Writing Contests 2016-2017
The Apprentice Writer/Susquehanna University
Deadline: Jan-March 2016 (Check Web site for current deadline)
Grades: 9-12
Entry: fiction, memoir, personal essay, photography, and or poetry for publication
Info: www.apprenticewriter.com
The Atlantic & College Board Writing Prize
Deadline: February 2017 (Check Web site for deadline)
Grades: 9-12
Entry: Analyze an influential work of art
Awards: One $5,000 award plus publication in The Atlantic; six $2,500 awards
https://www.collegeboard.org/writing-prize
Balticon 50 Young Writers' Contest Rules
Deadline: March 31, 2017
Grades: Ages 14-18
Entry: 2,500 words in the field of science fiction, fantasy
Awards: $150, $100, and $50
Info: http://www.baltimoreculture.org/blog/2015/11/30/balticon-young-writers%E2%80%99-contest#.WC29JXkUXcu
Bennington Young Writers Awards
Deadline: Nov. 1, 2015
Grades: 10-12 (sponsored by a high school teacher)
Entries: 1550 words of poetry, fiction or nonfiction
Awards: $500, $250
Info: www.bennington.edu/events/young-writers-awards
Creative Minds Fiction Contest
Deadline: Thursday, March 16, 2017, 5 p.m.
Grades: 18 and under
Entries: Maximum of two stories; stories must not exceed 1,000 words
Awards: Publication in Johns Hopkins Imagine magazine
http://cty.jhu.edu/imagine/guidelines/contest/creativeminds.html
Flag House Scholarship Essay
Deadline: March 2017 (check Web site)
Grade: 12
Entry: 250-word essay
Award: $1,812 for college and read essay aloud at Flag House June 14, 2015
Info: www.flaghouse.org
Gaithersburg Book Festival
Deadline: Feb. 17, 2017
Grades: 9-12
Entry: High school students from across the Washington Metropolitan Area are invited to submit short stories to the Gaithersburg Book Festival Short Story Contest. To participate, your story must be no longer than 1,000 words.
Awards: $100, $75, and $50 for first, second and third
Info: http://gaithersburgbookfestival.org/gbf-programs/short-story-contest/
Jane Austen Society of North America Essay Contest
Deadline: May 2017 (Check Web site for deadline)
Grades: High school, college and graduate students
Entry: Discuss how the theme of education shapes the plot, develops characters or reflects the views of the period.
Awards: $1,000, $500, and $250 scholarships
Info: http://www.jasna.org/essaycontest/index.html
Junior Achievement Essay Competition
Deadline: Check Web site for 2017 deadline
Grades: 9- 12, Greater Washington Area
Entry: 1,000 - 1,500 word essay
Awards: Student scholarships ranging from $10,000 to $20,000 (grand prize): What does the American Dream mean to you and is it still thriving in Greater Washington?
Info: http://myja.org/students/essay/
Letters about Literature (Center for the Book in the Library of Congress)
Deadline: Dec. 2, 2016
Grades: 9- 12
Entry: Write to the author of a book expressing how that book affected you personally.
Awards: Honored at state awards ceremony
Info: http://read.gov/letters/
National Council of Teachers of English
Achievement Awards in Writing
Deadline: Nov. 28, 2016 - Feb. 24, 2017
Grades: 11 (must be nominated by teacher)
Entries: Two written submissions of best writing (poetry, narrative, argument, expository) plus themed writing that addresses the given topic
Info: www.ncte.org/awards/student/aa
Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers
Deadline: Nov. 1 -30, 2016
Grades: 10 and 11
Entry: One previously unpublished poem
Awards: Full scholarship to the Kenyon Review Young Writers' Workshop; poem published in The Kenyon Review
Info: http://www.kenyonreview.org/contests/patricia-grodd
Princeton Poetry Contest
Deadline: Nov. 27, 2016
Grades: 11
Awards: $500, $250, $100
Info: http://arts.princeton.edu/about/opportunities/high-school-contests/poetry-contest/
Princeton Ten-Minute Play Contest
Deadline: March 31, 2016 (Check Web site for 2017 deadline)
Grades: 11
Awards: $500, $250, $100
Info: http://arts.princeton.edu/about/opportunities/high-school-contests/ten-minute-play-contest/
Profile in Courage Essay Contest
Deadline: Jan. 4, 2017
Grades: 9 - 12 (must be nominated by a teacher)
Entries: Describe and analyze an act of political courage by a U.S. elected official who served during or after 1917 , the year John F. Kennedy was born. Include an analysis of the obstacles, risks, and consequences associated with the act. The essay may concern an issue at the local, state, national, or international level. 700 to 1000 words
Awards: First place $20,000, plus cash awards for top 25 essays
Info: www.jfklibrary.org/Education/Profile-in-Courage-Essay-Contest.aspx
Scholastic Art and Writing Awards
Deadline: Wed., Dec. 14, 2015
Grades: 7 - 12
Entry: Critical essay, dramatic script, flash fiction, humor, journalism, novel writing, personal essay and memoir, poetry, science fiction and fantasy, short story
Submission Fee: $5 for single entry, $20 for portfolio (fee waiver available)
Awards: Cash and scholarships
Info: http://www.artandwriting.org/
Signet Classics Student Scholarship Essay Contest
Deadline: Postmarked April 14, 2017
Grades: 11- 12
Entry: Essay, at least two, no more than 3 double spaced typed pages, on specific literary topic (title for 2017 contest is The Tempest )
Awards: Five awards of $1,000 each to be used towards winners' higher education expenses. School receives Signet Classics Library.
Info: http://www.penguin.com/services-academic/essayhome/
Skipping Stones Youth Honor Awards Program
Deadline: June 25, 2016 (Check Web site for 2017 deadline)
Grades: Ages 7 to 17
Entry: Original writing (essays, interviews, poems, plays, short stories, etc.) and art (photos, paintings, cartoons, etc.) that promotes multicultural, international and nature awareness
Awards: Publication in magazine, free subscription, five free books
Info: http://www.skippingstones.org/youthhonor-02.htm
State of Maryland International Reading Association Council
Young Authors Contest
Deadline: Jan. 9, 2017
Grades: 9- 12
Entry: Poem (25 to 300 words) or short story (800 to 2,000 words)
Awards: Prizes
Info: http://www.somirac.org/young-authors.html
U.S. Institute of Peace National High School Essay Contest
Deadline: March 15, 2017
Grades: 9 - 12
Entry: Imagine you are a member of the U.S. Foreign Service assigned to Turkey, Afghanistan, Kenya or Iraq and provide recommendations to address the refugee crisis facing the country in which you are now posted. See web site for more details. 1,000 to 1,250 words.
Awards: The winner of the contest will receive a $2,500 cash prize, an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. to meet the secretary of state and USIP leadership, and a full-tuition paid voyage with Semester at Sea upon the student's enrollment at an accredited university. The runner-up will receive a $1,250 cash prize and a full scholarship to participate in the International Diplomacy Program of the National Student Leadership Conference
Infor: http://www.usip.org/AFSAEssayContest