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Writing Contests and Competitions – Weekly Updates

Opportunities for aspiring and experienced writers..

Welcome to our comprehensive list of writing contests and competitions. Each item on our list includes basic information about max word count , entry fees , submission deadlines , and the first place prize .

Our list features writing competitions in the following categories:

• short stories and flash fiction
• novel and novella manuscripts
• essays and non-fiction
• memoirs and screenwriting

Please do your own research before deciding to enter any event. In case of questions about a particular event, please reach out to the event organizer.

We are keen to encourage quality, so suggest writers to check their stories before submitting using Prowritingaid . They have free and paid versions and are the best writing software we know to help improve grammar, readability and check for repetition, ‘sticky’ sentences and suggest alternatives.

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August 2024

thu 01 aug All Day Sydney Hammond Memorial Short Story Competition Category Short Story International Entry Fee $17.50 Max word count 1,000 Top Prize A ticket to the Children and Young Adult (CYA) Conference, membership, publication

thu 01 aug All Day This event is FREE to enter! Yay! The MoonLit Getaway Grand Opening Contest Category Flash Fiction USA Entry Fee Free Max word count 1000 Top Prize $100

sun 04 aug 4:55 pm sun 4:55 pm Morecambe Poetry Festival Poetry Competition 2024 Category Poetry International Entry Fee £4 Max word count 50 lines Top Prize £300 and publication

wed 07 aug All Day The Aurora Prize For Writing Category Poetry, Short Fiction UK Entry Fee £9 Max word count 2,000 (short fiction); 60 lines (poetry) Top Prize £500 cash prize and feedback literary agent or editor

thu 08 aug All Day The 21st Annual Gival Press Short Story Award Category Short Story International Entry Fee $25 Max word count 15,000 Top Prize $1,000 and publication

sat 17 aug All Day Fosseway Writers Flash Fiction Competition 2024 Category Flash Fiction International Entry Fee £5 Max word count 300 Top Prize £50

sat 17 aug All Day 150 Word Twisted Micro Contest Category Short Fiction International Entry Fee $15 Max word count 150 Top Prize $1000

mon 19 aug 7:55 pm mon 7:55 pm Write About Walking Together Category Multiple categories International Entry Fee €15 Max word count 250 Top Prize €100 euros plus artwork for a poem and a similar prize for a story

fri 23 aug All Day FFF Competition Twenty-Three Category Flash Fiction International Entry Fee £3.95 Max word count 300 Top Prize £150.00

sun 25 aug All Day Masters Review Short Story Award for New Writers Category Short Story International Entry Fee $20 Max word count 6,000 Top Prize 3,000, online publication, and agency review

wed 28 aug All Day This event is FREE to enter! Yay! Future Scholar Foundation Short Story Competition Category Short Story International Entry Fee Free Max word count 350 Top Prize $25 Amazon Gift Card

fri 30 aug All Day This event is FREE to enter! Yay! A Letter to My Younger Self Category Letter International Entry Fee Free Max word count No limit Top Prize $150

sat 31 aug All Day WOW! Summer 2024 Flash Fiction Contest Category Flash Fiction International Entry Fee $10 Max word count 750 Top Prize $600, $25 Amazon Gift Card, Reedsy's How to Write a Novel course ($1249.00), and publication

sat 31 aug All Day Cranked Anvil Flash Fiction Competition Category Flash Fiction International Entry Fee £5 Max word count 500 Top Prize £100

sat 31 aug All Day This event is FREE to enter! Yay! Inclusive Voices Short Story Competition Celebrating accessibility Category Short Fiction UK Entry Fee Free Max word count 550 Top Prize Various prizes including opportunity to create an audio recording of your story for inclusion in the Calibre Collection

sat 31 aug All Day This event is FREE to enter! Yay! The Kindle Storyteller Award Category Full Manuscript International Entry Fee Free Max word count No limit Top Prize £20,000 and a merchandise package

sat 31 aug All Day 2024 Diaspora Book Awards Open to US-based authors who identify as Black, including African and/or of the AfroDiaspora Category Full Manuscript, Non-fiction, Novel, Poetry, Short Fiction, Short Story USA Entry Fee $50 Max word count Full manuscript Top Prize $500

sat 31 aug All Day WOW! Summer 2024 Flash Fiction Contest Category Flash Fiction International Entry Fee $10 Max word count 750 Top Prize $600, Reedsy's How to Write a Novel Master Course ($1249.00 value), publication, interview, and $25 Amazon Gift Certificate

sat 31 aug All Day Anthology Personal Memoir Competition Category memoir International Entry Fee €15 Max word count 1,500 Top Prize €500 and the chance to see their work published in a future issue of Anthology

sat 31 aug All Day 21 Futures: Financial Fallout Category Short Story International Entry Fee $9.99 Max word count 3000 Top Prize $1000

sat 31 aug All Day #FlashFiction101 Category Flash Fiction International Entry Fee £1.50 Max word count 101 Top Prize 50% of prize fund collected through entry fees

sat 31 aug All Day This event is FREE to enter! Yay! Paradise Plundered Short Story Contest The Elegant Literature award for new writers Category Short Story International Entry Fee Free (for Elegant Literature members) Max word count 2000 Top Prize $3,000, 10 cents per word, and publication

sat 31 aug 12:00 am sat 11:59 pm 6th Annual Writerwerx University Short Story Contest No genre, theme, or topic restrictions Category Short Fiction, Short Story International Entry Fee $35 Max word count 4000 Top Prize $400 cash, $2,000 in editorial services credits, headshot and bio on Winners page, story shared with our network of nearly 20,000 followers and subscribers.

sat 31 aug All Day Aesthetica Creative Writing Award 2024 Category Multiple categories International Entry Fee £12 - £18 Max word count 2,000 (fiction); 40 lines (poetry) Top Prize £2,500 and publication

sat 31 aug All Day This event is FREE to enter! Yay! Words of the Wild Nature Writing Competition Category Multiple categories UK Entry Fee Free Max word count 1,000 Top Prize Binoculars, vouchers and an environmental book subscription

sat 31 aug 1:38 am sat 1:38 am This event is FREE to enter! Yay! The Presence Short Story Award Category Short Story International Entry Fee Free Max word count 5000 Top Prize $500 cash prize and publication in the Presence collection and Kinsman Quarterly journal

sat 31 aug 10:29 am sat 10:29 am This event is FREE to enter! Yay! THE GLOBAL LITERARY SYMPOSIUM 2024 Category Poetry International Entry Fee Free Max word count 20 lines Top Prize Publication in anthology

sat 31 aug 12:33 pm sat 12:33 pm This event is FREE to enter! Yay! Scottish Wildlife Trust Words of the Wild Writing Competition Celebrating wildlife in Scotland Category Non-fiction, Poetry, Short Story International Entry Fee Free Max word count 1000 Top Prize Prize bundle (check organizer's website for details)

sat 31 aug 8:44 pm sat 8:44 pm Edinburgh Award for Flash Fiction Category Flash Fiction Entry Fee £10 Max word count 250 Top Prize £2,000 and publication

September 2024

sun 01 sep 12:01 am sun 11:59 pm The Scribes Prize Category Flash Fiction International Entry Fee $5 Max word count 110 Top Prize $250

sun 01 sep 9:00 am sun 11:59 pm Searchlight’s Best Novel Opening for Children or Young Adults Competition Category Novel UK Entry Fee £16 Max word count 1200 Top Prize £1000 and a one-to-one call with the agent judge

sun 01 sep 12:13 pm sun 12:13 pm Searchlight Awards − Best Children’s Picture Book Text 2024 Category Full Manuscript International Entry Fee £12 Max word count 1000 words + 125 word pitch Top Prize £500 plus one-to-one call with the agent judge

fri 06 sep All Day Toes in the Sand Romance Story Contest Category Multiple categories USA Entry Fee Free Max word count 50,000 Top Prize $300 and publication

sun 08 sep 11:48 am sun 12:00 pm Southam Book Festival Flash Fiction Competition 2024 Category Flash Fiction International Entry Fee £3 Max word count 100 Top Prize £60 and publication

fri 13 sep All Day V.S. Pritchett Short Story Prize £1,000 Prize for the best unpublished short story of the year. Category Short Story International Entry Fee £8 Max word count 4,000 Top Prize £1,000 and publication

sun 15 sep All Day This event is FREE to enter! Yay! Ink of Ages Fiction Prize Category Short Fiction International Entry Fee Free Max word count 2000 Top Prize Custom artwork, books and goodies

sun 15 sep All Day Fractured Lit Elsewhere Prize Micro and flash fiction Category Flash Fiction, Short Fiction International Entry Fee $20 Max word count 1500 Top Prize $3,000 and publication

sun 22 sep All Day The 2024 Rising Poet Prize International Entry Fee $20 Max word count Under 10 pages Top Prize $3,000, publication, and an interview in Palette Poetry

mon 23 sep 7:47 pm mon 7:47 pm Mslexia Women's Short Story Competition 2024 Category Short Story International Entry Fee £12 Max word count 3,000 Top Prize £3,000 and publication

sat 28 sep All Day This event is FREE to enter! Yay! Future Scholar Foundation Short Story Competition Category Short Story International Entry Fee Free Max word count 350 Top Prize $25 Amazon Gift Card

mon 30 sep All Day This event is FREE to enter! Yay! The Letter Review Prize for Short Fiction Category Flash Fiction International Entry Fee Free Max word count 5000 Top Prize $1000

mon 30 sep All Day This event is FREE to enter! Yay! The Letter Review Prize for Poetry Category Poetry International Entry Fee Free Max word count 70 lines Top Prize $1000

mon 30 sep All Day This event is FREE to enter! Yay! The Letter Review Prize for Nonfiction Category Essay, memoir, Multiple categories, Non-fiction International Entry Fee Free Max word count 5000 Top Prize $1000

mon 30 sep All Day This event is FREE to enter! Yay! The Letter Review Prize for Unpublished Books Category Chapbook, Essay, Full Manuscript, memoir, Multiple categories, Non-fiction, Novel, Novella, Poetry, Short Fiction, Short Story International Entry Fee Free Max word count 5000 Top Prize $1000

mon 30 sep All Day Anthology Flash Fiction Competition 2024 Category Flash Fiction International Entry Fee €12 Max word count 250 Top Prize €300

mon 30 sep All Day This event is FREE to enter! Yay! The Writers College Annual Short Story Competition Proudly Supporting Emerging Writers Category Short Story International Entry Fee Free Max word count 2000 Top Prize $1000 and publication

mon 30 sep All Day Joy Bale Boone Poetry Prize Category Poetry USA Entry Fee $10 Max word count No limit Top Prize $500

mon 30 sep All Day Anthology Nature Writing Competition 2024 Category Non-fiction International Entry Fee €10 Max word count 1000 Top Prize €500

mon 30 sep All Day One Page Poetry Contest Category Poetry USA Entry Fee $25 Max word count 300 Top Prize $2,000

mon 30 sep 12:01 pm mon 11:59 pm Best in Rural Writing Contest Category Multiple categories International Entry Fee $5 Max word count 6,000 Top Prize $500

mon 30 sep 7:32 pm mon 7:32 pm THE MOTH NATURE WRITING PRIZE 2024 Category Multiple categories International Entry Fee €15 Max word count 4,000 Top Prize €1,000 and a week at Circle of Misse in France

October 2024

tue 01 oct All Day Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest Category Poetry International Entry Fee $22 Max word count 250 lines Top Prize $3,500

wed 02 oct All Day Saints & Sinners Short Fiction Contest Open to LGBTQ+ authors at all stages of their careers International Entry Fee $20 Max word count 7,000 Top Prize $500 and publication

mon 07 oct All Day Peter Porter Poetry Prize 2025 Category Poetry International Entry Fee $30 Max word count 60 lines Top Prize $6,000

sun 13 oct All Day The Galley Beggar Press Short Story Prize Category Short Story International Entry Fee £11 Max word count 6,000 Top Prize £2500

tue 15 oct 3:35 pm tue 12:00 am Caledonia Novel Award 2025 Category Novel International Entry Fee £28 Max word count First 20 pages and a 200-word synopsis Top Prize £1500

wed 16 oct All Day This event is FREE to enter! Yay! Carol Shields Prize for Fiction Celebrating creativity and excellence by women and non-binary writers in Canada and the United States Category Full Manuscript International Entry Fee Free Max word count Full manuscript Top Prize $150,000

fri 18 oct (oct 18) 12:00 pm sun 20 (oct 20) 11:59 pm Completed Virtual Event Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction A flash fiction competition with a twist Category Flash Fiction International Entry Fee $25 Max word count 500 Top Prize $1,000 and a trophy

sun 20 oct All Day EYELANDS BOOK AWARDS 2024 International book award based in Greece Category Full Manuscript International Entry Fee €30 Max word count No limit Top Prize Grand prize - Five-day stay in Athens, Greece

sun 20 oct All Day This event is FREE to enter! Yay! Letterkenny Literary Festival Flash Fiction competition Category Flash Fiction Ireland Entry Fee Free Max word count 300 Top Prize €150

mon 28 oct All Day This event is FREE to enter! Yay! Future Scholar Foundation Short Story Competition Category Short Story International Entry Fee Free Max word count 350 Top Prize $25 Amazon Gift Card

thu 31 oct All Day This event is FREE to enter! Yay! The Solstice Writing Prize for Young Writers A nature-themed creative writing prize for 7- to 25-year-olds Category Poetry, Short Story UK Entry Fee Free Max word count 500 words (short stories); 40 lines (poetry) Top Prize £100 and publication

thu 31 oct All Day Trio International Poetry Competition Charitable cause - entry fees will be used to build a community school in Uganda Category Poetry International Entry Fee £5 Max word count 40 lines Top Prize £1,000

thu 31 oct All Day Novel Opening and Synopsis Competition Category Novel International Entry Fee £10 Max word count 3000 Top Prize £500 and publication

thu 31 oct All Day Anthology Poetry Competition 2024 Category Poetry International Entry Fee €18 Max word count 40 lines Top Prize €1000

thu 31 oct All Day Bedford Short Story Writing Competition Category Short Story International Entry Fee £8.50 Max word count 3000 Top Prize £1500

November 2024

fri 15 nov All Day The SmokeLong Grand Micro Contest 2024 Category Micro Fiction International Entry Fee $11 Max word count 250 Top Prize $1,000 and publication

sat 30 nov All Day Bath Children’s Novel Award 2024 Category Novel International Entry Fee £29.99 Max word count 5,000 plus one page synopsis of novel Top Prize £5,000

sat 30 nov All Day Anthology Travel Writing Competition 2024 Category Non-fiction International Entry Fee €15 Max word count 1000 Top Prize €500

sat 30 nov All Day THE BATH NOVEL AWARDS International writing competition for novels and children’s books Category Novel International Entry Fee £29.99 ( sponsored places for writers on a low income available) Max word count 5,000 Top Prize £5,000 and full manuscript feedback

February 2025

thu 27 feb All Day Next Generation Short Story Awards A not-for-profit international awards program for authors of short stories. Category Short Story International Entry Fee $25 Max word count 5,000 Top Prize $500 and publication

mon 30 jun 9:21 pm mon 9:21 pm The 9th To Hull and Back Humourus Short Story Competition Category Short Story International Entry Fee £10 (early bird entry) Max word count 2,500 Top Prize £1,000 and publication

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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.

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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.

Prairie Schooner

Summer creative nonfiction contest.

A prize of $1,000 and publication in Prairie Schooner will be given annually for an essay. Submit an essay of up to 5,000 words with a $20 entry fee by August 1. Visit...

PEN America

Pen/bare life review grants.

Two grants of $5,000 each will be given annually for poetry, fiction, and nonfiction works-in-progress “by immigrant and refugee writers, recognizing that the literature of...

Granum Foundation

Granum foundation prizes.

A prize of $5,000 is given annually to a poet, fiction writer, or creative nonfiction writer to support the completion of a manuscript-in-progress. Up to three finalists will...

PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grants

Ten grants of $3,000 to $4,000 each are given annually to support the translation of book-length works of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction that have not previously...

PEN/Jean Stein Grants for Literary Oral History

Two grants of $15,000 are given annually for nonfiction works-in-progress that “use oral history to illuminate an event, individual, place, or movement.” Using only the online...

Radar Poetry

Coniston prize.

A prize of $1,000 and publication in Radar Poetry is given annually for a group of poems by a poet who identifies as a woman. Using only the online submission system,...

Delaware Division of the Arts

Individual artist fellowships.

Established Professional Fellowships of $8,000 each and Emerging Artist Fellowships of $5,000 each are given annually to at least four poets, fiction writers, and creative...

Aspen Words

Literary prize.

A prize of $35,000 is given annually for a book of fiction published in the current year that “illuminates a vital contemporary issue and demonstrates the transformative power...

Gival Press

Short story award.

A prize of $1,000 and publication on the Gival Press website is given annually for a short story. Submit a story of 5,000 to 15,000 words with a $25 entry fee by August 8....

TulipTree Publishing

Stories that need to be told contest.

A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a poem, a short story, or an essay that “tells a story that needs to be told.” The winner also receives a two-year subscription to the...

Literary Arts

Oregon literary fellowships.

Fellowships of $3,500 each are given annually to aid Oregon writers in initiating, developing, or completing literary projects in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction....

Other Futures Award

A prize of $1,000, publication by Futurepoem, and 25 author copies is given annually for a book of innovative poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or hybrid work “that...

Grayson Books

Poetry contest.

A prize of $1,000, publication by Grayson Books, and 10 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Chase Twichell will judge. Using only the online submission...

