The Best Writing Competitions For Students

Writing for teachers can feel like an assignment, but it can also be empowering for students to write for their own purpose. There are many student writing contests that are designed to encourage students to develop their writing skills and connect with an authentic audience. We have included a variety of styles and categories that will allow you to see if your students are motivated to participate.

National Council of Teachers of English Achievement Awards
The NCTE encourages high school students to participate in these contests. They are held every year and are designed to encourage them to develop their writing skills. The winners are then presented with a certificate and a letter. All of the students who participate are evaluated and are eligible to compete.

John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest
The contest is open to students who are interested in learning about a political official's courage, which occurred after Kennedy's birth. The grand prize winner receives $10,000 and an opportunity to attend a ceremony in Boston. To be eligible, students must submit an essay of 700 to 1,000 words.

Bennington Young Writers Awards
The college's writing contests are divided into three categories: fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. The first-place winners in each category receive $500. To encourage students to participate, the college has a poster available for you to use in your classroom. The contest, which starts September 1, will run until November 1.

Princeton University Contests
High school juniors can participate in two writing contests at Princeton University. One of these is a poetry contest that is moderated by the university's Creative Writing faculty. For the Ten-Minute Play contest, the faculty members who work in the university's Theater program are responsible for judging. Each of the contests has a first-place prize of $500, as well as second and third-place prizes of $100.

Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest
The deadline for the Nancy Thorp Poetry contest at Hollins University is October 31. The prizes for the best poems are awarded to students who are either juniors or sophomores in high school. The winners will be chosen by the university's creative writing faculty and students.