Writing Competitions for High School Students
EC Finder currently lists 34 writing competitions for high school students. Of these, 27 are free to participate in and 30 offer virtual participation. Examples include 9th Circuit Civics Contest, Adroit Prizes for Poetry and Prose (The Adroit Journal), and AFSA National High School Essay Contest.
- 34
- listed
- 27
- free
- 30
- virtual
- 33
- with a listed deadline
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are writing competitions for high school students?
- Writing Competitions for High School Students are curated extracurricular listings for high school students interested in writing. Each listing includes eligibility, cost, and deadline details where known, so you can compare options and find the right fit for your college application profile.
- When are the application deadlines?
- 33 of the 34 competitions listed here have a specific deadline month noted. Deadlines vary by program, so check each listing for exact dates.
- Are any of these competitions free?
- Yes — 27 of the 34 competitions listed here are free to participate in.
- Can I participate virtually?
- Yes — 30 of the 34 competitions listed here offer virtual or online participation.
- Are writing competitions good for a college application?
- Yes — writing competitions are a common way for high schoolers to show sustained interest and initiative in writing on college applications.
Related Categories
34 activities found·Browse by category
9th Circuit Civics Contest
Essay or video contest on "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness," analyzing one core right historically and today.
Adroit Prizes for Poetry and Prose (The Adroit Journal)
Highly selective prizes in poetry and prose for secondary and undergraduate students; winners are published in The Adroit Journal.
AFSA National High School Essay Contest
An annual essay competition co-sponsored by the American Foreign Service Association and the U.S. Institute of Peace that asks high schoolers to write about diplomacy's role in resolving conflict, with a top prize including a Semester at Sea scholarship.
Ayn Rand Institute Essay Contests (Anthem, The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged)
Annual international essay contests in which middle and high school students read one of Ayn Rand's novels and write an analytical essay on its themes and characters, with top prizes up to $25,000.
Bennington Young Writers Awards
Prestigious competition from Bennington College with categories in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction; winners/finalists often receive big scholarships if they attend Bennington.
CHSAA Speech & Debate State Championships
Colorado High School Activities Association's annual state speech and debate tournaments (3A, 4A, 5A) covering Lincoln-Douglas, Public Forum, Congressional Debate, Original Oratory, Informative Speaking, Extemporaneous, Interpretation events, and more. Compete for a state title via your high school's team.
Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award
One of the world's most prestigious poetry competitions for writers aged 11-17, run by the UK's Poetry Society, offering free entry, publication, and mentoring opportunities to top winners and commended poets worldwide.
Free Expression Essay Competition (PEN America)
An annual essay competition from PEN America in which high school students ages 15-17 write 1,000-word essays on threats to free expression in the U.S. or abroad, with top entries winning cash prizes.
Harvard Crimson Global Essay Competition (HCGEC)
International essay contest organized with The Harvard Crimson, with multiple prompts and a focus on critical/creative thinking and writing.
International High School Writing Contest
Global analytical and creative writing competition with categories like short story, flash fiction, poetry, critical essay, and dramatic script; no entry fees.
JASNA Essay Contest
An annual international essay contest from the Jane Austen Society of North America in which high school students write a scholarly essay on an assigned aspect of Austen's novels, with a $1,000 scholarship for the top entry in each division.
JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention
The nation's largest gathering of scholastic journalists, held twice yearly by the Journalism Education Association and National Scholastic Press Association, featuring hands-on workshops plus on-site student media contests across newspaper, broadcast, and yearbook.
John Estey Student Writing Competition (American Writers Museum)
Essay/narrative competition on topics related to American writers, literature, or culture, run by the American Writers Museum.
John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest
An annual essay contest from the JFK Library Foundation asking U.S. high schoolers to research and analyze an act of political courage by an elected official who served in or after 1917, with a $10,000 top prize.
John Locke Institute Global Essay Prize
Analytical essay contest with prompts in philosophy, politics, economics, history, psychology, theology, and law; judged for argumentation and writing quality.