Omnidawn Publishing

Open poetry book contest.

A prize of $3,000, publication by Omnidawn Publishing, and 20 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Katy Peterson will judge. Using only the online...

Masters Review

Summer short story award for new writers.

A prize of $3,000 and publication in Masters Review is given annually for a short story by an emerging writer. Writers who have not published a book, self-published...

Jennifer Weiner Fellowships

Six fellowships of $5,000, professional mentoring from fiction and nonfiction writer Jennifer Weiner, and access to creative writing workshops at the Philadelphia-based...

Utica University

Eugene paul nassar poetry prize.

A prize of $2,000 is given annually for a poetry collection published during the current year by a resident of upstate New York. The winner will also give a reading and teach a...

Gemini Magazine

Flash fiction contest.

A prize of $1,000 and publication in Gemini Magazine is given annually for a work of flash fiction. The editors will judge. Submit a story of up to 1,000 words with an $...

Howling Bird Press

A prize of $2,500 and publication by Howling Bird Press is given in alternating years for a book of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction. The 2025 prize will be awarded in...

Talking Gourds

Cantor prize.

A prize of $1,000 will be given annually for a single poem about the state of Colorado or written by a poet residing in Colorado. Juan J. Morales will judge. Submit a poem of...

Fischer Prize

A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a single poem. Juan J. Morales will judge. Submit a poem of up to three pages with a $10 entry fee ($25 for three poems) by August 31....

Creative Writing Award

Two prizes of £2,500 (approximately $3,171) each and publication in Aesthetica Creative Writing Annual are given annually for a poem and a short story. In addition, the...

Journal of Experimental Fiction

Kenneth patchen award.

A prize of $1,000 and publication by JEF Books is given annually for an innovative novel. Amy Kurman will judge. Submit a manuscript of any length with a $25 entry fee by...

Barthelme Prize for Short Prose

A prize of $1,000 and publication in Gulf Coast is given annually for a short work of prose. Submit up to three prose poems, works of flash fiction, or micro essays (or...

University of New Orleans Press

A prize of $10,000 and publication by University of New Orleans Press is given annually for a short story collection or novel. Using only the online submission system, submit a...

WINNERS OF THE QUEEN'S COMMONWEALTH ESSAY COMPETITION 2021

In 2021 we were thrilled to announce that a record-breaking 25,648 children entered The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2021 from every Commonwealth region. The 2021 winners and runners-up are:

Senior Winner: Kayla Bosire aged 16 from Nairobi, Kenya

Kayla Bosire is an 11th grade student at Maxwell Adventist Academy in Kenya, and she loves writing, a passion she has pursued for a good portion of her 16 years of life. Her love for words was developed while she was a student at Cavina School a prep school in Nairobi Kenya, where she developed a love for creative writing, Shakespeare and theatre. Kayla’s love for the arts is nurtured at her current high school; where she plays three instruments (piano, violin and flute) and enjoys performing in her schools’ orchestra and as a member of the Wind Ensemble.

She holds positions of leadership and responsibility as a tutors assistant math grader, Class Secretary and as a member of the school magazine team (The Maxwell Mirror). Her dream is to pursue a career that allows her to advance justice and fairness in the world for both humans and animals. She is yet to decide whether she is a cat or dog person. Kayla chose to write about it being 30 years since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic and what the world looks like….through the eyes of the COVID-19 virus.

Senior Runner-Up:

Aditi Nair Aged 15 from New Delhi, India

Aditi S Nair is an 11th grade student of Sanskriti School in New Delhi. She has always had a passion for writing, and ever since she was young, has enjoyed writing stories and poems. 

Apart from writing, her hobbies include reading, dancing and gardening. A few of her favourite authors are Khaled Hosseini, Celeste Ng, Ruskin Bond and Madeline Miller.   

Junior Winner: Ethan Charles Mufuma  Aged 13 from Mukono, Uganda

Ethan is 13 years old and is the third borne in a family of four children. He is proud to say that he is 'still the only boy child in this family'. His father is Mr. Wilson Mufuma and his mother is Mrs. Sarah Beatrice Wamakoto. His ancestral village is Bumayoka found in Bududa District in Eastern Uganda.  

He started his early education (nursery) at three years at Joy Nursery and Primary School, located near Makerere University. In 2014 when he was six years old, he joined Namilyango Junior Boys School for his primary education. He was there for the entire primary education until 2020 when he did his Primary Leaving Exams (P. L. E) and scored aggregate (5). 

Ethan started creative writing at the age of ten through the school writing club. Here all learners compete to publish in the school publications. (a termly newspaper and an annual magazine. Ethan mainly writes poetry where as he feel it's easier to have both the message and art flow better. His teacher tells them to choose what one feels free with (prose or poetry). 

Ethan first participated in The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Writing Competition in 2020. He was greatly inspired by one writing club member (Michael Victor Mugerwa) who had won a Silver Award in 2019. This was the first Award for their school and he really felt proud. 

In 2021, Ethan is the the happiest to add this record (winner) of the Junior category to his biography.

Junior Runner-Up: Raisa Gulati Aged 14 from Amritsar, India

Raisa is an all rounder, performing well both academically and in her co-curricular activities. She is very passionate about sports. From a very young age she has played at the National level for chess and equestrian. In 2019 she was declared Junior State Champion of Lawn Tennis in Rajasthan and she was also awarded with the award for being the most promising Equestrian rider in her school. However, the pandemic brought a halt to all her outdoor activities.

She is also adept in playing tabla and drums. During her free time she likes to sketch and she is also a recipient of the Piccaso award for her sketch besides winning various drawing competitions.

Life for her is full of things to learn and she enjoys navigating the uncharted terrain.

HIR Academic Writing Contest Fall/Winter 2021 Medal Winners

The Harvard International Review is a quarterly magazine offering insight on international affairs from the perspectives of scholars, leaders, and policymakers. Since our founding in 1979, we've set out to bridge the worlds of academia and policy through outstanding writing and editorial selection.

The quality of our content is unparalleled. Each issue of the Harvard International Review includes exclusive interviews and editorials by leading international figures along with expert staff analysis of critical international issues. We have featured commentary by 43 Presidents and Prime Ministers, 4 Secretaries-General, 4 Nobel Economics Prize laureates, and 7 Nobel Peace Prize laureates.

Inspired by our growing high school readership around the world, we created the Harvard International Review Academic Writing Contest to encourage and highlight outstanding high school writing on topics related to international affairs.

Congratulations to all Fall/Winter 2021 medal winners on the quality of your submissions!

Alexander Gianola Cook . Stevenson School . “ China’s New Silk Road and The Scramble For Africa ”

Yueyang Lu. Shanghai Weiyu High School. “ Farm-to-Table: Will China Take a Seat within the Fresh Food Movement?”

Yilin Cai. Basis International School Shenzhen. “ Locked-up Santa, the Forgotten Cost of Travel Restrictions”

Mia Liu . Shenzhen College of International Education. “US Bar on Huawei: The First Steps Towards De-Globalization”

Zara Haque. Greenwich High School. “ Power Struggle: The Regional Implications of Germany’s Nuclear Phase Out ”

Longhao Chen, Fengshuo Wang . Lansdale Catholic High School, Allendale Columbia School. “ Two Superpowers Moving Apart: Hong Kong's Future Positioning as an International Financial Center.”

Gongkai Yuan. Hangzhou Foreign Languages School. “ New Forms of Global Education: Taiwan’s Soft Power Initiative in the Wake of Confucius Institute Closures”

Yi Xin. Beijing Huijia Private School. “ A Bleak Sky: Call to Reform Africa’s Aviation Industry”

Parmis Mokhtari-Dizaji. Phillips Exeter Academy. “ COVID-19 as a Driving Factor in the Isolation of Supply Chain Networks in the World and an Accelerator of Deglobalization”

Xuan Jin. Shanghai Pinghe School. “ Offline and Online: Increasing Hate Towards African Residents in China”

Silver Medal

Tianxin Yu. Shanghai Pinghe School. “ End of Slavery? Trafficking and Forced Labor of Illegal Latin American Immigrants in South Georgia”

Tiffany Wen. The Lawrenceville School. “ China's Divided Policies: Encouraging Globalization Yet Implementing Isolation”

Jessica Wang. The Bronx High School of Science. “ Frenemies: The Sino-Japanese Relationship”

Chenyue Liu, Yixuan Chen. Cheshire Academy. “ Global Crisis: The Uncompromising Trade War”

Angelina Richter. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. “ What the Upcoming “Surface Land Race” Means for Global Relations”

Xiyan Liu. Crofton House School. “ The Paradox of Pollution: The Environmental Impact of Space Exploration”

Wenhan Pei. Qibaodwight High School. “ India's Going Electric: Hyundai Invests in the Electric Vehicle Market”

Chenghou Wang, Zhenhao Li. Chengdu Experimental Foreign Languages School. “ Cyber Attacks Occur Frequently:Only Worldwide Cooperation Can Push Cybersecurity Forward”

Margaret Li. Eastside Preparatory School. “ Laws for LAWS: A Topic for International Discussion.”

Langrui Cao. Mingde High School of Changsha. “ HUAWEI in a Dilemma: Pursuing Globalization but Thriving in Isolation”

Isabelle Ravanas. Walter Payton College Prep. “ The Philippines Under Duterte- Increasingly Alone”

Yifan Zhou. BASIS International School Guangzhou. “ Chinese Education: The Pros and Cons Brought by Globalization”

Jiaqi Shou. Hangzhou Foreign Language School. “ An International Sea Power Storm Over Jersey Island”

Luming Jia. Beijing No.101 High School. “ Within an Ace of Success: How Globalization in the Aviation Market Might Hinder Independent Innovation”

Jiayu Pan. Shanghai Foreign Language School Affiliated to SISU. “ Where to go: Tourism industry in Thailand in the face of COVID-19”

Bronze Medal

Arrnavv Chawla. Fravashi International Academy. “ Our Link to The Sea”

Jiarun Yao. The Masters School. “ Invalidated Privacy Shield, Turbulent Data Policies, and the Blurry Future”

Zhou Shen, Feiyu Lin. Hangzhou Foreign Language School Cambridge A-level Centre. “ An Evolving Autopilot Industry: How Google and Tesla Head to Different Directions”

Fanghao Shen. Phillips Academy Andover. “ Anxiety, Automation, and AI On Methods of Identifying and Mitigating the Risks Posed by Technological Innovation and Automation”

Xiaohe Chen. Beijing Royal School. “ Becoming a “Global Citizen”:The Controversy of Bilingual Education under “Coro-nationalism”

Jiayi Wei. Keystone Academy. “ Climate Change and Extreme Weather: The Irreversibility of Globalization Resulted in Impossibility of Isolation”

Yufei Chen. Beijing 101 middle school. “ Loosen or fasten: globe supply chain restructuring in post-COVID-19 era”

Zhiyang Zhong. TABOR Academy. “ The Diversity Problem:Financial Globalization and Minority Groups”

Jia Han. The Experimental High School Attached to Beijing Normal University. “ Carbon net zero: new dominance?”

Zhiyi Chen. The Experimental High School Attached to Beijing Normal University. “ Harmony vs Hostility: Policy for International Students in the United States During COVID-19 Pandemic”

Leo Li. Benjamin N. Cardozo Highschool. “ The Ramifications of Cryptocurrency Regulation.”

Haoyu Guan. St. Stephen's Episcopal School. “ Smart Production for Service Production: the International Cooperation of UAV Delivery”

Naviya Kamdar. D Y Patil International School. “ The Exodus of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar”

Zhehao Zhou. Hangzhou Foreign Language School Cambridge A-level Centre. “ Global Anger Grows Over Brazil’s Handling of Deforestation at COP26”

Baoyi Ouyang. Guangdong Shunde Desheng School. “ Vocational Education in China: Will Vocational Schools Become as Important as Universities in the Future?”

Yuanheng Yue. Shanghai World Foriegn Language Academy. “ Metaverse: The Iron Curtain of the New Cold War”

Ruoyu Zhou. Hwa Chong Institution Boarding School. “ Victim in the Global Economy : How to Humanise the Experience of Migrant Workers?”

Yifei Li. Beijing 101 middle school. “ The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism: climate ambition and trade protection”

Aadya Medha Akkipeddi. The Commonwealth School. “ Globalization vs Isolation”

Ka Yan Choi. Shanghai High School International Division. “ Globalization Versus Isolation in Public Health: Coronavirus and Gain-of-Function Research”

Jiajun Li. Basis International Parklane Harbor. “ Social integration assessment: foreign merchants in Yiwu”

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Best Writing Contests in 2024

Showing 383 contests that match your search.

WOW! Women on Writing Summer 2024 Flash Fiction Contest

WOW! Women On Writing

Genres: Flash Fiction, Fiction, and Short Story

Seeking short fiction of any genre between 250 - 750 words. The mission of this contest is to inspire creativity and great writing and provide well-rewarded recognition to contestants. Guest Judge: Tom Bromley, Head of Learning at Reedsy

$600 cash, Reedsy's How to Write a Novel class ($1249 value), $25 Amazon Gift Card

Additional prizes:

2nd: $300 | 3rd: $200 | 7 runner-ups: $25 Amazon Gift Cards

💰 Entry fee: $10

📅 Deadline: August 31, 2024

The Reedsy Prompts Contest

Genres: Fiction and Short Story

Every Friday, Reedsy sends out five writing prompts. Enter your response within a week for a chance at $250. Winners may also be included in a future issue of Reedsy’s literary magazine, Prompted.

$25 credit toward Reedsy editorial services

💰 Entry fee: $5

📅 Deadline: December 31, 2024

The Moth Poetry Prize

Genres: Poetry

The Moth Poetry Prize is one of the biggest prizes in the world for a single unpublished poem. The prize is open to anyone, as long as the poem is previously unpublished, and each year it attracts thousands of entries from new and established poets from over 50 countries worldwide.

3x runners up: €1,000 | 8x further prizes of €250 | Publication online in Irish Times

💰 Entry fee: $16

📅 Deadline: December 31, 2023 (Expired)

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

Learn more about Reedsy Studio .

Honest Holiday Haiku

Gotham Writers Workshop

The holidays are a time of glad tidings and good cheer and, if we're honest, some not-so-glad tidings as well. In the spirit of Scrooge, Santa, and everything in between, we invite you to write your most honest holiday haiku. A reminder: a haiku consists of 5 syllables in the first line, 7 syllables in the second line, and 5 in the third line.

Free class from Gotham Writers Workshop

Publication on website

📅 Deadline: February 29, 2024 (Expired)

Fish Short Memoir Prize

Fish Publishing

Genres: Memoir, Non-fiction, and Short Story

Everyone has a memoir in them. Go for it! Write a piece of your life, send it to Fish. Qian Julie Wang, author of her memoir Beautiful Country, will select 10 short memoirs to be published in the Fish Anthology 2022, which will be launched during the West Cork Literary Festival.

2nd: Writing Course (online) + €300 | 3rd: €300

💰 Entry fee: $18

📅 Deadline: January 31, 2024 (Expired)

Fairytales & Myths Competition 2024

Write the World

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, and Flash Fiction

Since the very first tale told by the fireside, the idea of mysterious worlds—rife with talking trees, dragons and beasts, and spells of all kinds—has captivated us humans. This month, dear writers, write a myth or fairytale that uses fantasy as a lens to understand the reality of everyday life.

Best entry: $100

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

📅 Deadline: March 04, 2024 (Expired)

Bridport Novel Award

Bridport Arts Centre

Genres: Fiction and Novel

Your novel doesn't have to be finished. We initially need only 5,000 to 8,000 words plus a 300 word synopsis. If you're long listed we'll ask for a total of 15,000 words, including your original word count. Shortlisted? Then we need a total 30,000 words, again including your original entry and long listed word count. It all adds up to an incredible opportunity.

£750 for the runner up and three prizes of £150

💰 Entry fee: $29

📅 Deadline: May 31, 2024 (Expired)

The Plough Prize

The Plough Arts Centre

Now in its twenty first year, the Plough Poetry Prize is an international open competition for poems in English up to 40 lines on any subject. We're delighted that this year's competition will be judged by Roger McGough.

2nd: £500 | 3rd: £250

💰 Entry fee: $6

📅 Deadline: March 31, 2024 (Expired)

Climate Change Writing Competition

Genres: Essay, Memoir, and Non-fiction

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)

Poetry International Prize 2024

POETRY INTERNATIONAL is one of the oldest and most respected literary journals dedicated to publishing poetry from around the globe. Each issue of the print journal brings together poems, portfolios, and prose representing a rich diversity of countries and languages.

📅 Deadline: April 30, 2024 (Expired)

Short Story Competition 2023

What truth do you want to convey through your stories? This month, write a short story of up to 1000 words and invite readers into a contained universe. With only a small word limit to work with, you must choose carefully. Remember, as Neil Gaiman once said: “Short stories are tiny windows into other worlds and other minds and other dreams.”

💰 Entry fee: $0

📅 Deadline: November 27, 2023 (Expired)

The Elmbridge Literary Competition 2023-24

The R C Sherriff Trust

Genres: Fiction, Poetry, and Short Story

"Reputation is an idle and most false imposition, oft got without merit and lost without deserving." - William Shakespeare For some, it is a lifetime’s pursuit, often slipping through their grasp while others see it fall into their hands by mere chance. However achieved, through talent or luck, Fame can be an ill-fated prize. The 19th Elmbridge Literary Competition, run in partnership by The R C Sherriff Trust and Elmbridge Borough Council, is looking for short stories and poems on the theme of the double-edged sword that is ‘FAME’.

