Writing Summer Programs for High School Students
EC Finder currently lists 19 writing summer programs for high school students. Of these, 5 are free to participate in and 9 offer virtual participation. Examples include Adroit Journal Summer Mentorship Program, Adroit Prizes for Poetry and Prose (The Adroit Journal), and Bread Loaf Young Writers' Conference (Middlebury).
- 19
- listed
- 5
- free
- 9
- virtual
- 14
- with a listed deadline
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are writing summer programs for high school students?
- Writing Summer Programs 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?
- 14 of the 19 summer programs listed here have a specific deadline month noted. Deadlines vary by program, so check each listing for exact dates.
- Are any of these summer programs free?
- Yes — 5 of the 19 summer programs listed here are free to participate in.
- Can I participate virtually?
- Yes — 9 of the 19 summer programs listed here offer virtual or online participation.
- Are writing summer programs good for a college application?
- Yes — writing summer programs are a common way for high schoolers to show sustained interest and initiative in writing on college applications.
Related Categories
19 activities found·Browse by category
Adroit Journal Summer Mentorship Program
An online mentorship pairing high school writers with established authors for individualized feedback on poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction over several weeks each summer, run by the editors of The Adroit Journal.
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.
Bread Loaf Young Writers' Conference (Middlebury)
A week-long residential creative writing conference on Middlebury College's Bread Loaf campus in Vermont for students in grades 10-12, featuring small workshops, craft lectures, and readings led by professional writers.
Columbia University Creative Writing Workshop (Pre-College)
A summer pre-college workshop where high schoolers develop a portfolio of free-verse poetry, short prose, and creative nonfiction through daily craft exercises and peer critique on Columbia's campus.
Interlochen Arts Camp - Creative Writing
A summer residential writing program at Interlochen Center for the Arts where high schoolers spend one to three weeks focusing intensively on two genres such as fiction, poetry, novel writing, or comics, based at the dedicated Writing House.
Iowa Young Writers' Studio
A highly selective two-week residential creative writing program at the University of Iowa's Magid Center where high schoolers workshop fiction, poetry, or multi-genre writing under instructors from the Iowa Writers' Workshop.
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.
Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop
An intensive two-week residential summer workshop at Kenyon College where talented high school writers develop craft across fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction through daily exercises and small-group critique.
Morristown Festival of Books Teen Writing Contest
Festival‑associated contest celebrating teen writing; winners are recognized at the Morristown Festival of Books.
Princeton Summer Journalism Program (PSJP)
Year-long fully-funded college-prep and journalism program for high school juniors from limited-income backgrounds, run out of Princeton's Emma Bloomberg Center. Includes a multi-week hybrid summer intensive (online plus about 10 days residential at Princeton in late July to early August), tours of the New York Times, Bloomberg, and Huffington Post, sports and arts coverage, and a published student newspaper. All costs (including travel, housing, meals, and equipment) covered.
Secondary School Program - Literature Courses (Harvard Summer School)
A 4- or 7-week Harvard Summer School program offering college-credit literature courses such as Beginning Fiction, Introduction to Film, and Popular Culture and Social Theory, taught by Harvard faculty for motivated high schoolers on campus, online, or by commuting.
Sewanee Young Writers' Conference
A two-week summer conference at the University of the South where roughly 85 high school writers take small workshops in poetry, fiction, playwriting, or creative nonfiction alongside faculty from the adult Sewanee Writers' Conference.
Stanford National Forensic Institute (SNFI)
A summer speech and debate training program run by the Stanford Debate Society, offering camps in policy debate, forensics, and public speaking for middle and high school competitors.
Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes - Creative Writing & Literature
A two-week, fully online Stanford summer program offering intensive single-subject courses in creative writing and literature for academically advanced students in grades 8-11.
Telluride Association Summer Seminar (TASS)
Free, fully-funded summer humanities seminar for high school sophomores and juniors hosted by the Telluride Association. Two tracks: TASS-CBS (Critical Black Studies) and TASS-AOS (Anti-Oppressive Studies). About five weeks of intensive seminars with college instructors plus democratic community life. All tuition, books, room, board, and field trips covered.
Writers Week (Sarah Lawrence College)
A one-week residential or virtual summer program at Sarah Lawrence College in which high school students take daily creative writing and performance workshops taught by MFA candidates and faculty, earning one transferable college credit.
Writing and Literature Track - NextGen Leadership Institute (Barnard College)
A three-week New York City summer institute in which students take a faculty-led seminar pairing close reading and literary criticism with craft work in fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, journalism, or drama, alongside weekly leadership workshops.
Young Adult Writers Program (YAWP) - GrubStreet
A Boston-area creative writing organization's teen program offering free Saturday writing sessions, seasonal writing classes, and a paid three-week Summer Teen Writing Fellowship in which teens work with published authors and receive an $800 stipend.
Young Writers Workshop (Unterberg Poetry Center, 92NY)
A summer creative writing workshop for students in grades 10-12 hosted by the 92nd Street Y's Unterberg Poetry Center in New York City, pairing writing instruction with access to the Center's renowned author reading series.
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.