Marin Poetry Center High School Poetry Contest
Annual poetry contest open to any high school student in the greater San Francisco Bay Area, with winning poems published in an anthology and honored at a public awards reading.
Morristown Festival of Books Teen Writing Contest
Festival‑associated contest celebrating teen writing; winners are recognized at the Morristown Festival of Books.
Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest (Hollins University)
Poetry contest for high‑school girls; winners receive cash, publication in Cargoes, and scholarship opportunities at Hollins.
National High School Mock Trial Championship
Annual national mock trial tournament; only the winning team from each state, territory, or country qualifies. 2026 nationals: May 7-9 in Des Moines, Iowa. To compete, students join their state's mock trial program through their high school team and win at the state level.
Norm Strung Student Writing Contest (OWAA)
Outdoor/nature writing prose contest for students; HS division focuses on 500–1,000‑word pieces about the outdoors.
NSDA National Speech & Debate Tournament
Largest academic competition in the world, organized by the National Speech & Debate Association. 2026 tournament held in June in Richmond, Virginia (Altria Theater, Greater Richmond Convention Center, area high schools). To compete, students must be NSDA members with at least 25 honor-society points and qualify through district tournaments.
One Teen Story Contest
Short story contest for teen writers; winner is published in One Teen Story and receives a cash prize.
PlayGround Young Playwrights Project
Bay Area playwriting contest and mentorship program for high school students across all nine Bay Area counties, with winning short plays given professional staged readings at Potrero Stage in San Francisco.
Quill and Scroll International Writing, Visual and Multimedia Contest
An annual scholastic journalism contest, run by the International Honor Society for High School Journalists, where students submit news, feature, editorial, sports, and photography work across a dozen categories for national recognition.
Reed Magazine Emerging Voices Contest
Creative writing and art contest exclusively for Santa Clara County, California high school students, with winners published in San Jose State University's Reed Magazine.
River of Words Poetry & Art Contest (Teen Category)
Global contest on nature and watersheds; strong way to blend environmental themes with poetry.
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
Flagship U.S. teen contest with categories in poetry, fiction, personal essay, journalism, drama, etc.; national medals and scholarships are a major flex.
Signet Classics Student Scholarship Essay Contest
An annual essay contest from Penguin Random House open to high school juniors and seniors, who write on a themed prompt tied to a classic novel for a chance at a $1,000 scholarship and a library of Signet Classics for their school.
Stossel in the Classroom Essay Contest
Libertarian-leaning economics/policy essay contest on videos/topics by John Stossel; strong for persuasive writing at the econ/policy intersection.
Student Poetry Award (Poetry Society of America)
An annual national award, endowed under the Whitbread and Bourne bequests, for the best unpublished poem submitted by a student in grades 9-12, judged anonymously by the Poetry Society of America.
Student Writing Contest (The National WWII Museum)
An annual national essay contest from The National WWII Museum open to U.S. students in grades 7-12, who submit a 500-750 word essay on an assigned WWII-era topic using at least five sources, judged separately in Junior (7-9) and Senior (10-12) divisions.
VFW Voice of Democracy
A nationwide audio-essay scholarship competition sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars since 1947, in which high schoolers record a 3-5 minute essay on an annual patriotic theme for a share of over $1.6 million in scholarships.
World Historian Student Essay Competition (World History Association)
An international essay competition from the World History Association open to students in grades K-12, who submit an approximately 1,000-word original essay on an assigned world history theme for a chance at a $500 cash prize and a one-year WHA membership.
YoungArts National Arts Competition – Writing
National program with categories like fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, plays/scripts, and spoken word; winners join the YoungArts network and may be nominated for U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts.
ECFinder provides links to outside extracurricular opportunities for informational purposes only. Students and families should research each program before applying. ECFinder does not operate or control the listed organizations and is not responsible for their actions or policies.