Published chapbook

📅 Deadline: February 23, 2024 (Expired)

The Daphne du Maurier Award For Excellence in Mystery/Suspense (Published Division)

RWA Kiss of Death Chapter

Genres: Mystery, Suspense, Romance, and Thriller

The Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense is named for Daphne du Maurier, the author of Rebecca, a suspense novel with romantic and gothic overtones and a precursor to today’s romantic suspense. The writing contest is for published authors of mystery, suspense, and thrillers with or without romantic subplots.

💰 Entry fee: $30

📅 Deadline: March 15, 2024 (Expired)

Fiction Factory Poetry Competition

Fiction Factory

This is a UK based competition but we welcome international entries. Poets are invited to enter poems (maximum 40 lines excluding title) on any theme. Discounts are offered on multiple entries. Besides the cash prize, our judge, poet and author and mentor, Helen Cox, will offer feedback on five of the winner's poems plus an hour-long mentorship zoom call about their poetry.

Feedback on poems, a Zoom mentorship call, and publication

📅 Deadline: June 30, 2024 (Expired)

True Story Contest

FanStory.com Inc.

Genres: Non-fiction and Short Story

Share a true story about your life. Write about any event that happened in your life that you would like to share. Cash prize to the winner.

📅 Deadline: December 15, 2024

#GWstorieseverywhere

Gotham Writers

Genres: Fiction and Flash Fiction

Each month we invite you to post a story on Twitter using #GWstorieseverywhere for a chance to win a free class. Your story must be no longer than 25 words, with a max of 280 characters, including spaces and the hashtag #GWstorieseverywhere.

📅 Deadline: January 31, 2022 (Expired)

TCK Publishing Poetry Awards Contest

TCK Publishing

The TCK Publishing Poetry Awards Contest is an international poetry contest established in 2021. Each year’s prizewinner receives a $1,000 honorarium and publication of his or her poem on the TCK Publishing website. This contest is open to writers from all countries, backgrounds, and walks of life. Each submission may include up to five poems totaling no more than 500 words.

Publication on TCK Website

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: May 02, 2024 (Expired)

Adrienne Rich Award for Poetry

Beloit Poetry Journal

We’re open to a wide range of forms and styles in contemporary poetry. We’re always watching for new poets, quickened language, and work that offers a fresh purchase on the political or social landscape.

💰 Entry fee: $15

Flying South

Genres: Non-fiction, Poetry, and Short Story

All entries will be considered for publication. Winning submissions in each of the three categories (Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Poetry) will be awarded prizes of $400 for First Place, $200 for Second Place, and $100 for a total of $2,100 in prizes. All finalists will be accepted for publication and will receive one copy of the current issue of Flying South.

Rattle Poetry Prize

Rattle Foundation

Genres: Children's and Poetry

The annual Rattle Poetry Prize offers $15,000 for a single poem to be published in the winter issue of the magazine. Ten finalists will also receive $500 each and publication, and be eligible for the $5,000 Readers’ Choice Award, to be selected by subscriber and entrant vote.

📅 Deadline: July 15, 2024 (Expired)

Blue Lynx Prize for Poetry

Lynx House Press

The annual Blue Lynx Prize for Poetry awards $2000 plus publication for a full-length poetry collection. The Prize is awarded for an unpublished, full-length volume of poems by a U.S. author, which includes foreign nationals living and writing in the U.S. and U.S. citizens living abroad. Lynx House Press has been publishing fine poetry and prose since 1975. Our titles are distributed by the University of Washington Press.

Publication

💰 Entry fee: $28

📅 Deadline: June 16, 2024 (Expired)

Reader Views Literary Awards

Reader Views

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

The Reader Views Literary Awards program helps level the playing field for self-published authors, recognizing the most creative and exciting new books in the industry. Our awards program is recognized industry-wide as one of the top literary awards programs for independent authors.

Several marketing prizes (e.g. book review)

💰 Entry fee: $89

Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowships

The Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowships are $50,000 awards given to honor poets of literary merit appointed to serve in civic positions and to support them in creating new work, as well as to enable them to undertake meaningful, impactful, and innovative projects that enrich the lives of their neighbors, including youth, through responsive and interactive poetry activities.

📅 Deadline: April 08, 2024 (Expired)

Aurora Polaris Creative Nonfiction Award

Trio House Press

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

💰 Entry fee: $25

📅 Deadline: May 15, 2024 (Expired)

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.

📅 Deadline: December 15, 2023 (Expired)

WOW! Women On Writing Quarterly Creative Nonfiction Essay Contest

Genres: Non-fiction and Essay

Seeking creative nonfiction essays on any topic (1000 words or less) and in any style--from personal essay and memoir to lyric essay and hybrid, and more! The mission of this contest is to reward bravery in real-life storytelling and create an understanding of our world through thoughtful, engaging narratives. Electronic submissions via e-mail only; reprints/previously published okay; simultaneous submissions okay; multiple submissions are okay as long as they are submitted in their own individual e-mail. Open internationally.

💰 Entry fee: $12

Willow Run Poetry Book Award

Hidden River Press

Hidden River Arts offers a yearly prize of $1000 and publication in Hidden River Press, an imprint of Hidden River Publishing, for an unpublished book-length collection of poetry of 75 to 100 pages. The award is open to all poets writing in English around the world.

$1000 + publication

💰 Entry fee: $20

Chapter One Prize

Gutsy Great Novelist

Genres: Fiction, Novel, Young Adult, Crime, Fantasy, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, and Thriller

The Gutsy Great Novelist Chapter One Prize is awarded for an outstanding first chapter of an unpublished novel. The prize is open internationally to anyone over 18 writing a novel in English in any genre for adult or YA readers. Winners will be announced March 29, 2024.

2nd: $500 |3rd: $250

📅 Deadline: March 01, 2024 (Expired)

Surrey International Writers ' Conference Writing Contest

Genres: Short Story

Open to all writers except SiWC paid staff, board members, and immediate families. Young writers are welcome to enter, but must be aware that their work will be judged blind among submissions made by adult writers. Please read the contest rules below before entering.

📅 Deadline: September 15, 2024

Faith Poetry Contest

The theme for this poetry contest is "faith". We are looking for poems that in some way pertain to this theme. It doesn't matter if it's spiritual, political, intellectual or emotional as long as faith is clearly represented.

📅 Deadline: August 19, 2024

Non Fiction Writing Contest

Genres: Non-fiction

We are looking for personal essays, memoirs, and works of literary non-fiction on any topic. It doesn't matter if it's spiritual, political, intellectual, emotional, funny, serious, or an essay about your DVD player.

📅 Deadline: May 08, 2022 (Expired)

Bridport Poetry Prize

You don't have to be Tennyson. Just talented. All we ask is that you please keep poems to 42 lines, max. You can, of course, write less. In addition to the prize money, the top three poems are automatically entered into the Forward Prize For Poetry’s best single poem competition, with the chance to win a further £1000. This exclusive award is not open to the public. You can write about absolutely anything but whatever your rhyme or reason, we want to read your poetry.

£1000 for 2nd, £500 for 3rd

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

Winter Flash Fiction Battle

Writing Battle

Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, Short Story, Crime, Fantasy, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, and Thriller

Three days to write a 1000 word short story. The peer-powered quarterly writing contest where every story receives oodles of feedback. Write one. Read ten. Win thousands.

Genre Winner (x4): $2,000

Genre Runner-up (x4): $500 | Feedback by industry professionals.

📅 Deadline: February 01, 2024 (Expired)

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" ( Click here )
• "The Non-Sexy Business of Writing Non-Fiction" ( Click here )
• "How to Write a Novel" ( Click here )
• "Understanding Point of View" ( Click here )
• "Developing Characters That Your Readers Will Love" ( Click here )
• "Writing Dialogue That Develops Plot and Character" ( Click here )
• "Stop Procrastinating! Build a Solid Writing Routine" ( Click here )

On Editing:

• "Story Editing for Authors" ( Click here )
• "How to Self-Edit Your Manuscript Like a Pro" ( Click here )
• "Novel Revision: Practical Tips for Rewrites" ( Click here )
• "How to Write a Novel: Steps From a Bestselling Writer" ( Click here )
• "How to Write a Short Story in 9 Simple Steps" ( Click here )
• "100 Literary Devices With Examples: The Ultimate List" ( Click here )
• "20 Writing Tips to Improve Your Craft" ( Click here )
• "How to Write Fabulous Dialogue [9 Tips + Examples]" ( Click here )
• "8 Character Development Exercises to Write 3D Characters" ( Click here )

Bonus resources

• 200+ Short Story Ideas ( Click here )
• 600+ Writing Prompts to Inspire You ( Click here )
• 100+ Creative Writing Exercises for Fiction Authors ( Click here )
• Story Title Generator ( Click here )
• Pen Name Generator ( Click here )
• Character Name Generator ( Click here )

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.

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A powerhouse of voices. A champion of different perspectives. A pipeline of talent.

A POWERHOUSE OF VOICES. A CHAMPION OF DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES. A PIPELINE OF TALENT. This is Girls Write Now.

Connect with us, writing contests & publication opportunities for youth.

Girls Write Now is a dynamic, multi-generational community of writers on a mission. For more than 20 years, our nationally award-winning programs have provided creative, critical and digital writing training, college and career readiness, personalized mentoring and massive opportunities for the next generation of leaders.

Know about a great writing contest for teens or young adults? Feel free to reach out to Kenna McCafferty at [email protected] .

Girls Write Now Contests

FIRST CHAPTERS CONTEST A Writing Contest in Partnership with Penguin Random House and Electric Lit Girls Write Now is proud to team up with Penguin Random House and Electric Lit for  an exciting opportunity to be published on the Electric Lit website and win a cash prize of $500! The First Chapters contest is part of Penguin Random House’s and Electric Lit’s commitment to support Girls Write Now in amplifying diverse voices. To qualify your first Chapter MUST:

• Be 4500 words or fewer
• NOT have been previously published in any medium
• NOT have been recognized with any prior awards
• Be submitted as a Google Doc via the form below  before   11:50PM ET on May 9, 2024

SELECT YOUTH CONTESTS

The Alexandrian Review is an entirely student run international youth literary magazine and they are looking for submissions. To submit, applicants must be 10-20 years of age. The Alexandrian Review receives any submissions within their guidelines. While they do emphasize the theme of amplifying the voices of marginalized communities, they are happy to accept and provide feedback on any works. The submission window will be open from  April 7 – July 31.  Learn more about the submission requirements  here .

Select Annual Contest Schedules

Bennington’s Young Writers Awards exists to promote excellence in writing at the high school level. Included genres are poetry, fiction and nonfiction. A first, second, and third place winner is selected in each category. The details below can be found on their Submittable page at https://www.bennington.edu/events/young-writers-awards .

Awards & Rules First-place winners in each category are awarded a prize of $1,000; second-place winners receive $500; third-place winners receive $250.

There is no entry fee.

All entries must be original work reviewed, approved and sponsored by a high school teacher. We will use your sponsoring teacher as a contact for the competition should we have any questions. For homeschooled students, please contact a mentor to sponsor your writing.

Young Writers Award finalists and winners are also eligible for undergraduate scholarships at Bennington. YWA finalists who apply, are admitted, and enroll at Bennington will receive a $10,000 scholarship every year for four years, for a total of $40,000. YWA winners who apply, are admitted, and enroll at Bennington will receive a $15,000 scholarship every year for four years, for a total of $60,000.

Black Lawrence Press has annual awards and competitions for a variety of genres. The schedule below, as well as individual descriptions for each award, can be found on their Submittable page at https://blacklawrencepress.submittable.com/submit . The Big Moose Prize: Open December 1 – January 31 (Open competition, novels) The Hudson Prize: Open February 1 – March 31 (Open competition, poetry and short story collections) The Spring Black River Chapbook Competition : Open April 1 – May 31 (Open competition, poetry and prose chaps) Open Reading Period 1: Between June 1 – June 30 The St. Lawrence Book Award: Open July 1- August 31 (First book competition, poetry and short story collections) The Fall Black River Chapbook Competition: Open September 1 – October 31 (Open competition, poetry and prose chaps) Open Reading Period 2: Between November 1 – November 30 (Please note that Black Lawrence Press occasionally offers early bird specials on their contests. These specials allow authors to submit their manuscripts ahead of time at a discounted rate.)

The American Writers Museum, John Estey Student Writing Competition, has opened its 4th annual student writing competition. To learn more, visit American Writers Museum

PUBLICATION OPPORTUNITIES FOR EMERGING WRITERS

THE ADROIT JOURNAL  is run by high school students, college students, and emerging writers. Adroit publishes within “over 21” and “under 21” categories, so your writing will appear alongside great work by writers of any age. Adroit publishes fiction and poetry, and includes art and photography. They will reopen our submission reading period in January 2021. Find them online at:  http://www.theadroitjournal.org/

AFFINITY MAGAZINE works to spotlight teen voices about current events. We find that the media sometimes forgets the voices of teens on many topics! So we are here to give them a voice. Affinity Magazine allows you to get your writing published and read by thousands of people! You can get your work published and sharpen up on your writing so you can write for The New York Times one day (hopefully!!). For ages 13-20. Visit http://affinitymagazine.us/write-for-us/ for more information on all the different

AGNI  is Boston University’s well-respected journal. It appears in both print and online. AGNI submissions are not limited to high school writers, but the journal is known to accept and publish lots of work by new writers. Get published in high school at AGNI and you’ve taken an important step to becoming a writer in the real world! Find them online at:  http://www.bu.edu/agni/submit.htm

THE ALCOTT YOUTH MAGAZINE is a magazine devoted to sharing the written perspectives of young people. The magazine publishes work on a variety of topics, including current events, young adult life, and women’s rights issues. Published works are primarily focused on young women from ages thirteen to twenty-two. However, anyone who is interested in sharing their voice is encouraged to submit to the magazine, regardless of age or gender. The Alcott Youth Magazine is open to publishing articles, essays, short stories, illustrations, cartoons, photographs, or any other works. Visit https://www.alcottmagazine.com/submit

THE AUDACITY is Roxanne Gay’s bi-monthly newsletter where she features emerging writers with fewer than three article/essay/short story publications and no published books or book contracts. The Audacity features only non-fiction and is particularly interested in literary essays and memoir. All essays are paid a flat fee of $2,000. For more information, visit https://gay.submittable.com/submit

BLUE MARBLE publishes four times a year and accepts submissions of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, essays, opinion pieces, travel writing, photography and art on a rolling basis. Blue Marble looks for new work from writers ages 13-21 that hasn’t been published anywhere else either online or in print. For more details on how to submit your work, visit https://bluemarblereview.com/submit/ .

DIALOGUE HUMANITIES is an online, biannual journal that publishes high quality, humanities-focused essays written by middle and high school students. Essays will be reviewed by a panel of experts in various humanities-based fields and will be chosen based on the strength of the writing, the author’s familiarity with his or her chosen topic, and the appropriateness of the essay’s content. Dialogue Humanities Review aims to include academic essays from a wide variety of fields, including but not limited to: African-American Studies; American Studies; Anthropology; Archaeology; Art Criticism, History, and Theory; Classics; Ethics; Ethnic Studies; Folklore; Geography; History; History and Ethics of Science; International Studies; Jurisprudence; Languages and Linguistics; Literature; Music History and Criticism; Philosophy; Political Science; Psychology; Religion and Comparative Religion; Sociology; Social Sciences; Theatre History and Criticism; and Women’s Studies. If selected, authors will be asked to revise their essays to ready it for publication. Please visit http://dialoguehumanitiesreview.org/about/ or contact Jessica Rafferty at [email protected] for more information.

ÉLAN LITERARY MAGAZINE accepts original fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, screenwriting, plays, and all kinds of art from students ages 14-18 in locations internationally. Élan produces two online editions a year, one in the Fall/Winter and another in the Spring/Summer. The two editions are combined into a single Print Edition each Summer. For more information on how to submit, visit: https://www.elanlitmag.com/submit .

EMBER only publishes twice a year, but this beautiful and dreamy journal of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction appeals to all age groups. Although it doesn’t exclusively publish young writers, submissions from writers and artists ages 10 to 18 are strongly encouraged. Submissions open March 1, 2023 . For more details, visit them online at:  http://emberjournal.org/ .

ENOUGH PLAYS is taking submissions from teen writers (ages 13-19) of 10-MIN PLAYS confronting the issue of gun violence. Six plays will be selected by a panel of astonishing writers to be published and performed nationwide and the writers will receive $500. Deadline for submissions is April 20, 2023 . Visit them online: https://www.enoughplays.com/amplify

GIRLS RIGHT THE WORLD  is a literary journal inviting young, female-identified writers and artists, ages 14–21, to submit work for consideration for the fourth annual issue. They believe girls’ voices transform the world for the better. We accept poetry, prose, and visual art of any style or theme. Girls Right The World ask to be the first to publish your work in North America; after publication, the rights return to you. Please include a note mentioning your age, where you’re from, and a bit about your submission. Send your best work, in English or English translation, to [email protected] between September 1 and December 31. 

HANGING LOOSE PRESS has had a section of high school writing in their issues since 1968. Hanging Loose has long been known for its special interest in new writers. This press reads manuscripts throughout the year, accepting poetry and prose. For more details on the submission process, visit https://www.hangingloosepress.com/submissions/ .

