High school writing can be so much more than a mere assignment. It can be a way to explore new ideas, express yourself with confidence, and discover what you’re truly capable of. But school isn’t always the space where you can fully challenge yourself or pursue topics you care about in depth. That’s where writing competitions for high school students can help you push your writing further and take it more seriously.

Imagine drafting an essay, poem, or short story that isn’t just read for a grade and returned to you. Imagine it’s carefully evaluated and even celebrated by a team of writers and scholars who genuinely recognize your skills. Each and every word you pen down, reaching a wide audience and potentially winning a prize that validates your efforts. This way, writing competitions offer a unique experience to grow as a writer and present your skills on a higher level.

You might already be enrolled in advanced English classes, or even enjoy writing by itself. But entering a writing competition can make you research more carefully and write with genuine purpose, teaching you skills that will still be helpful long after the contest is over.

Why should high school students consider writing competitions?

Writing contests are built differently. It’s important to identify the ones that offer genuine support to students like you while avoiding the ones that offer very little feedback and have vague judging criteria. Think the kinds of competitions that actually encourage critical thought and original pieces, providing you with the tools you need to elevate your profile.

There are well-respected writing competitions across the world, each dedicated to a variety of things: poetry, personal essays, analytical writing, journalism, and even fiction. You can dip your toes into a new genre or submerge yourself in an already-beloved writing style. In doing so, you’ll not only be preparing for your future college application but also develop the kind of discipline and academic ability to truly engage with topics that matter to you.

While you’ll certainly have plenty of research in your future in preparing an entry for such competitions, we’re here to make your life slightly easier. We’ve curated a list of 15 Writing Competitions for High School Students by factoring in their credibility, educational experience, and the opportunities offered for young writers to genuinely shine.

15 Writing Competitions for High School Students

1. Immerse Education Essay Competition

Cost: Free
Deadline: January 14th
Location: Online
Eligibility: 13-18-year-old students from around the world

The Immerse Education Essay Competition offers you a chance to win a full or partial scholarship to their university and career preparation programs. The competition is free and allows you to submit a 500-word academic essay on a question of your interest from those provided to you.

Your essay will be graded by expert judges based on research quality, essay content, grammar, and vocabulary. You will receive constructive feedback aimed at refining your writing skills. The competition rewards participants through skill development, academic recognition, and more.

Why it stands out: You’ll have the chance to earn substantial scholarships to world-class academic programs.

2. Horizon Academic Essay Prize 

Cost: Free
Deadline: February 1st
Location: Online
Eligibility: All high school students worldwide

The Horizon Academic Essay Prize is a free writing competition open to high school students. You can submit your essay on questions of your choice. Your essay will be judged by Horizon’s Academic Advisory Board based on clear argumentation, rigorous analysis, and independent thought. 

Beyond simply producing a polished essay, you may receive mentorship to enhance your understanding of effective academic writing strategies. The top three entries will be awarded cash prizes, and all participants will receive e-certificates.

Why it stands out: It offers an accessible platform for you to showcase critical thinking and clear writing.

3. Lumiere Scholars Essay Award

Cost: Free
Deadline: Submissions open: July 21st; Deadline: November 2nd
Location: Online
Eligibility: Ambitious high school students across the world

The Lumiere Research Scholar Essay Award is free and open to students worldwide. As a participant, you can choose to write on any one of the prompts available. Your essay will be judged by an international panel of renowned professors and researchers.

The winners will be decided from three categories, including STEM, humanities, and social sciences. The contest includes guided mentorship, providing you with structured feedback to enhance your academic writing and research skills. 6 winners will be awarded with different cash prizes.

Why it stands out: If you get shortlisted, it could signal research maturity and academic seriousness to top universities.

4. Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Contest

Cost: Free
Deadline: June 8th
Location: Online
Eligibility: 11-18-year-old students around the world

Bow Seat’s Ocean Awareness Contest focuses on the importance of the ocean and its value in our lives. You’ll submit your work on the theme,“ how the ocean sustains, protects, and inspires you”. The submissions are accepted in various formats, including creative writing, poetry, and spoken word.

The competition is an opportunity to join Bow Seat’s global movement, earn cash rewards, build your portfolio, and showcase your talent through social media campaigns and scholarships.

Why it stands out: You’ll create art or writing that responds to real environmental issues, giving you a stronger grasp of how creativity can influence climate advocacy.

5. Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

Cost: $10/Individual entry; $30/Portfolio
Deadline: Submissions open: October 1st; Deadlines vary with regions
Location: Online
Eligibility: Grades 7–12 (age 13+). Must reside in the US, US territories/military bases, or Canada

The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards is a creative and critical writing competition. The submissions include category-wise essays of around 500- 3,000 words. As one of the most distinguished recognition programs in the U.S., the submissions are judged on a regional basis. The national medalists will be eligible for scholarships up to $12,500.

