Participation is open to middle school, high school, and undergraduate students.

The winners (including honorable mentions) receive a monetary prize, a membership in the AWM, a certificate, and their name and affiliation published in the Newsletter for the AWM. Also, all of the essays are published online and the essay of the Grand Prize winner is published in the AWM Newsletter.

10. Civics Education Essay Contest

Every year, in honor of Law Day, NCSC hosts a Civics Education Essay Contest. The goal of the contest is to get students engaged and ponder the importance of civics at home and in the classroom. The contest question is based on the American Bar Association’s annual theme. ABA’s 2021 Law Day theme is “Advancing the Rule of Law Now.”  Submissions are due by 11:59 p.m. EST on February 26 th , 2021.

Students from grades three through twelfth are invited to enter these essay contests.

For the 9th-12th grade winners:

• One (1) First Place: $1,000
• One (1) Second Place: $500
• One (1) Third Place: $250

For the 6th-8th grade winners:

• One (1) First Place: $400
• One (1) Second Place: $200
• One (1) Third Place: $100

For the 3rd-5th grade winners:

• One (1) First Place: $300
• One (1) Second Place: $150

11. St. Gallen Symposium Global Essay Competition

Compete in this Global Essay Competition and be one of the top 100 contributors to qualify for all-expenses covered participation as a Leader of Tomorrow in the world’s premier opportunity for cross-generational debates: The St. Gallen Symposium. Submissions are due by  February 1 st , 2021, 11:59 p.m. last time zone (UTC-12).

However, if you are not a fan of essay contests, then this no-essay scholarship might interest you: Bold No Essay Community Scholarship: Easy Scholarship to Enter in 2020 .

To be eligible, you must be enrolled in a graduate or postgraduate program (master level or higher) in any field of study at a regular university and born in 1991 or later.

Win prize money of CHF 20,000 split amongst the three winners.

Concordia Presidential Scholarship in Canada for Undergraduate Students

Scholarship application: the right time to apply for a scholarship.

The Voyager Scholarship Acceptance Rate And Requirements

Ayala Foundation Scholarship Requirements And Amount

LUMS Scholarship For Intermediate Students

Sorry, this content is protected by copyright.