HELLOGIGGLES a positive online community for female-identifying readers (although others are always welcome!) covering the latest in beauty and style, relationships, career and money, culture, identity, and more. Featuring a mix of news, personal essays, reported features, and service, we’re committed to providing our readers with smart, thoughtful, and relatable content representing a range of voices. We were founded by Zooey Deschanel, Molly McAleer, and Sophia Rossi in 2011 as a place on the Internet to inspire a smile, and years later, we’re still doing just that. Tor ages 14 and up.

HOT DISH MAGAZINE , an online journal serving up a bubbling mixture of poetry and fiction by teens (grades 9–12), wants your voice to be heard! We award cash prizes for fiction, poetry, and the Hot Dish Challenge. Our submission period is October-January. Visit us at  www.hotdishmagazine.com .  The GOAT ( the-goat.org ) publishes student writing on everything sports related and is looking for new submissions. Students can email their writing pieces to me. No work is rejected, and editors provide any mentoring and editing necessary. Students will see their work online within weeks and can include the link on their college or summer school applications.

ICE LOLLY REVIEW:  Ice Lolly Review accepts a variety of pieces including, creative nonfiction, fiction, haikus, poems, plays, spoken word, and etc. They are looking for pieces that have a strong, solid voice and aren’t afraid of delving into deep topics. For more details, go to  https://www.icelollyreview.com/submissions .

jGIRLS   MAGAZINE:   jGirls Magazine accepts submissions on an ongoing basis from self-identifying Jewish teenage girls and gender-expansive youth ages 13-19. You can submit articles, essays, fiction, poetry, cultural reviews, humor, photographs, music, videos, artwork and other creative materials. You can submit as often as you’d like. For more details, visit  https://jgirlsmagazine.org/submission-guidelines/ .

KIDSPIRIT is a nonprofit online magazine and community by and for youth to engage each other about life’s big questions in an open and inclusive spirit. Its mission is to promote mutual understanding among 11- to 17-year-olds of diverse backgrounds and support their development into world citizens with strong inner grounding. KidSpirit is in syndication on the Huffington Post and Spirituality & Practice and has won numerous awards from major educational, parenting, and spiritual organizations. Visit the Get Involved section to learn more about publishing your work, becoming an editor, or facilitating a conversation about one of the 50 themes KidSpirit contributors have explored: https://kidspiritonline.com/get-involved/

THE LUMIERE REVIEW is a literary magazine dedicated to shining the light on all voices through poetry, prose, and art. General submissions are now open. Submissions to the forthcoming Issue 08 of The Lumiere Review in poetry, prose (creative fiction and non-fiction), and all forms of art can be sent to [email protected] . Details on how to submit and format your work can be found at: https://lumierereview.com/submit .

NARRATIVE MAGAZINE A prize of $2,500 and publication in Narrative is given annually for a short story, a short short story, an essay, a memoir, or an excerpt from a longer work of fiction or creative nonfiction. A second-place prize of $1,000 is also awarded. The editors will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit up to 15,000 words of prose with a $27 entry fee by March 28. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines. Deadline, March 28, 2024 at midnight PST.

POLYPHONY LIT:  invites submissions of poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction from high school students worldwide. Student editors provide feedback to all submissions, including the ones not accepted for publication. Submissions are open from February 1-28, 2022 and June 1-30, 2022. More details can be found at  https://www.polyphonylit.org/.

TEEN INK is one of the most popular and diverse writing spaces to get published in high school. The broad categories for publication reflect the diversity of writing that this lively online magazine celebrates. Some publication categories include: community service, travel and culture, the environment, health, reviews of TV shows and video games, and college essays, among the more traditional poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Visit online at:  http://www.teenink.com

THE TRAILBLAZER LITERARY MAGAZINE is an international high school publication dedicated to push for cultural diversity through creative writing. For general submissions, the magazine accepts fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction all year, from middle and high school students between 14 and 18 years old. In addition, they host the Cultural Heritage Writing Contest, which welcomes submissions about the young creatives’ cultural background, ancestry, values, customs, etc. Visit online at: https://www.thetrailblazerreview.com/ TRAVELNITCH was founded in 2018 to encourage a love of travel and make it more accessible to all families. Travelnitch believes travel has the power to changes lives, open minds, and build stronger communities. They love to feature new & aspiring travel writers who can delight and entertain readers. They currently need support developing family-centric travel content to engage kids (and sometimes parents) in fun and innovative ways.  If you are a writer who loves to travel, this could be the perfect fit for you—turn your own passion into an inspiring story for our readers! https://travelnitch.org/writers/storyteller-spotlight/

TYRIAN INK is an independent LGBTQIA+ press that is dedicated to uplifting youth voices. TYRIAN INK is currently open to chapbook manuscripts of any genre (poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, hybrid, etc) with a minimum of 30 pages and a maximum of 50 pages in length. Please only submit if you are a member of the LGBTQ+ community and are 22 or below. Writers will be paid $250 for their manuscripts and receive a percent of royalties for every chapbook sold. https://tyrianinkpress.com/home/submission-guidelines/

WRITING RESIDENCIES & FELLOWSHIPS

Hedgebrook’s mission is to support visionary women-identified writers,18 and older, whose stories and ideas shape our culture now and for generations to come. Writers must be women, which is inclusive of transgender women and female-identified individuals.

Hedgebrook’s Writer-in-Residence Program supports writers from all over the world for fully-funded residencies of two to four weeks (travel is not included and is the responsibility of the writer to arrange and pay for). Up to 6 writers can be in residence at a time, each housed in their own handcrafted cottage. They spend their days in solitude – writing, reading, taking walks in the woods on the property or on nearby Double Bluff beach. In the evenings, “The Gathering” is a social time for residents to connect and share over their freshly prepared meals.

Writers can apply here for a residency in Fiction, Non-fiction, Playwriting, Poetry, Screenwriting/TV Writing, or Songwriting. Read more and apply at https://www.hedgebrook.org/writers-in-residence.

MacDowell’s mission is to nurture the arts by offering creative individuals an inspiring environment in which they can produce enduring works of the imagination. We encourage applications from artists representing the widest possible range of perspectives and demographics, and who are investigating an unlimited array of inquiries and concerns.

MacDowell  is currently accepting applications for the Spring Summer 2023 residency season (March – August 2023). Learn more at https://macdowell.slideroom.com/#/Login.

The NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship is a $8,000 unrestricted cash grant available to artists living in New York State and/or one of the Indian Nations located therein. This grant is awarded in fifteen different disciplines over a three-year period (five categories a year) and the application is free to complete. The NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship is not a project grant, but is intended to fund an artist’s vision or voice, at all levels of their artistic development.

Learn more at https://www.nyfa.org/awards-grants/artist-fellowships/ .

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For 25 years, Girls Write Now has been breaking down barriers of gender, race, age and poverty to mentor the next generation of writers and leaders who are impacting businesses, shaping culture and creating change. Thank you for joining our movement.

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From mailing list to mentoring and more…, give write now, invest in the next generation of leaders.

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Monthly International Essay Contest: Complete Guidelines

Monthly International Essay Contest is an attempt to identify good writers. Essay writing is an art, which brings out your writing skill. It is an art, through which you pen down your knowledge and perception about a given topic. 

About monomousumi

Mononomosumi is an ISO-certified and record holder and highly acclaimed non-commercial Edu-tech Platform, that brings together technology to the education sector and provides requisite support to students, writers, and school administrations. Officially launched in May 2018 with the intent to make writing-related writing extracurricular activities accessible through technology-driven solutions.

About the International Essay Contest

With a carefully chosen educational topic, we encourage participants to develop not only the skills of penning down their thoughts but also creativity, research, and organization skills. We believe in the enrichment of society by empowering individuals with constructive thinking for creating a positive ambiance for overall societal growth.

Monomousumi has never charged any money from our students who participate in an International essay competition every month. The whole idea of this setup is to be a platform where writers of all age groups from across the country can share their opinions on different topics. This gives them a sense of global citizenship and where they stand globally in terms of understanding a particular topic.

The announcement of winners is made in the first week of every month. Here is the list of winners of the competitions held in previous months

Essay Theme for the Month of July- 2024

Theme: biography of an unsung hero ( forgotten or ignored).

Note: The participants should carry out complete research about the topic and write the essay in their own language. The language should be simple and easy to understand yet informative . Do not write in haste. Devote time on the topic and jot down all the relevant information about the topic. These topics will enrich your knowledge and helpful for your general knowledge. So, do complete research before writing the essay in your language. Copied essays will not be evaluated. Participants can write essay and submit before the 25th of July 2024 . Participants can create their own title as per the given theme.

Writing Style

Participants should write in their own language without copying from google. The participants should present their essays in a convincing way so that the essay does not look like a mundane article created by easily available data from the internet.  The essay should be more than 1000 words preferably.

Essay Submission Method

Submit your essay online through this link

https://weavermag.com/essay-contest/public/

Important Deadlines

Last date of Submission: 25th of July 2024 Result announcement: 20th August 2024 Result announcement: Through this link

Judgment Criteria

All the essays will be judged on the basis of your logic, literature survey, writing style, innovation, structure, etc. Participants should write point-wise with proper logic.  We appreciate simple ideas but always discourage copied content even though it looks attractive.

We will not judge copied essays it will be rejected during the screening process only and no certificate will be issued .  The essay should bring out all the details about a particular topic. Participants should do a lot of research before writing the essay.

This will definitely enhance the knowledge of the participants in the specific field. Participants are free to create their own structure by providing all the information about the topic without copying from the internet. Take the help of google to understand the topic and for enhancing knowledge, but DO NOT SIMPLY COPY JUST FROM THE INTERNET.

Communication Mode

Only communication is through email. Considering a large number of participation, we can not take up calls regarding your queries related to essay submission. Please read the FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS by CLICKING HERE

If still any doubt exists, please feel free to contact us only through email at [email protected] . Have patience after posting your queries. Your queries will be answered by one of our team members at the earliest.

Language : English/Hindi/Bengali Nationality: Any Categories: Two ( Junior & Senior Category) (a) Below 16 years old* (Junior Category) * DOB is must (b) Above 16 years old (Senior Category). There is no upper age limit Registration: No registration is required. No fee is required. submission through only the Essay Submission module (click on it)

Important Rules

• The essay should be MINIMUM 750 WORDS for the senior category and 500 words for the junior category. There is no maximum word count.
• The submitted essay should be plagiarism free/no copy from the internet/unique writing. Please check your essay in this link plagiarism checking tool before sending it to us and submit the screenshot of the plagiarism report. The plagiarized essay will not be accepted for the contest.  This is to encourage participants to write their own essays. We highly discourage copying. SO NO CERTIFICATE FOR COPIED ESSAYS. 
• Age proof is a must only for junior category participants. The name of the school, school website, or email is not mandatory but you are encouraged to provide the email address of the principal/administration. Our team will inform the school authorities about the result if the participant is judged the winner or did outstanding in the contest.
• You should write your name, age, city, phone number, email, and photo (optional) in your entry at the very beginning before you start writing an essay.
• You can participate every month.
• Participants are encouraged to write in such a way as to avoid writing “I” or personal experiences unless the topic is such that they are compelled to write your experience.
• If any participants wish to send pictures, they should attach the images separately as jpg. Sending pictures is not mandatory.
• The decision of the Jury member is the FINAL and no queries related to the result will be entertained
• The deadline for submission is the 25th of every month
• For those participants, who (only those) do not have access of a computer/laptop, they can EMAIL ([email protected]) handwritten essays following all the rules mentioned above. 
• Hand-written essays will not be published but will be eligible for the contest. They are equally eligible but the essay will not be published.  So, if you do not have a computer or laptop, you can just type in mobile part-wise. Handwritten essays should be considered as the LAST OPTION. 
• Selected essays will be published on the website with the name, photo, and bio of the participants without the need for prior permission.
• Sending your essay to us itself gives us the authority to publish it from our side anywhere, online or in digital magazines. Once the essay is published in our platforms, these can not be deleted. Participants can inform if they want their name in the essay or not. It means participants can withdraw their name form the essay but the essay can not be removed once published.

Declaration of Result

The result is declared in the first week of every month through this link and the certificates can be downloaded using this link https://weavermag.com/essay-contest/public/result instantly after the announcement of the result. The certificates will be issued to only the eligible candidates. To see the previous winners, click here

Prizes and Rewards

First Prize: Gold Medal (for both the categories- Junior/Senior separately)

Second Prize: Silver Medal (for both the categories- Junior/Senior separately)

Third Prize: Bronze Medal (for both the categories- Senior separately)

Third Prize: Hard copy of a Book

Sponsored Prizes: 3 Books as prize and certificate as third sponsored by www.inkyourthought.com/

Other Finalists: eBook and Gift Coupons/discount Vouchers

• The essays will be grouped as First, Second, Third, Other Finalist and not worth mentioning according to the marks given by the judges to each of the essays. Only selected essays among these will be published in the website and the respective links will be conveyed to the participants through mail.
• All the other eligible participants will get the “Certificate of Participation” as a token of appreciation and they will be getting 50% discount if they wish to buy any of our published books or our customized pen is shown in this link . Selling is not our business. Please do not make an impression that we are here to sell and make income from the participants.
• The certificate can be used by the students as an accolade under “Extra Curricular Activity”.
• International winners (winners from countries other than India) will be awarded only e-medal . However, if the international winners wish to pay the delivery charges, we can dispatch the respective physical prizes . Other participants from India will receive the physical prizes at their address and no payment is asked.
• A few selected articles will be included in the  Digital Magazine: “Weavers”  and  Upcoming Books.

Write and Win:  Participate in a Creative writing Contest  and win fabulous prizes.

For Interested Sponsors

Those corporate houses who wish to sponsor this International Essay Competition may contact us. We can accept Physical Prizes, Cash prizes, Gift Coupons, or anything you wish to give away as a prize to the winners. Monomousumi does not seek any benefits. The corporate houses will be suitably acknowledged by advertising their brands.

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206 comments.

This is very innovative idea. It will increase the creativeness of creative mind.I am very happy and proud of my friend Mousumi.

Marathi subject ka nahi

Mam you are running a very nice competition for young writers.

I accidentally send my entry twice from [email protected] please cancel one of them

Mam when will be June 2021result announcement released

Mam i would like to join this essay competition but i have doubt with the topic of this month. Because the topic of essay is varied in websites. Can you please verify it and tell mam.

Can I send handwritten essay on email?

Ma’am, I just wanna know about the topic of eassy for the month of april asap.

please check the example

Hello it’s me, I am also visiting this website daily, this website is really fastidious and the users are actually sharing fastidious thoughts.

I want to join in this competition of the April month but I have a doubt that how to register for the competition

Essay writing competitions helps a lot in enhancing writing skills. Best of luck monomousumi team.

Mam I want to participate in the essay competition( I’m18 years )but I just wanted to know what is the word limit for my category ? And also man i would like to know if i can send a photo of my handwritten essay through the email? Please reply . Thank you in advance

[…] Click here for rules, prizes and more details. […]

Maam I want to know topic of eassy for april month

Please see the example.

Maam I’m suppose to send entry separately from my eassy or it should be together

[…] Essay Competition […]

I love to join this essay competition..

How to send the essay? I want to send a written essay

Please mail us your essay at [email protected]

I exam given by essay exam

महोदय, मेरा ई-मेल [email protected] हैं, कृपया मेरा मार्गदर्शन करें क‍ि क्‍या मुझे अपना प्रतियोगिता हेतु भेजा जाने वाला न‍िबन्‍ध, आपके बताए ई-मेल पते पर सामान्‍य रूप से भेजना है या इसे क‍िसी व‍िशेष फॉर्मेट में हस्‍ताक्षर कर और इसके अप्रकाशित व मौलिक होने के घोषणा पत्र के साथ भेजना है ।

You can send your entry through normal mail (at [email protected] )

I have a suggestion on your format, not everyone has a facility to have laptop or computer etc if PDF is allowed everyone can able to write at least in papers and submit it by PDF. If anything wrong in above statement forgive me for that…

Yes, we accept PDF

Madam, May I write Essay in Bengali?

Yes sure. Participants can send us essay in three languages: English, Hindi, Bengali.

But language of the essay??

English, Hindi Bengali

Respected ma’am, I haven’t received any confirmation email for my essay competition entry.

Can we send our essay through pdf format

How can I write an essay in paper and then send

scan and mail us.

My name is Thiak Ayuen. I am in south sudan, in senior three having 17years and 6 months. Can i apply?

Yes you can. Please mail your essay.

Mam when may 2021result will publishing

Madam Please update the Essay Topic For February

Subject Marathi ka mahi

Marathi subject

Same topic,or the topic will be changed next month

Ma’am what is the topic?

Given in the link

Mam, I also want to participate but I’m confused how to send hand written essay. Would you kindly help me out.

Scan and mail us

How to participate it’s competition

mail your essay. Read the guidelines please

Madam please clear my query. How we should send our hand written essays . I mean on which address ?

Just scan or take photo of your essay and mail us

Hlo ma’am I have a question that is can i give the picture of my handwritten eassy to your email id?

I don’t have access to computer or laptop so on which address should I send my handwritten essay.

Just take the photo of your essay and mail us

On which address should I send my handwritten essay.

scan and mail

For this monthly essay competition any registration is necessary.A graduation level students will be participating in this competition..

No registration. Just email your essay

.A graduation Level student can participate in this competition.

Ma’am if I m writting with co – authorship , than will my partner also get the certificate ???

Ma’am can i take part in both essay competition and creative writing contest?

How we can send proof of dob?

Hey! do we have to send a picture of our DOB?

Hello, what do you mean by 10+2 class students?

