Opportunities for Young Writers: Part I, Contests

Below is a list writing contests for high school aged writers, but keep in mind entering competitions isn't everything! Being a writer is, above all, about writing, and as young writers, the most important thing you can do for your writing is to read and write more.

Aboriginal Arts and Stories Competition

The Adroit Prizes for Poetry and Prose

Aerie International Awards

Annual Mark Twain House & Museum’s Royal Nonesuch Humor Writing Contest

Barbara Mandigo Kelly Peace Poetry Awards

Bennington College Young Writers Awards

The Blueshift Journal’s Brutal Nation Prizes

Brain Mills Press Student Poetry Contest

Carl Sanburg Student Poetry Contest

Center for Humanity Writing, Art, and Film Contest

Chapman University Holocaust Art and Writing Contest

The Claremont Review’s Annual Writing and Art Contest

The Claudia Ann Seaman Awards For Young Writers

Climate Fiction Short Story Contest

Critical Junior Poet’s Award

The Davidson Fellows Scholarship

Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award

Gannon University National High School Poetry Contest

Geek Partnership Society Writing Contest

Gigantic Sequins’ Teen Sequins Feature

The Glazner Prize for Creative Writing

HART Prize for Human Rights

Hippocrates Young Poets Prize

Hollins University Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest

IGGY and Litro Young Writers' Prize

“It’s All Write!” Teen Writing Contest

IUPUI Poetry Contest

Johns Hopkins University Creative Minds Poetry Contest

Johns Hopkins University Creative Minds Fiction Contest

Kay Snow Writing Contest

The Keats-Shelley Young Romantics Prize

Lake Superior State University High School Short Story Prize

Louise Louis / Emily F. Bourne Student Award

Manningham Trust Student Poetry Contest

Maine Magazine Statewide Writing Contest

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Society

NCTE Awards for Superior Writing

The New York Times’ Student Contest

The Nicholas A. Virgilio Memorial Haiku and Senryu Competition

Norm Strung Youth Writing Awards

OddContest

The Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers

The Penguin Random House Creative Writing Competition

Poetry Matters Literary Prize

Princeton University Poetry Contest for High School Students

Princeton University Ten Minute Play Contest

Ray Bradbury Creative Contest

Rider University Annual High School Writing Contest

River of Words Art and Poetry Contest

Robert Frost International Poetry Contest for Children and Teens

Sarah Mook Poetry Contest

Save the Earth Poetry Contest

Scholastic Art and Writing Awards (regional deadlines may vary)

The Sherry Pruitt Award

Skipping Stones Youth Honor Awards

Smith College High School Poetry Prize

Teen Vogue Lit Club Writing Contest

The Submerging Writer Fellowship

The Ted Hughes Young Poet Awards

The University of Idaho Hemingway Festival High School Writing Contest

Virginia B. Ball Creative Writing Scholarship

The William Faulkner William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition

Worldwide Plays Festival Competition

Writing for Peace Young Writers Contest

YoungArts Competition

Young Authors Competition of Columbia College Chicago

Youth for Human Rights Creative Competitions

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