Ma’am can a sample eassy with the format and all details be posted on the website? It will be helpful for new entries. Thank you and I hope you consider this request.

Good Suggestion.

This competition is going on

i acciedently sent my essay twice please accept any one both are same

Ma’am, Can I know the essay topic for the month of April,2020? I just came across this website and realized that the deadline for March also coincidentally is today.

Dear Madam! Can you please explain me the topic of April and May 2o20( combined) Thank you

Mam can u pls tell the topic for April month

Mam kindly briefly make me understand about April n may month’s topic…

I am writing essay in smart phone can I send screenshot

better, type in email body and send, if you do not have laptop or computer.

May i know if this contest eligible for other nationality, i’m from malaysia by the way but i am so interested with this contest

Yes. It is international contest and all are welcome to participate.

hello, basically I am confused with april month topic. Kindly explain the topic.

We have given an example. Please follow.

ya sure, thank you

Mam I am 19 years old. Can i apply for essay writing competition?

Yes you can

Ma’am, can you tell the results date of March 2020.

ma’am, can you tell the result date of march

mam im 19 years of age … i have to choose which category .can u please tell me

Ma’am when will the result of essay competition for the month of march be declared

Mam what is exact topic of the month april. If the months are combined so its deadline should be 25 of may

Mam,u must publish/post an essay from “JAMMU” also.Please reply.Its a humble request.

Please mail at [email protected] . we shall review and then publish

Mam, you organized a competition recently on tourist places.You must be having one from JAMMU.Mam,please look to it.Please reply.

Mam looking forward for ur rply.Please reply.Humble request from JAMMU

hello mam, since the competition for the month of april and may is merged, so will we contestants have to write two essays separately? one in the month of april and the other in may or what? thanks in advance

No. Only one essay is required.

Awesome platform to showcase our talents:-) Thank you for the opportunity.

Respected Maam, Can I type my essay on g mail and send you by e mail and also write my name,age,adress,phone number and is it compulsory to send DOB certificate?? Please Reply ma’am Thanking you, Suraj Porey

I’m 21 years old. How much should be the length of my essay?

Is it required to add any pictures which is related to the topic into the essay ?

It is upto you.

Can I add some pictures which will be related to the topic ?

is it mandotory for the essay to be point wise or can it be a free flowing one?

is it mandatory for the essay to be written point wise or can it be a free flowing one.

you can choose your own style.

can we add pictures or diagrams along with the written content

I’m 21years old what is the length of essay for me?

And for me?

Thank you so much for this wonderful initiative ma’am. Such competitions encourage us to prove our calibre using language. You are indeed very thoughtful 🙂

Hi mam, what is the deadline for this combination of two months essay (April and May) ?

When is the deadline for this month mam?

Can i send two essays for the month of April and May

Hi can u plz send me the topic

will every participants get e-certificate or real certificate

e-certificate

Should we submit a proof of DOB,mam? If so, how?

just mail, only if you are below 18. if you are above 18 it is not compulsory.

Participants should write point wise with proper logic, what make the institutes standalone : Does this mean that we have to express points in bulletins?

You can adopt your style of writing.

Hi can I send my essay directly on email..thanking u in anticipation

what is the topic for the essay right now?

Hey there, the topic given misses clearity. Could you please let us know once again what’s the topic ?

Have you got my essay submitted today. I have not got any confirmation.

Ma’am please tell that is it necessary to write about an organisation/ institute that is near my home? Or can I write about any institute/ organisation far away?

Mail us at [email protected]

Ma’am please reply

What do You want to know!!

Ma’am in the topic it is written “Describe the Uniqueness of Any Mentionable Institute/ Organization Nearby You” so I wanted to know that we have to write about an institute or organisation that is far away from my home.

because it says “nearby you”

It is written nearby you because you may be more known to that organization being residing near to it.

Thanks Team monomousumi for organizing such competitions

What are the prizes for the ‘Third’ category, mam ?

Hellow mam I want to participate in this compition but i have doubt that how can l participate in it ??? Please clear my doubt.

I mean to say , how can i send my entry inthis compition??

[…] Essay Contest: Since May 2018, Monomousumi has never left a single month to conduct the International Essay Contest. The reason it has become one of the most trustworthy and reputed digital platforms exploring new […]

Is participants will be given what type of gift vouchers?

Please send registration link

There is no link required. Please read the guideline.

Mam,since the topic is about uniqueness…..so do we need to mention the overall working…..or its working as well our opinion… because I have not visited any og the organization

mam please do reply

Mam, accidentally I mail you for my entry 2 times. Delete the 1st one please…. I have writen an essay, please acceptt it…

Mam, is it compulsory to be registered? I have not registered here but send an Essay in your email address . Mam, accidentally I mail you for my entry 2 times. Delete the 1st one please…. I have writen an essay, please acceptt it…

Mam we can write more than 750 words mam.

Mam we should use how many pages for writing

sir my son is of 7 years old he want to participate in monthly easy competition, but he can be able to write upto 300 words. Is this limit is permissible?

The word limit is 750

Mam in results I got a certificate and 60percent gift voucher .but it didn’t came to my address .mam so please send to my address the certificate and gift voucher

You will get via mail

Mam i want to know about the essay topic in the month of june

Its given on the top

Mam i did not got my prize i got 60 pls help

We shall mail you

Sir/Ma’am, I want to ask that whenever such competition is organized how do we know about the topic.

Read this link, it is mentioned. Read carefully Please

Hello sir/ma’am How do we know about the topic. Can I write an article on any legal topic or the current situation which is going on. Please reply

Mam i want to write essay in hindi ..so can i scan the same and mail it by PDF Format?

Please send in MS word format

I am really want to participate in it so how can I participate in it.

Mam still I didn’t receive my certificate for may month . I have got 60% .

Mam I still didn’t receive my certificate of may month

Please download your e-certificate from the link https://monomousumi.com/announcement-of-result-of-essay-competition/ or get the announcement link by just typing essay result in google search. The e-certificates will be downloaded as a ZIP folder along with other participants of your category. You need to unzip it to get your certificate. In case you do not know how to unzip a zip file please learn it online. e-certificates are print ready and printable.

We mail all the participants who are eligible for participation certificates and update the same.

Thank you mam!

Can I write fictitious story on the topic ‘One Mystery’

Mam I am not able to send the essay to the following email address [email protected]

When will the new topic announced every month?

Two entries are allowed?

Ma’am how and when ll the winners be announced ?

### # #### ## ##### ## #### #######?

I like this competition

It is compulsory that our essay should be 100 percent plagiarism free? I got 96 percent

क्या अक्तूबर माह के लिए महात्मा गांधी पर क्या निबंध लिख के भेजा जा सकता है .

Spot on with this write-up, I absolutely think this web site needs a great deal more attention. I’ll probably be back again to see more, thanks for the info!

Ma’am, when will the results for the October essay- ‘An inspiring person around you’ will be announced ?

Pretty! This has been a really wonderful post. Thanks for supplying this info.

When will the result of May’s Essay competition be declared?

How will you provide physical awards ?

I am 14 years old, in which category do I fall; junior? Senior?

i wanna join essay competition i cant waitt

Mam I would like to get medal that’s my Aim.i put my own hardwork

Mam I am M.N.fathima mahsooma.i am biomedical engineer.i was paticipated in June contest.i convey overall health issues in full body.i am half engineer and half doctor. I gave full explanation.

Mam pls reply

When will November 2021 essay results be declared?

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Realizing the benefits of human genetics and genomics research for people everywhere.

Annual DNA Day Essay Contest

ASHG is proud to support National DNA Day through the Annual DNA Day Essay Contest. DNA Day commemorates the completion of the Human Genome Project in April 2003 and the discovery of the double helix of DNA in 1953.

This contest is open to students in grades 9-12 worldwide and asks students to examine, question, and reflect on important concepts in genetics. Essays are expected to be well-reasoned arguments that indicate a deep understanding of scientific concepts related to the essay question. They are evaluated by ASHG members through three rounds of scoring.

2024 Question

Many human diseases have a genetic component. Some diseases result from a change in a single gene or even multiple genes. Yet, many diseases are complex and stem from an interaction between genes and the environment. Environmental factors may include chemicals in the air or water, nutrition, microbes, ultraviolet radiation from the sun and social context. Provide an example of how the interplay of genetics and environment can shape human health.

Important Dates

• Early January, 2024: Submission site opens
• March 6, 2024: Submission site closes
• April 25, 2024: DNA Day! Winners and Honorable Mentions announced

1st Place Winner: $1,000 for student $1,000 genetics materials grant

2nd Place Winner: $600 for student $600 genetics materials grant

3rd Place Winner: $400 for student $400 genetics materials grant

Honorable Mentions : 10 student prizes of $100 each

Questions? Email [email protected]

The rubric below is used by judges to evaluate every essay in the second and third rounds of judging.

Rules & Requirements

• No LLM (large-language model) tool will be accepted as a credited author on this essay. That is because any attribution of authorship carries with it accountability for the work, and AI tools cannot take such responsibility. Students using LLM tools should document this use in the citations section.
• Essays must be submitted by a teacher or administrator and written by high school students (grades 9-12) in the U.S. and internationally. Parents may submit essays if the student is home schooled.
• Essays must be written by one individual student; group submissions are not permitted.
• Essays must be in English and no more than 750 words. Word count includes in-text citations, but not reference lists.
• Submissions should not include the student’s name in the essay text. This helps with impartial judging.
• Essays must include at least one reference. References should be clearly documented with both in-text citations and in the references list. The reference list should be separately entered in the “References” section of the submission page.
• APA or MLA style can be used for citations. There is no limit on how many references students may use, but they should avoid too many references, as judges want to know the student’s opinion on the question and not the opinion of the resources.
• Quality of references will be considered by judges when scoring.
• Only classroom teachers are eligible for the equipment grant.
• Teachers of first-place winners from 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 are not eligible for equipment grants in 2024.

Please Note Text from essays may be used for research purposes to identify misconceptions, misunderstandings, and areas of student interest in genetics. Student text may be published on the ASHG website, newsletter, or in other ASHG publications.

Plagiarism will not be tolerated. The text of the student’s essay must be his or her own words unless quotations are explicitly noted. If plagiarism is suspected during any point of the contest, the essay in question will be examined. Essays found to contain the uncited work of others will be disqualified and the student’s teacher will be notified. Plagiarism.org gives a helpful explanation of what plagiarism is.

How many essays can one student submit? Only one entry per student.

How many essays can one teacher submit on behalf of students? Each teacher may submit up to six student essays per class, for up to three classes.

What are low-quality a high-quality sources? A low-quality source is one that doesn’t guarantee accurate information, such as Wikipedia. High-quality sources include research journals, such as those accessible through PubMed.

What is included in the 750-word count, and what is not?

• All text in the essay, in-line citations/references, headings and titles, and image captions are included in the word count
• The reference list is the only text not included in the word count.

Should references have a separate page? The reference list will be submitted separately in the “references” section of the submission site. Everything will be included on one page once the essay is submitted.

Is there a standard font or margin size preferred? No. Once the essay is copied and pasted into the submission site, it will be formatted to fit our standard margins and fonts.

How do I submit my essay if my teacher cannot do it for me? Try to find any other teacher or guidance counselor at your school who can submit for you. If this isn’t an option, please email us at [email protected] .

Can my guidance counselor or another school administrator submit my essay for me? Yes.

Can I submit for my student who is currently studying abroad? Students must be studying at the same school as the teacher who submits their essays.

Can I change information after I have submitted? No, please make sure all information is correct before submitting because it will be final.

How does the teacher vouch for the originality of the student’s work? Your submission represents your authentication that the essays are the original work of your students.

I submitted late. Will my essay still be judged? Late submissions will not be judged.

Where’s the confirmation email? It may take some time for the email to get to you. If you haven’t received it by the end of the day, either check your junk mailbox or double check that the email address you provided is correct. If neither of those options work, email [email protected] .

Summarized below are some of the most common issues judges note in reading submitted essays.

• Too much focus on details. A focus on details to the detriment of demonstrating a clear understanding of the big picture. Judges are much more forgiving of errors in details than errors in fundamental concepts and larger ideas.
• Overstating. Sweeping and grandiose overstatements of the current/future state and/or utility of biotechnology or biomedical science.
• Inaccuracy in technical language. Judges know you do not know all the “science jargon,” so don’t feel obligated to use it.
• Lack of in-text citations in, or lack of citations for information that is not considered common knowledge. If you got the information from somewhere else, cite the source.
• Using out-of-date references. Scientific understanding changes very rapidly, and references that are more than five years old are likely to have outdated ideas.
• Using too many quotes. Although occasional use is warranted, too many quotes lead judges to think the author doesn’t grasp the topic.

Check out the links below for excerpts from past winners’ essays!

Want to become a judge? If you are a current-year ASHG member, you will receive an email each February inviting you to volunteer. If you did not receive the email or cannot locate it, please contact [email protected] . You can also volunteer by the visiting the ASHG involvement page. You may forward the judge recruiting email ONLY to fellow ASHG current members. The deadline to sign up as a judge is the usually the end of February for that year’s Contest. If you have questions about future years, please contact [email protected]

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Goi Peace Foundation – 2021 International essay contest for young people

Deadline: 15 June 2021

This annual international essay contest is organized in an effort to harness the energy, creativity and initiative of the world’s youth in promoting a culture of peace and sustainable development. It also aims to inspire society to learn from the young minds and to think about how each of us can make a difference in the world.

The program is an activity within the framework of UNESCO’s Education for Sustainable Development: Towards achieving the SDGs (ESD for 2030).

The theme of the contest: “What is Life?”

What does life mean to you? Have you had an experience that made you think about the meaning of life? What kinds of things can you do to cherish and invigorate your own life and all life on earth?

Guidelines :

• Essays may be submitted by anyone up to 25 years old (as of June 15, 2021) in one of the following age categories: a) Children (ages up to 14) b) Youth (ages 15 – 25)
• Essays must be 700 words or less in English or French, or 1600 characters or less in Japanese. Essays must be typed, with your name and essay title included at the top of the first page. There are no particular rules regarding formatting (font style, size, line space, etc.). However, essays must be submitted in either MS Word (DOC/DOCX) or PDF format.* Your name and essay title are not included in the word count limit.
• Entries must be submitted online. To send your essay online, you must go to the online registration page at www.goipeace.or.jp and follow the required steps. Entries submitted by postal mail or e-mail are not accepted. Teachers and youth directors may submit a collection of essays from their class or group by creating an ‘account for school/organization entrant’ on the online registration page. * Only one entry per person is accepted. * We are unable to con”rm receipt of essays.
• Essays must be original and unpublished. Plagiarized entries will be rejected.
• Essays must be written by one person. Co-authored essays are not accepted.
• Copyright of the essays entered will be assigned to the organizer

Entries must be received by June 15, 2021 (23:59 your local time).

The following awards will be given in the Children’s category and Youth category respectively:

• 1st Prize: Certificate, prize of 100,000 Yen (approx. US$900 as of March 2021) and gift ………… 1 entrant
• 2nd Prize: Certificate, prize of 50,000 Yen (approx. US$450 as of March 2021) and gift …………. 3 entrants
• 3rd Prize: Certificate and gift …………. 5 entrants
• Honourable Mention: Certificate and gift …………. 25 entrants

* 1st to 3rd prize winners will be invited to the Winners Gathering to be held online. * Additional awards (Best School Award, School Incentive Award) will be given if applicable. * All prize winners will be announced on October 31, 2021 on the Goi Peace Foundation website: www.goipeace.or.jp .

Additional links:

• Guidelines and Rules
• The Goi Peace Foundation (website)

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The Goi Peace Foundation

International Essay Contest for Young People

DEADLINE PASSED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ENTRIES!

• The selection process is now underway. All prize winners will be announced on October 31, 2024 (Japan time) on this website. Certificates and gifts will be mailed to the winners in January 2025.
• 1st to 3rd prize winners will be invited to the Winners Gathering to be held online.

Click here to GET your Certificate online Download is available until December 31, 2024

This annual essay contest is organized in an effort to harness the energy, creativity and initiative of the world's youth in promoting a culture of peace and sustainable development. It also aims to inspire society to learn from the young minds and to think about how each of us can make a difference in the world.

* This program is an activity within the framework of UNESCO’s Education for Sustainable Development: Towards achieving the SDGs ( ESD for 2030 ).

The Essay Contest online registration page is currently experiencing high traffic ("Error establishing database connection", "Not Found", etc. ). If you are having difficulty, please try again after a few hours, and you should be able to get through. In case you are unable to access the page before the deadline, we will still accept your essay.

Click here to send your essay online

Organized by

Under the auspices of.

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan Japanese National Commission for UNESCO, Japan Private High School Federation Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education, Japan Broadcasting Corporation, Nikkei Inc

Supported by

SEIKO GROUP CORPORATION, PLUS CORPORATION

For further inquiries concerning the International Essay Contest for Young People, please contact [email protected]

Cover page template

English French

Essay Contest 2024 Flyer (PDF)

English Japanese French

Frequently Asked Questions

If you still have a question, click below Inquiry Form

Past Winning Essays 2020 Winners' Gathering Report

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25 Writing Contests and Publication Opportunities for Teens

Portrait of Emilio Terry by Salvador Dalí (detail, 1935).

NYPL Digital Collections, Image ID: 1564999

Are you an aspiring writer, creative artist, scientist or a future scholar? The following list of twenty-five publishing platforms provides teens with opportunities for recognition in those fields. Submitting your work for review and publication can channel your creative energy into a meaningful and rewarding project. Additionally, working on your writing will improve your research and organizational skills. Participating in a contest, or having your work published, is also a factor in college admissions decisions.

In estimating the amount of work each submission requires, be mindful of all provided deadlines. Notice that most essay submissions require a bibliography. If you are tackling an essay with an assigned topic, take advantage of the Library's Research resources. This guide to Remote Research Resources will provide you with guidance on how to use the Library's electronic resources from home. If you are working on composing an oratory, or any other piece of polemical writing, take a look at How to Research for a Debate Using Library Resources . Aspiring poets can consult Columbia Granger's World of Poetr y, a premier poetry online resource. Young artists can draw inspiration from the wealth of imagery in our Digital Collections . The Library encourages everyone to get creative with our public domain collection of digital images. If you are inserting a quotation into your text, learn How to Research a Quotation . Don't forget to attend the Library's events , as they frequently include writing workshops and book discussions . If you have any additional reference questions ,or want to see the full extent of remote research opportunities, take a look at our guide to Remote Collections and Services.

For additional guidance and inspiration, please see the short list of books provided below.

The Writer's Practice: Building Confidence in Your Nonfiction Writing by John Warner

Wired for Story: The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence by Lisa Cron

Singing School: Learning to Write (and Read) Poetry with the Masters by Robert Pisnky

Writers's Idea Book by Jack Heffron

Barron's Painless Writing by Jeffrey Strausser

How to Write Better Essays by Bryan Greetham

You Can Write a Play! by Milton E. Polsky

The Artist's Way: a Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron

Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss

Apprentice Writer

Susquehanna University and the Writers Institute initiative invite high school students to submit fiction, memoir, personal essay , poetry and photography for the thirty-ninth volume of Apprentice Writer , which will be published in the fall of 2021 

Deadline:  submissions are accepted from September 15 , 2020 to March 15 2021

Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest 

The Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest provides scholarship, prizes, and recognition for the best poems submitted by young women who are sophomores or juniors in high school or preparatory school. No more than two poems per student. For details and prizes please see the contest webpage . 

Deadline: October 31, 2020 

Leonard l. Milberg ’53 High School Poetry Prize

The Leonard L. Milberg ’53 High School Poetry Prize recognizes outstanding work by student writers in the eigth grade in the U.S. or abroad. Contest judges are poets on the Princeton University Creative Writing faculty, which includes Michael Dickman, Paul Muldoon, Rowan Ricardo Phillips, James Richardson, Tracy K. Smith, Susan Wheeler, Jenny Xie, and Monica Youn.

Deadline: to be announced. For the latest information and updates, you can subscribe to a newsletter . 

Rattle Young Poets Anthology

Young Poets Anthology is looking for poem submissions from authors that are 15, and younger. Poets can use their whole name, first name or a pseudonym. Poems could be submitted by students that are younger than 18, teachers, parents and guardians. 

Deadline:  Submission for 2020 accepted until November 16, 2020.

Society of Classical Poets High School Poetry Competition

Invites classic poetry lovers ages 13 to 19 to submit up to 3 metered poems, limited to 108 lines.  Poems must contain meter. Counting the number of syllables and ensuring there are a similar number in each line is sufficient. Society offers a very useful tutorial on  writing poetry with a meter. To learn how to write poetry with a meter, see a brief beginner’s guide on common iambic meter here or a more elaborate beginner’s guide to many kinds of meter here .

Deadline: December 31, 2020

The Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers   

The Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers recognizes outstanding young poets and is open to high school sophomores and juniors throughout the world. The contest winner receives a full scholarship to the Kenyon Review Young Writers workshop. In addition, the winning poem and the poems of the two runners-up will be published in the Kenyon Review, one of the country’s most widely read literary magazines.

Deadline : Submissions accepted between November 1 and November 30

Bennington College Young Writers Awards 

Students in 9th-12th grades, residing anywhere in the world, are invited to submit original works in three categories. Poetry requires a submission of three poems. Category of Fiction accepts short stories or a one-act play. There is a separate nonfiction essay category. Please notice that only original writing is accepted, and all  work has to be sponsored by a high school teacher. For further details, carefully read the submission rules.  

Deadline: Submissions for 2020 are accepted from September 3 to November 1 

Claudia Ann Seaman Awards for Young Writers 

High School students from anywhere in the world are eligible to submit original work written in English. Creative writing that was not previously published, can be submitted in the categories of poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction. For further detail and submissions guidelines read the rules of the context. In addition to creative writing, you can submit cover art for Polyphony magazine. 

Deadline: Check the website for the latest writing deadlines. Deadline for cover art submission is April 30th.   

SPJ/JEA High School Essay Contest 

In order to increase high school students' knowledge and understanding of the importance of independent media in our lives, Sigma Delta Chi Foundation of the Society of Professional Journalist and the Journalism Education Association invites students enrolled in grades 9-12 in US public, private and home schools , to submit an essay on a given topic.  National winners of this essay contest will receive a scholarship award. Topic for 2020 will be released in November. 

Deadline : February 22 

Achievement Award in Writing 

National Council of Teachers of English is offering an Achievement Award in Writing to High School Juniors in the United States, Canada, Virgin Islands, and accredited American Schools abroad. Students must be nominated by their school's English department and should submit one themed essay and a sample of their best writing. 

Deadline:  Submissions for 2021 are open from November 15 to February 15. Theme for the essay is available at the time of publication ( October 2020) 

Teen Ink Magazine 

A national teen magazine devoted to teenage writing, art, photos and forums, offers an opportunity to publish creative work and opinions on issues that affect their lives of teens. Hundreds of thousands of students aged 13-19, have submitted their work. Teen Ink magazine has published the creative output of over 55,000 teens. Teens can submit an article, poetry, book, novel, photo or a video though this link.

Deadline: none

Princeton University Ten Minute Play Contest 

Eligibility for the annual playwriting contest is limited to students in the 11th grade in the U.S , or an international equivalent of the 11th grade. Jury consists of members of the Princeton University Program in Theater faculty. 

Deadline: Information regarding submission will be provided in late Fall of 2020.

Youth Plays 

Unpublished one-act plays from authors younger than 19 years of age are accepted for submission. Plays should feature youth characters and be suitable for school production. For detailed submission guidelines and helpful advice visit Youth Plays website. 

Deadline: Next opportunity for submission will open up in early 2021.

Scholastic Art and Writing Awards

Scholastic Art and Writing Awards has the largest selection of opportunities for creative self-expression. With twenty eight categories, ranging from poetry to the entire writing portfolio, young artists and writers can choose from a plethora of opportunities. For the latest updates, rules , and information on how to enter, register with Scholastic. Don't forget to view the Gallery of Winning Entries . To participate in the Awards, you must be a student in grades 7–12, age 13 years or older, residing in the United States, U.S. territories or military bases, or Canada.

Deadlines vary by category, with submissions windows between September to December. 

National Young Arts Foundation Competition

Young Arts' signature program is an application-based award for emerging artists ages 15-18, or in grades 10-12. Open to students in a variety of different disciplines, including visual arts, writing, and music, National Young Arts Foundation  Competition  asks students to submit a portfolio of work.

Deadline: October 16 , 2020

World Historian Student Essay Competition  

World History Association invites international students enrolled in grades K-12 in public, private and parochial schools, and those in home-study programs to participate in a writing competition that celebrates the study of history. 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 we live ? For further details on submission guidelines, visit World History Association.  

Deadline: May 1

The Concord Review

This unique publication is the only quarterly journal in the world to publish academic history papers of secondary students. The Concord Review accepts history research papers (about 8,500 words with endnotes and bibliography ) of high school students from anywhere in the world. There is no theme, and papers on every period of history anywhere in the world are accepted. For specific rules and regulators, see the submission guidelines. 

Deadline: essay are accepted on a rolling admissions basis.

George S. & Stella M. Knight Essay Contest

The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) invites all high school students (9th through 12th grades) interested in the American Revolution to participate in the George S. & Stella M. Knight Essay Contest. To participate, students must submit an original 800 to 1,200-word essay based on an event, person, philosophy or ideal associated with the American Revolution, Declaration of Independence, or the framing of the United States Constitution. 

Deadline: December 31 

JFK Profiles in Courage Essay Contest 

The contest is open to United States high school students in grades 9-12 attending public, private, parochial, or home schools. In Profiles in Courage, John F. Kennedy recounted the stories of eight U.S. senators who risked their careers to do what was right for the nation. The Profile in Courage Essay Contest challenges students to write an original and creative essay that demonstrates an understanding of political courage as described by John F. Kennedy in Profiles in Courage.

Deadline: January 15 

Write the World Competition

Write the World is a global community of young writers, ages 13-18. Write the World offers a rotating list of themed competitions. Current competition ( October 2020) is for a Speech Writing Oration. The list of past competitions includes Historical Fiction ( short story), Food Writing, Album Review, Environmental Journalism, Songwriting and Book Review. 

Deadline: a new competition every month

Lloyd Davies Philosophy Prize

Established in 2006, the Lloyd Davies Philosophy Prize is an essay competition open in year 12 or the equivalent. Students can submit essays on three given topics in Philosophy. The judges will look for originality of thought, a clear grasp of the issues, clarity in presentation and a critical approach to what has been read. They will also look for a clear structure to the essay. Please read the submission guidelines carefully .

Deadline: June 22 , 2021

The American Foreign Service Association’s National High School Essay Contest

Students whose parents are not in the Foreign Service are eligible to participate in the contest, if they reside in the U.S., U.S territories, or if they are U.S. citizens attending high school overseas. In addition to the winner, there is the one runner-up and eight honorable mentions. For further details, please read Rules and Guidelines 

Deadline: The new prompt and deadlines for 2021 will be announced in the fall of 2020

International Essay Contest for Young People

This annual themed essay contest is organized by the Goi Peace Foundation in an effort to harness the energy, creativity and initiative of the world's youth in promoting a culture of peace and sustainable development. Essays can be submitted in two age categories, by anyone younger than 25. In addition to English, essays can be submitted in French, Spanish, German and Japanese. Please note that essays must be mailed, as no email submissions are accepted.

Deadline: Consult the Goi Peace Foundation website for the 2021 theme .

Engineer Girl Essay Writing Competition

This competition is  open to individual girls and boys in the following three age categories: elementary, middle, and high school students. This year's theme  relates to the COVID-19 virus.

Deadline: The contest will close at 11:59 PM, February 1, 2021, U.S. Eastern Standard Tim e

Voice of Democracy Audio-Essay Scholarship Program

Established in 1947 by Veterans of Foreign Wars, Voice of Democracy Youth Scholarship program requires a submission of a themed recorded essay. Students attending any type of school in grades 9-12 are eligible to participate. Essays are judged on content and on delivery technique.

Deadline: October 31

Your Ultimate Guide to Writing Contests Through 2024

Regardless where you are on your writing journey, you can benefit from entering contests.

The right contest can tell you:

• Where you stand
• How you measure up against the competition
• What you still need to learn

And you could win cash.

That’s why my team researched a wide range of high-quality contests. We’ve included free competitions and also many with modest entry fees.

• Short Story Writing Contests
• Full Manuscript Writing Contests
• Poetry Writing Contests

Great American Fiction Contest

Prize: 1st: $1,000, publication in The Saturday Evening Post

Runners-up (5): $200

Entry Fee: $10

Deadline: TBD 2024 (Annual Contest)

Sponsor: The Saturday Evening Post

From Website: “Unpublished short stories of 1,500 to 5,000 words in any genre touching on the publication’s mission, “Celebrating America—past, present, and future.” No extreme profanity or graphic sex. Work published on a personal website or blog is still eligible.”

SiWC Writing Contest

Prize: 1st: $1,000 plus publication

Honorable Mention: $150

Entry Fee: $15

Deadline: September 15, 2024

Sponsor: Surrey International Writers’ Conference

From Website: “Short stories in any genre must be 2,500-4,000 words. All submissions must contain original material and may not have been previously published, accepted for publication, or have been a winner in another contest prior to the deadline.”

WOW / Women On Writing Quarterly Flash Fiction Competition

Prize: 1st: $400, $25 Amazon gift certificate

2nd: $300, $25 Amazon gift certificate

3rd: $200, $25 Amazon gift certificate

Runners-up (7): $25 Amazon gift certificate

Honorable mentions (10): $20 Amazon gift certificate

Entry Fee: $10 (or $20 with feedback)

Deadline: Quarterly (next deadline February 2, 2024)

Sponsor: WOW / Women On Writing

From Website: “Runs four times a year and is open to all styles and genres. Closes each quarter after 300 entries have been received, or at the deadline. WOW also runs a quarterly nonfiction essay competition with cash prizes.”

Bristol Short Story Prize

Prize: 1st: £1,000 (~$1,242)

2nd: £500 (~$621)

3rd: £250 (~$310)

Shortlisted (17): £100 (~$124)

Entry Fee: £9 (~$11)

Deadline: TBD 2024

Sponsor: Bristol Short Story Prize

From Website: “Open to all published and unpublished writers 16 and up. No geographical restriction, but all entries must be in English. Maximum length 4,000 words (not including title). No minimum length. Stories can be on any subject.”

Aesthetica Creative Writing Award

Prize: £2,500 (~$3,105)

Winners also receive further non-monetary prizes including publication in the Aesthetica Creative Writing Annual.

Entry Fee: £18 (~$22) (Poetry Category entry fee is ~$15) 

Deadline: August 31, 2024

Sponsor: Aesthetica Magazine

From Website: “Fiction entries should be no more than 2,000 words. Works published or entered elsewhere are accepted. Any theme accepted. You may enter as many times as you wish, however, each work requires a separate fee and submission form.”

The Lascaux Prize

Prize: $1,000

Finalists receive $100

Deadline: June 20, 2024

Sponsor: The Lascaux Review

“Flash Fiction and Creative Nonfiction categories. 

Flash fiction entries should not exceed 1,000 words. All genres and styles welcome. 

From Website: “Creative nonfiction entry length must not exceed 10,000 words. All topics welcome but should be written in a nonacademic style. May include memoirs, chronicles, personal essays, humorous perspectives, literary journalism—anything the author has witnessed, experienced, learned, or discovered.”

The Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize

Prize: First place: £3,000 cash grant (~$3,726)

Second place: £1,000 travel expense (~$1,242)

Third place: £1,000 travel expense (~$1,242)

Entry Fee: Free

Deadline: March 1, 2024

Sponsor: The Alpine Fellowship

From Website: “Entries must fit the annual theme. Maximum of 2,500 words. All genres of writing are permitted, including fiction, non-fiction, and non-academic essays. Open to all nationalities but must be written in English. Stories must not have been published, self-published or accepted for publication in print or online. No entries that have won or been placed in another competition at any time.”

ServiceScape Short Story Award

Deadline: November 29, 2024

Sponsor: ServiceScape

From Website: “All entries must be original, unpublished works of short fiction or nonfiction, up to 5,000 words in length. Any genre or theme accepted.”

Bacopa Literary Review Contest

Prize: $200 Award 

$100 Honorable Mention in each of six categories

Sponsor: The Writers Alliance of Gainesville

From Website: “Awards in 6 categories (contestants may submit to only ONE category). Fiction (up to 2,500 words), Creative Nonfiction (up to 2,500 words), Humor (up to 2,000 words), Formal Poetry (1-3 poems), Free Verse Poetry (1-2 poems), Visual Poetry (1 poem).”

Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award

Prize: $.08 per word and publication

Deadline: February 1, 2024

Sponsor: National Space Society and Baen Books

From Website: “Write a short story of no more than 8,000 words, that shows the near future (no more than about 50-60 years out) of manned space exploration. What they want to see: Moon bases, Mars colonies, orbital habitats, space elevators, asteroid mining, artificial intelligence, nano-technology, realistic spacecraft, heroics, sacrifice, and adventure.”

Parsec Short Story Contest

Prize: First place: $200 and publication in the Confluence program book. 

Second place: $100 

Third place: $50 

Best Youth Story: $50

Deadline: March 31st, 2024

Sponsor: Parsec, Inc.

From Website: “Each annual contest is based on a theme provided. This can be conveyed in the setting, plot, characters, and dialogue; the only limit is your imagination. The theme must be integral to the story in some way and not just mentioned in passing. No minimum word count, no more than 3500 words. The 2024 Contest theme is ‘AI mythology.’” 

The Raymond Carver Short Story Contest

Prize: First place: $2000 

Second place: $500 

Third place: $250 

Two Editor’s Choice: $125

Entry Fee: $18

Deadline: May 15, 2024

Sponsor: Carve Magazine

From Website: “One short story per entry. No limit to entries. Must be previously unpublished (including online) with a 10,000 maximum word count. We accept entries from anywhere in the world, but the story must be English-language. No genre fiction (romance, horror, sci-fi); literary fiction only.”

Blurred Genres Flash Contest

Prize: First Place: $750 

Second Place: $350 

Third Place: $150 

Publication of Top Five

Sponsor: Invisible City (University of San Francisco)

From Website: “Based on a theme (for example last year’s theme was “Levity”) that can be interpreted through prose, poetry, or some combination of the two. All genres and themes are welcome. Contest submissions must be 750 words or less and can be flash fiction/nonfiction, prose poetry, or some unique combination of the three. Submissions must be the original work of the submitter and unpublished (and not slated for future publication).”

Imagine 2200: Write the future

Prize: First Place: $3,000

Second Place: $2,000 

Third Place: $1,000

An additional nine finalists will each receive $300 

All winners and finalists will have their stories published in an immersive collection on Grist’s website

Sponsor: Grist

From Website: “Imagine 2200 is an invitation to writers from all over the globe to imagine a future in which solutions to the climate crisis flourish and help bring about radical improvements to our world. 3,000 to 5,000 word stories envisioning a world where we prioritize our well-being, work to mend our communities, and lead lives that celebrate our humanity.”

The Elegant Literature Award For New Writers

Prize: First place: $3,000 and 10c/word and publication. Free enrollment in the New Novelist Accelerator.

Second – Tenth: 10c/word and publication.

Eleventh – Thirty-fifth: $20 and an honorable mention in the magazine

Entry Fee: Requires Elegant+ Membership ($9.99 a month)

Deadline: Ongoing (monthly)

Sponsor: Elegant Literature Magazine

From Website: “Write a story involving annual theme. New or unpublished authors may enter. Word count is 500-2000. All genres are welcome as long as it involves the theme.”

F(r)iction Contests

Prize: $300.00 and consideration for publication in F(r)iction

Entry Fee: $10 for a single entry, $12 for three entries

Deadline: April 30, 2024

Sponsor: F(r)iction

From Website: “Competitions in several categories, short stories (1,001 – 7,500 words), flash fiction (up to 1,000 words), and Poetry (up to three pages per poem). Entries are accepted regardless of genre, style, or origin. Experimental, nontraditional, and boundary-pushing literature is strongly encouraged. Their guidelines include the phrase ‘Strange is good.’”

Manchester Fiction Prize

Prize: £10,000 (~$12,420)

Entry Fee: £18 (~$22) 

100 reduced-price (£10 or ~$13) entries are available to entrants who might not otherwise be able to take part in the competition.

Sponsor: Manchester Metropolitan University

From Website: “The Manchester Fiction Prize asks for a short story of up to 2,500 words in length. Stories submitted should be new work, not previously published elsewhere. The Prize is open internationally to those aged 16 or over.”  

Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Competition

Prize: Grand Prize $5000, an interview with them in Writer’s Digest (Nov/Dec 2023 issue) and on WritersDigest.com, a paid trip to the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference, including a special trophy presentation at the keynote, a coveted Pitch Slam slot at the Writer’s Digest Conference where the winner will receive one on one attention from editors or agents, and publication of their winning piece on WritersDigest.com

First Place: $1,000 and publication of their winning piece on WritersDigest.com

Second Place: $500 

Third Place: $250 

Fourth Place: $100 

Fifth Place: $50 

Sixth through Tenth Place: $25 gift certificate for writersdigestshop.com.

Entry Fee: $20-30 (varies depending on category)

Deadline: May 6, 2024 

Sponsor: Writer’s Digest

From Website: “Only original works that have not been published (at the time of submission) in print, digital, or online publications will be considered. Self-published work in blogs, on social media, etc. will be considered. For the script category, only unproduced scripts will be considered. Entries in the Nonfiction Essay or Article category may be previously published. All entries must be in English. Memoirs/Personal Essay, Nonfiction Essay or Article, and Children’s/Young Adult Fiction: 2,000 words maximum. Mainstream/Literary Short Story, Genre Short, Story, and Humor: 4,000 words maximum. Inspirational Writing: 2,500 words maximum. Rhyming Poem and Non-rhyming Poem: 40 lines maximum.”

Emerging Writer’s Contest

Prize: Publication, $2,000, review from Aevitas Creative Management, and a 1-year subscription for one winner in each of the three genres

Entry Fee: Free for subscribers to Ploughshares, $24 for nonsubscribers

Sponsor: Ploughshares (Emerson College)

From Website: “The contest is open to writers of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry who have yet to publish or self-publish a book. Fiction and Nonfiction: Under 6,000 words. Poetry: 3-5 pages.”

Wells Festival of Literature Short Story Competition

Prize: First Place £750 (~$932)

Second Place £300 (~$373)

Third Place: £200 (~$248)

Entry Fee: £6 (~$8)

Sponsor: Wells Festival of Literature

From Website: “Stories may be on any subject and should be between 1,000 and 2,000 words. All entries must be the exclusive and original work of the entrant. At the time of entry, the work submitted must not have been entered into any other Competition and must not have been published in any format or location.”

Anthology Short Story Competition

Prize: First Place: €1,000 (~$1098), the chance to see their work published in a future issue of Anthology, and a one-year subscription to Anthology 

Second Place: €250 (~$275)

Third Place: €150 (~$165)

Entry Fee: Early Bird: €12 (~$13)

Standard fee: €18 (~$20)

Deadline: July 31, 2024

Sponsor: Anthology Publishing

From Website: “Established to recognize and encourage creative writing and provide a platform for publication, the Anthology Short Story Competition is open to original and previously unpublished short stories in the English language by a writer of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. There is no restriction on theme or style. Stories submitted must not exceed the maximum of 1,500 words.” 

The Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize

Prize: £1,000 (~$1,246) and publication in Wasafiri’s print magazine

Entry Fee: £10 (~$12) for a single entry, £16 (~$20) for a double entry

Sponsor: Wasafiri Magazine 

From Website: “Exceptionally international in scope, the prize supports writers who have not yet published a book-length work, with no limits on age, gender, nationality, or background. No entry may exceed 3,000 words. A single poetry entry can include up to three poems, which together total no more than 3,000 words.”

2024 Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize

Prize: $1000 and a free 10-week course with Gotham Writers

Entry Fee: $25

Sponsor: Gotham Writers and Selected Shorts

From Website: “This long-running series at Symphony Space in New York City celebrates the art of the short story by having stars of stage and screen read aloud the works of established and emerging writers. Selected Shorts is recorded for Public Radio and heard nationally on both the radio and its weekly podcast.”

Robert and Adele Schiff Awards

Prize: $1,000 All entries will be considered for publication in The Cincinnati Review

Entry Fee: $20

Sponsor: The Cincinnati Review (University of Cincinnati)

From Website: “Writers may submit up to 8 pages of poetry, 40 pages of a single double-spaced piece of fiction, or 20 pages of a single double-spaced piece of literary nonfiction, per entry. Previously published manuscripts, including works that have appeared online (in any form), will not be considered. There are no restrictions as to form, style, or content; all entries will be considered for publication. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable under the condition that you notify us if your manuscript is accepted elsewhere.” 

Salamander 2024 Fiction Prize

Prize: First Place: $1,000 and Publication

 Second Place: $500 and Publication

Deadline: TBD 2024 

Sponsor: Salamander Magazine

From Website: “All entries will be considered for publication and will be judged anonymously. Each story must not exceed 30 double-spaced pages in 12-point font. Previously published works and works accepted for publication elsewhere cannot be considered. Salamander’s definition of publishing includes electronic publication.”

BOA Short Fiction Prize

Prize: $1,000 and publication by BOA Editions, Ltd.

Deadline: May 31, 2024

Sponsor: BOA Editions, Ltd.

From Website: “Entrants must be U.S. citizens, legal residents of the U.S., or have Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) status, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), or Legal Permanent Status (LPS). Entrants must be at least 18 years of age. Minimum of 90 pages; maximum of 200 pages. Manuscript text should be at least 12 pt. font, double-spaced. As with all BOA fiction titles, our prize-winning short story collections are more concerned with the artfulness of writing than the twists and turns of plot. It is our belief that short story writing is a valuable and underserved literary form that we are proud to support, nurture, and celebrate.”

Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest

Prize: First Place: $3,000 

Entry Fee: $22

Deadline: May 1, 2024

Sponsor: Winning Writers (Co-sponsored by Duotrope)

From Website: “For this contest, a story is any short work of fiction, and an essay is any short work of nonfiction. All themes accepted. Entries may be published or unpublished. Length limit: 6,000 words maximum. No restriction on the age of the author.”

Gabriele Rico Challenge for Nonfiction

Prize: $1,333

Deadline: November 1, 2024

Sponsor: Reed Magazine

From Website: “C reative nonfiction, such as personal essays or narratives, not scholarly papers or book reviews. All works should be stand-alone essays, not chapters of a longer work. Previously published work is not eligible. Up to 5,000 words.”

53-Word Story Contest

Prize: Publication in Prime Number Magazine and a free book from Press 53.

Deadline: Ongoing. 15th of each month

Sponsor: Prime Number Magazine

From Website: “New prompt each month. Judges are looking for stories with a surprising approach to the prompt, something unusual and creative. Stories must be 53 words—no more, no less. Stories with fewer than or more than 53 words will be disqualified. Send only stories; poetry with line breaks will not be considered.”

Letter Review Prize for Short Fiction

Prizes: Three Winners are announced who are published and share in the $1000 USD total prize pool. Twenty writers are Longlisted. All entries considered for publication, and for submission to the Pushcart Prize and other anthologies.

Deadline: Awarded every two months

Sponsor: Letter Review

From Website: “Word Length: 0 – 5000 words. Open to anyone in the world. There are no genre or theme restrictions.”

Letter Review Prize for Nonfiction

Entry Fee: $20.

From Website: “0 – 5000 words. Open to anyone in the world. We welcome all forms of nonfiction including: Memoir, journalism, essay (including personal essay), fictocriticism, creative nonfiction, travel, nature, opinion, and many other permutations.”

University of New Orleans Press Lab Prize

Prize: $10,000 advance on royalties and a contract to publish with the University of New Orleans Press

Entry Fee: $28

Sponsor: University of New Orleans

From Website: “Entries must be unpublished novels or short story collections. The work does not have to be regionally focused. There is no word limit. There is no restriction on subjects covered. The contest is open to all authors from around the world, regardless of publishing history.  Works of fiction (novels and short story collections) only. Submissions must be your entire manuscript.”

The Bath Novel Awards 

Prize: Two £3,000 (~$3738) prizes are awarded annually for the best manuscript as judged by literary agents

All shortlistees win feedback on their full manuscript.

Entry Fee: £29 (~$36)

Deadline: May 31st 2024

Sponsor: The Bath Novel Award (co-sponsored by Cornerstones Literary Consultancy and Professional Writing Academy)

From Website: “Submit the opening 5,000 words plus one-page synopsis of novel manuscripts for adults or young adults. Completed works must be over 50,000 words. Novels can be for adult or young adult readers and any genre. Must be your original work and submitted in English. Novels can be unpublished, self-published, or independently published.”

The Times/Chicken House Competition

Prize:  First Place: worldwide publishing contract with Chicken House with a royalty advance of £10,000 (~$12,459), plus an offer of representation by this year’s agent judge, Davinia Andrew-Lynch of Curtis Brown. 

Second Place: Lime Pictures New Storyteller Award. A publishing contract with a royalty advance of £7,500 (~$9,344) plus an offer of representation by Davinia Andrew-Lynch.

Entry Fee: £20 (~$25)

Deadline: June 1, 2024

Sponsor: The Times and Chicken House 

From Website: “To enter, you must have written a completed full-length novel suitable for children/young adults aged somewhere between 7 and 18 years. A minimum of 30,000 words and a maximum of 80,000 words suggested.”

The Dzanc Books Prize for Fiction

Prize: $5,000 advance and publication by Dzanc Books

Deadline: September 30, 2024

Sponsor: Dzanc Books

From Website: “The Dzanc Books Prize for Fiction recognizes daring, original, and innovative novels (generally over 40,000 words, but there is no hard minimum). The contest is open to new, upcoming, and established writers alike. Agented submissions are also eligible, and we ask that you include all agency contact information with the application. All submitted works must be previously unpublished novel-length manuscripts and should include a brief synopsis, author bio, and contact information.”

Claymore Award

Prize: Discounted admission to Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference, with introductions to agents/editors (And probably publishing contract)

Entry Fee: $45 (Full critique included for $125)

Deadline: April 1, 2024

Sponsor: Killer Nashville

From Website: “The contest is limited to only the first 50 double-spaced pages of unpublished English-language manuscripts containing elements of thriller, mystery, crime, or suspense NOT currently under contract. These can include Action Adventure, Comedy, Cozy, Historical, Investigator, Juvenile/YA, Literary, Mainstream/Commercial, Mystery, Nonfiction, Sci-fi/Fantasy, Short Story Collections, Southern Gothic, Supernatural, Suspense, Thriller, and Western manuscripts, and any of their derivatives. (Self-published manuscripts are considered already published and are not eligible.)”

St. Martin’s Minotaur / Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Competition

Prize: Publication and a $10,000 advance

Sponsor: Minotaur Books and Mystery Writers of America

From Website: “Open to any writer, regardless of nationality, aged 18 or older, who has never been the author of any published novel and is not under contract with a publisher for publication of a novel. All Manuscripts submitted must be original works of book length (no less than 220 typewritten pages or approximately 60,000 words), written in the English language, written solely by the entrant, and must not violate any right of any third party or be libelous. Murder or another serious crime is at the heart of the story.”

The Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing

Prize: $10,000 advance and publication

Sponsor: Restless Books

From Website: “Created in 2015 to honor outstanding debut literary works by first-generation immigrants, awarded for fiction and nonfiction in alternating years. Fiction manuscripts must be complete. Nonfiction submissions must consist of either a complete manuscript or a sample of at least 25,000 words and a detailed proposal that includes a synopsis and an annotated table of contents. All submissions must be in English (translations welcome). Fiction candidates must not have previously published a book of fiction in English. Nonfiction candidates must not have previously published a book of nonfiction in English.”

New American Fiction Prize

Prize: $1,500 and a book contract, as well as 25 author’s copies and promotional support

Deadline: January 15, 2024

Sponsor: New American Press

From Website: “Manuscripts should be at least 100 pages, but there is no maximum length. All forms and styles of full-length fiction manuscripts are welcome, including story collections, novels, novellas, collections of novellas, flash fiction collections, novels in verse, and other hybrid forms.”

Your Next Best Read

Prize: First Place (Fiction & Nonfiction): $100 Cash Price, 6-month Advertising Package, Press Release, Editorial Review, Newsletter Announcement, Promotional Creatives

Second Place Awards (Fiction & Nonfiction): 6-month Advertising Package, Editorial Review, Newsletter Announcement

Third Place (Fiction & Nonfiction): 3-month Advertising Package, Editorial Review, Newsletter Announcement

Deadline: May 5, 2024

Sponsor: Excalibre Publishing

From Website: “ The contest is open to writers of all backgrounds, ages, and nationalities. Both published and unpublished works are welcome. We encourage submissions in various/ALL genres –  fiction, non-fiction, poetry (submit in nonfiction), and short stories. No specific wordcount requiered. Submissions must be in English.”

Letter Review Prize for Manuscripts

Prizes: Three Winners are announced who have a brief extract published, receive a letter of recommendation from our Judges for publishers, and share in the $1000 USD total prize pool. Twenty writers are Longlisted.

Entry Fee: $25.

Deadline: Awarded Every two months

From Website: “Please submit the first 5000 words of your manuscript, whether it be prose or poetry. Open to anyone in the world. The entry must not have been traditionally published. We are seeking all varieties of novels, short story collections, nonfiction, and poetry collections. We will accept manuscripts which are unpublished, self published, and some which are indie published. Review full entry guidelines for further details.”

2nd place in fiction & non-fiction $750 cash prize and trophy

3rd place in fiction & non-fiction $500 cash prize and trophy

Winner of each of the 80+ categories $100 cash prize and gold medal

Stan and Tom Wick Poetry Prize

Prize: $2,500 plus publication

Entry Fee: $30

Sponsor: Kent State University Press

From Website: “Offered annually to a poet who has not previously published a full-length collection of poems. The winner and the competition’s judge will give a reading together on the Kent State campus. The competition is open to poets writing in English who have not yet published a full-length collection of poems (a volume of 50 or more pages published in an edition of 500 or more copies).”

Blue Lynx Prize for Poetry

Prize: $2,000 plus publication

Sponsor: Lynx House Press

From Website: “Awarded for an unpublished, full-length volume of poems by a U.S. author, which includes foreign nationals living and writing in the U.S. and U.S. citizens living abroad. Manuscripts may include poems that have appeared in journals, magazines, or chapbooks. Poems that have previously appeared in full-length, single-author collections, are not eligible.”

Ó Bhéal Five Words International Poetry Competition

Prize: First Place: €750 ($890) 

Second Place: €500 ($590) 

Third Place: €250 ($295)

Entry Fee: €5 ($6)

Deadline: Every Tuesday at 12pm (Irish time) from April 11, 2023 – January 30, 2024

Sponsor: Ó Bhéal

From Website: “Five words will be posted on this competition page. Entrants will have one week to compose and submit one or more poems which include all five words given for that week. Entry is open to all countries. Poems cannot exceed 50 lines in length (including line breaks), and must include all five words listed for the week.”

Letter Review Prize for Poetry

Prizes: Three Winners are announced who are published and share in the $800 USD total prize pool. Twenty writers are Longlisted. All entries considered for publication, and for submission to the Pushcart Prize and other anthologies.

Entry Fee: $15.

From Website: “70 lines max per poem Open to anyone in the world. There are no style or subject restrictions.”

• Advice for Researching Writing Competitions

This list includes only a few of the many writing contests you can find online.

Here are some tips for looking into options on your own:

1. Narrow your search with details that are relevant to you, for example, “writing contests in Texas,” “writing contests for women authors,” or “writing contests for veterans.” 

2. Be genre-specific.

3. Include the year in your search to ensure the most up-to-date results. 

4. Carefully read the guidelines and eligibility requirements. 

5. Pay attention to the contest sponsor. Only submit to reputable hosts.  

Worried your writing isn’t quite ready to compete? Take my free writing assessment and see personalized guidance on how to improve your skills. https://jerryjenkins.com/quiz/

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Home › Essay Competition › Essay Competition Winners

Essay Competition Winners

Table of Contents

Every year, Immerse Education run two Essay Competitions to inspire a sense of motivation in young people around the world, as well as open up doors to our outstanding summer courses taking place in world-renowned locations. Participants choose from a range of questions from a variety of subject categories and enter by the deadline to be in with a chance of winning a full or partial scholarship to study on one of our programmes. Here you’ll find past winning entries from previous rounds.

For further information about our essay competition, visit our dedicated essay competition page where you’ll get answers to our most frequently asked questions, access to a full essay competition guide and free tips to boost your chances of winning straight to your inbox every week!

2019 Essay Competition Winners

• Indigo Henning’s Winning Essay (Engineering)
• 16-18 Category Winning Essay (Earth Sciences)
• 13-15 Category Winning Essay

Other 2019 Competitions held by Immerse Education

• App Competition Winner (Léo Wújì Yangkai Procházka)
• Tech Competition Winner

2020 Essay Competition Winners

• 2020 Essay Competition Winners – Winning Essay
• 2020 Essay Competition Winners – 16-18 – Winning Essay

2021 Essay Competition Winners

• 2021 Essay Competition Winner – Business Management

2022 Essay Competition Winners

• 2022 Essay Competition Winner – Business Management
• 2022 Essay Competition Winner – Chemistry
• 2022 Essay Competition Winner – 16-18 – Earth Sciences
• 2022 Essay Competition Winner – 16-18 – Physics
• 2022 Essay Competition Winner – 16-18 – Creative Writing

2023 Essay Competition Winners

• 2023 Essay Competition Winner – Earth Sciences
• 2023 Essay Competition Winner – Physics
• 2023 Essay Competition Winner – Creative Writing

2024 Essay Competition Winners

• 2024 Essay Competition Winner – 16-18 – Business Management
• 2024 Essay Competition Winner – 13-15 – Medicine
• 2024 Essay Competition Winner – 16-18 – Coding
• 2024 Essay Competition Winner – 16-18 – Female Future Leaders
• 2024 Essay Competition Winner – 16-18 – Biology

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By The Learning Network

Our annual Contest Calendar is probably the single most powerful thing we publish all year. Teachers tell us they plan their classes around our challenges, and tens of thousands of teenagers around the globe participate by creating narratives, reviews, videos, opinion pieces, podcasts, illustrations, photo essays and more.

For us, these contests are an honor and a joy to host. We love learning from young people — about what moves them and makes them mad, what intrigues and confuses and delights and defines them.

This year, we are bringing back some recent and longtime favorites, as well as introducing a few new challenges.

To begin, we have two options this fall in response to the U.S. election, though students around the globe are welcome. In September, we open with a series of special forums that invite teenagers to have thoughtful conversations about their civic and political identities, values and beliefs. Then, if they choose, they can work alone or with others to make something in response — whether in writing, video, audio or visual art. (Students can participate in one or both challenges, and we have a related invitation for educators .)

In the spring, we’re offering “My List,” a twist on our long-running review contest. This time, students can choose any collection of three to five works of art or culture to group in some way and then tell us why we should — or shouldn’t — check them out.

We’ll be posting the full rules and guidelines for each contest here when it opens. but for now you can look at the related resources we’ve provided, as well as last year’s rules, which will largely remain the same for our returning contests.

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The Honourable President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu, Mr. Harish Bhat, Brand Custodian, Tata Sons, and Mr. Venguswamy Ramaswamy, Global Head, TCS iON, with the national winners of the Tata Building India School Essay Competition 2019-20 & 2020-21, at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on April 17, 2023.

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The Tata Building India School Essay Competition is one of the key initiatives undertaken by the Tata Group to motivate the youth and foster the spirit of nation building.

Learn how your school can enroll for the competition and help you build a better career.

Strengthen your students’ constructive imaginations & abilities.

Raise them to become a thought leader of tomorrow.

National-level winners 2020-2021

Tejasi Gaur

Senior Winner

Mahee Vishwakarma

Junior Winner

View all winners

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Words of inspiration

In your shiny faces I see the country’s bright future. I urge you to dream big and try hard to realise your dream. When India will celebrate its hundred years of independence, I hope that whatever field you will be working in, your contribution will be for the betterment of the country as a whole. I also commend your teachers and parents who have encouraged you to pursue excellence by nurturing you, and encouraging your participation in this very important initiative. I appreciate Tata group for organising this nation building initiative every year. My message to all of you is that you should try to do well while doing good. Wishing you success, happiness, and joy in your life.

Shrimati Droupadi Murmu

15 th President of India

Children of India are the future of this great nation. They are the crucial building blocks of the nation that we seek to build. It is important that you dream and set up goals for yourselves and then work towards those goals with dedication, integrity and commitment. Always remain positive and never let failures deter you.

Shri Ram Nath Kovind

14 th President of India

..the ignited mind of the youth is the most powerful resource on the earth, above the earth & under the earth. India's real heart & soul is her rural population. My dream like many children is to see a corruption-free India by 2020 & one of the best ways it can be achieved is to use 'love'. It is the greatest tool that all of us have, to teach people to be honest in the way they do things & conduct themselves. We need to start at home & if the children can start that themselves, then it will be a big beginning in itself.

Late Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam

11 th President of India

Tata Building India is one initiative which provides a platform for young students to express themselves on issues of National development. I congratulate the winners and Tata for instituting this Initiative.

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Announcement of IvyPanda’s $1,500 Essay Writing Contest Scholarship 2024 Winners

Hello and welcome to the announcement of our Essay Writing Contest Scholarship winners!

As usual, we’re super excited to cut straight to the chase, but we can’t do so without a quick recap.

And there are things worth mentioning, to be honest. Last year, we stated that we received a lot more submissions than anticipated, with 773 works in total and 578 evaluated papers. Well, this year, the record was broken again, as we received 783 essays and accepted 659 of them. Unfortunately, we had to reject 124 works for various reasons: contest requirements not being fulfilled, wrong topic, plagiarism, or work format issues.

We are thankful to all the participants for filling this contest with creativity and bright ideas!

Here’s a short reminder of the evaluation criteria that we used:

• Grammar, Punctuation, and Spelling – 20 points;
• Content and Ideas – 20 points;
• Use of Language and Style – 30 points;
• Organization – 20 points;
• MLA Referencing – 10 points.

On average, all 659 that we evaluated got 68.4 points. Good job!

With all the statistics out of the way, let’s name this year’s winners!

1st place and the $1,000 prize goes to Isabella Barricklow with the essay “The Pen is Mightier than the Keyboard: School as Protective and Preventive Factor Against Cyberbullying,” which got 90 points. Congratulations!

The Pen is Mightier than the Keyboard: School as Protective and Preventive Factor Against Cyberbullying The internet’s vastness makes the issue of cyberbullying seem as evasive as water slipping through one’s fingers. However, to effectively understand and work towards eliminating the complex phenomenon, an institution must take responsibility for the issue, mainly, comprehending its intricate causes and functions across communities and establishing systems and programs towards its prevention. This responsibility should fall to schools; while not always the location where cyberbullying takes place, schools control its progress and develop solutions with consideration for intersectionality in a way that parents and other organizations may lack the resources to do and are the most adequately regulated, pedagogically-equipped, and consistent resource for education acquisition and distribution on cyberbullying. Teacher training and professional skill are factors in successfully addressing intersectional elements of cyberbullying and ensuring homologous, pedagogical awareness and prevention education. The experience of cyberbullying will be different for students based on their diverse backgrounds as well as their developmental stages. For example, Emily Vogels finds that low household income increases the likelihood of cyberbullying and race influences student cynicism of law enforcement efforts to reduce cyberbullying (1). Additionally, students in higher and further education continue to experience cyberbullying but are less likely to seek help, expressing moral disengagement and less empathy (Myers and Cowie). Acknowledging these intersections in the issue of cyberbullying must fall to professionals who are continually trained to do so. Research suggests teachers and administrators who undergo district professional development and training sessions gain the cultural competency required to do this and can even improve student academic outcomes and increase educator “professional efficacy” in doing so (Hamdan and Coloma 110 Furthermore, districts and teachers have the resources and pedagogical structures, or can acquire them, to carry out best practices in cyberbullying prevention. Tozzo et al. find that the most effective cyberbullying interventions were education-based and interactive, whereas “prescriptive and juridical” interventions were much less effective. However, to implement these educational programs, both “complex knowledge of cyberbullying” and “expertise and competencies in the field of media education” are needed (Tomczyk and Wloch 14). Districts and educational environments can provide teachers with this expertise in a relatively homologous way, monitored and assessed by professional development requirements and district standards. In contrast, parents are capable of educating their children on these issues, but there is no way of enforcing this, knowing if resources are accessible for all parents, assessing their understanding and progress, or ensuring that all parents implement research-based, intersectional, best practices. Yosep et al. find that a vast majority of parents both felt and demonstrated they lacked knowledge regarding cyberbullying and resources to address it, and the strategies and resources they do use are varied (Yosep et al.). Teaching, however, is a regulated profession where trained professionals undergo constant observation, assessment, and development where cyberbullying education and prevention strategies can be pedagogically informed and monitored, leading to better results. Finally, education laws give schools the advantage of state-required, mandatory attendance for twelve years, making them a setting where information can be consistently shared across students’ educational lifespans. Tozzo et al. find that, across studies, longer versions of intervention programs targeting cyberbullying had more positive outcomes when compared with shorter versions. Tomczyk and Wloch’s research supports this, stating a weakness in programs is their occasional use when they should be administered more frequently (20). Additionally, students outside the K-12 educational system have less avenues for help and resources, especially those who transition out of the obligatory educational system (Myers and Cowie). While some students may not have consistent parental messaging, life experiences, or access to resources in their home lives or when they leave school, it can generally be assumed that school will be a consistent, actively controlled, and regulated setting in their lives for at least twelve years where the issue of cyberbullying can be addressed continually and empower them to address issues autonomously once out of school. School, as an institution whose pedagogy and practices are constantly evolving and undergoing assessment and a consistent setting for students, must be entrusted with reducing cyberbullying. If knowledge is both a weapon against cyberbullying and a healing tool, then schools are the fortresses whose walls protect and enrich the lives of children, creating lasting change in society. Works Cited Hamdan, Suha, and Roland Sintos Coloma. “Assessing Teachers’ Cultural Competency.” The Journal of Educational Foundations , vol. 35, no. 1, Caddo Gap Press, Spring 2022, pp. 108-128. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1358841.pdf. Accessed 16 June 2024. Myers, Carrie-Anne, and Helen Cowie. “Cyberbullying across the lifespan of education: Issues and interventions from school to University.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health , vol. 16, no. 7, 4 Apr. 2019, p. 1217, https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16071217. Accessed 16 June 2024. Tomczyk, Łukasz, and Anna Włoch. “Cyberbullying in the light of challenges of school-based prevention.” International Journal of Cognitive Research in Science, Engineering and Education (IJCRSEE) , vol. 7, no. 3, 20 Dec. 2019, pp. 13–26, https://doi.org/10.5937/ijcrsee1903013t. Accessed 16 June 2024. Tozzo, Pamela, et al. “Family and educational strategies for cyberbullying prevention: A systematic review.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health , vol. 19, no. 16, 22 Aug. 2022, p. 10452, https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191610452. Accessed 16 June 2024. Vogels, Emily A. “Teens and Cyberbullying 2022.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center , 15 Dec. 2022, www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/12/15/teens-and-cyberbullying-2022/. Accessed 16 June 2024. Yosep, Iyus, et al. “Preventing cyberbullying and reducing its negative impact on students using e-parenting: A scoping review.” Sustainability , vol. 15, no. 3, 17 Jan. 2023, p. 1752, https://doi.org/10.3390/su15031752.

2nd place and the $500 prize received by Sebastian LaRoche with the essay “Adjusting Pupils – The Future of AI in Education,” which got 88 points. Well done!

Adjusting Pupils – The Future of AI in Education A new sun sits on the horizon. Should we prepare the solar panels? Wait for our pupils to adjust? Students of the future, a different type of pupil, face similar questions. Artificial Intelligence has immense potential for improving Education, but its usage has clear risks, including job-replacement, privacy, and socioeconomic disparities. In this essay, I will not refute these risks but propose methods of obtaining the benefits of AI-assisted education while adapting to these and other concerns. While AI’s continuous growth and economic potential might threaten many labor-intensive jobs currently occupied by humans, human teachers are well away from being replaced. Sarah Hanawald, Senior Director of the Association for Academic Leaders, argues that while “AI tools can help provide personalized learning for a student,” it would require a teacher’s oversight. Not only is student motivation correlated with a positive student-teacher relationship (Rimm-Kaufman), but datasets AI uses in its Algorithm are limited by bias and human error. With an AI-based learning system, teachers and professors also gain insight about their students’ learning styles (Rouhiainen). Therefore, it is evident that AI would best augment teachers rather than replace them. Perhaps a hybrid classroom with information introduced by humans and further explained by machines could accomplish this. It is no secret that technology’s growth poses a threat to user privacy with the misuse of personal data. As Cameron F. Kerry from the Center for Technology Innovation puts it, “As artificial intelligence evolves, it magnifies the ability to use personal information in ways that can intrude on privacy interests by raising analysis of personal information to new levels of power and speed.” With AI-assisted education, monitoring students, even for the sake of tracking learning styles, could potentially risk those student’s personal information. However, what is more infrequently talked about is the effect this would have on the student. Daniel Buck at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute likens the experience of a student in this environment to a prisoner of the theoretical Panopticon, a circular prison popularized by French philosopher Michel Foucault in which, through a light at the center of the facility, prisoners would feel under constant surveillance. Thus, proper behavior would be fostered. What happens to a student in this situation? “A report from the National Association of State Boards of Education suggests that students are less likely to feel safe enough for free expression” (Buck). The National Library of Medicine links several more issues with constant surveillance, including heightened anxiety and decreased mental health. Fortunately, by keeping this in mind, creating a solution is far from impossible. Pairing the hybrid classroom concept from before with legal enforcement of minimizing data collection might be able to inhibit privacy concerns and minimize student surveillance. It is a fact that “students routinely receive dramatically different learning opportunities based on their social status” (Darling-Hammond). This is mainly due to resource disparity, with higher-poverty schools unable to afford updated technology. Implementing AI in schools is reminiscent of when Internet access was doled out unequally. Since “People without (Internet) connectivity are often those with lower incomes” (Muller), it created a “digital divide” that obstructs social mobility, and if only wealthier schools can utilize AI, why wouldn’t the same happen now but worse? It’s as if the state of Education is an arms race, and only those born able to afford the means can succeed. The Learning Policy Institute also describes this as a “cumulative disadvantage” and proposes that, for social equity to be achieved concerning resource disparities in Education, “equal access for these (impoverished) students requires additional resources.” This might mean upgrading lower-income schools with AI first or making sure this revolutionary resource is available to everyone regarding economic standing. In conclusion, to obtain the benefits of AI-assisted education without replacing jobs, lowering student privacy, or threatening social mobility, I propose heavy research into a new education system. This might mean a hybrid classroom, limits to how businesses use data, or strategic allocation of AI as a resource. But no matter the solution, I hope we as a people can let our eyes adjust to the new sun on our horizon in the hopes that we will someday see a classroom perfected. Works Cited Buck, Daniel. “AI is a serious threat to student privacy.” The Thomas B. Fordham Institute , 5 October 2023, https://fordhaminstitute.org/national/commentary/ai-serious-threat-student-privacy. Accessed 28 June 2024. Hammond, Linda. “Inequality in Teaching and Schooling: How Opportunity Is Rationed to Students of Color in America.” NCBI, 2001, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK223640/. Accessed 28 June 2024. Hanawald, Sarah. “AI Won’t Replace Teachers—But It Could Help Them.” ERB, 12 September 2023, https://www.erblearn.org/blog/ai-wont-replace-teacher-intelligence/. Accessed 28 June 2024. Humane, Sonal. “Exploring the Impact of Security Technologies on Mental Health: A Comprehensive Review.” NCBI, 5 February 2024, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10918303/. Accessed 28 June 2024. Muller, Charlie. “What Is the Digital Divide?” Internet Society , 3 March 2022, https://www.internetsociety.org/blog/2022/03/what-is-the-digital-divide/. Accessed 28 June 2024. Oakes, Jeannie, et al. “Adequate and Equitable Education in High-Poverty Schools: Barriers and Opportunities in North Carolina.” Learning Policy Institute , 18 June 2021, https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/leandro-high-poverty-schools-brief. Accessed 28 June 2024. Rimm, Sara, and Lia Sandilos. “Improving students’ relationships with teachers.” American Psychological Association , 2010, https://www.apa.org/education-career/k12/relationships. Accessed 28 June 2024. Rouhiainen, Lasse. “How AI and Data Could Personalize Higher Education.” Harvard Business Review , 14 October 2019, https://hbr.org/2019/10/how-ai-and-data-could-personalize-higher-education. Accessed 28 June 2024. Wheeler, Tom. “Protecting privacy in an AI-driven world | Brookings.” Brookings Institution , 10 February 2020, https://www.brookings.edu/articles/protecting-privacy-in-an-ai-driven-world/. Accessed 28 June 2024.

As you can see, the competition was quite fierce this year.

Again, big thanks to everyone who participated in the contest and cast their votes.

Don’t be discouraged if you couldn’t take the winning place, as there will always be another chance in our future competitions. Stay on the lookout for new updates on our writing contest and video contest pages!

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