Your submissions will be reviewed and judged by luminaries in the visual and literary arts. The winners of gold medals and scholarships will be invited to attend a National Ceremony to celebrate their accomplishments. The winning entries will be selected based on originality, skill, and a reflection of your personal voice or vision.

Why it stands out: It recognizes exceptional creative work across dozens of categories, helping you build a portfolio that stands out in future applications.

6. John Locke Global Essay Competition

Cost: Free
Deadline: June 30th
Location: Online
Eligibility: Students 18 years old or younger from any country

The John Locke Global Essay Competition encourages participants to focus on independent thought, reasoning, critical analysis, and persuasive style. You’ll submit your entry in any of the categories, including philosophy, politics, economics, history, psychology, theology, and law.

Your essay will be judged by leading experts from Oxford and Princeton. The competition is free, but late entries will be paid. Scholarships range from $1,000 to $10,000, awarded to winners who may attend an invitation-only academic conference and awards ceremony in London (attendance optional).

Why it stands out: It’s known for its intellectual rigor and cross-disciplinary depth, so you could develop university-level reasoning skills.

7. The National WWII Museum’s Annual Student Writing Contest

Cost: Free
Deadline: January 23rd
Location: Online
Eligibility: US students in grades 7–12, US citizens attending schools overseas, and US students below 20 years of age enrolled in a high school correspondence/GED program in any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, or the US territories

The National WWII Museum’s Annual Student Writing Contest invites entries this year for argumentative essays on the topic “ importance of freedom of expression in the arts. The inspiration for this year’s writing contest is the special exhibit “Degenerate! Hitler’s War on Modern Art. Your essay must be 500-750 words in length, have a title, and include five paragraphs.

You can submit your essay in any of the following formats, including APA, MLA, or Turbian. The winners will be chosen in two categories, junior and senior. The first, second, and third place winners will be awarded $750, $500, and $250, respectively. Both categories will have honorable mentions receiving an award of $100 each.

Why it stands out: Participating would demonstrate your ability to think critically and help with future academic pursuits.

8. EngineerGirl Writing Contest

Cost: Free
Deadline: February 1st
Location: Online
Eligibility: Grade 3-12 students across the world

The EngineerGirl Writing Contest invites entries on different themes. This year, the contest was focused on writing a piece on an object you would make “smart”. The smart object could be anything from a toy or a household appliance to furniture or a particular technology.

For high school students, the submission limit is 1,200 words. Participants must also share a reference list of up to eight resources. Your entry will be judged by various engineering professionals. The top three entries will receive different cash prizes.

Why it stands out: You’ll explore how engineering solves everyday problems, allowing you to connect technical thinking with clear, persuasive communication.

9. Jane Austin Society of America (JASNA) Essay Contest

Cost: Free
Deadline: June 1st
Location: Online submission 
Eligibility: High school, college, university, and graduate school students worldwide

The Jane Austin Society of America (JASNA) invites entries for its annual essay contest from students all over the world. The essays are written on a specific topic every year. For the year 2026, the topic is “Men and Boys in Jane Austin’s Novels”.  You can choose two or more male characters and explore their similarities/differences, characters’ arcs, relationships with siblings, and the women in their lives.

You can choose to write on other dynamics as well. Your essay must be written in English, in MLA format, and 6-8 pages in length. The essays will be judged based on clear, correct writing and original insights. The top three entries will be awarded with scholarships worth $1,000, $500, and $250, respectively. The first prize winner will also receive free registration and two nights’ lodging for JASNA’s upcoming Annual General Meeting.

Why it stands out: Participating could showcase close-reading skills and advanced literary analysis.

10. The New York Times Learning Network’s Annual Summer Reading Contest

Cost: Free
Deadline: June 6th – August 15th
Location: Online
Eligibility: 13 to 19-year-old students around the world

The New York Times Learning Network’s Annual Summer Reading Contest invites participants to share what they are reading, watching, or listening to in the New York Times and why. The submissions can be short essays (150 words)  or videos (maximum length- 90 seconds).

The entries can be submitted any week starting from June 6, but there must be only one entry for each week. The winners will get their work published on the Learning Network. 

Why it stands out: It strengthens your analytical reading and opinion-writing skills by having you respond to current events and real-world journalism.

11. River of Words Youth Art and Poetry Contest

Cost: Free
Deadline: October 14th – January 31st
Location: Online
Eligibility: Pre-K–12th grade students worldwide, ages 5–19

The River of Words Youth Art and Poetry Contest is now open and inviting submissions to be mailed. You are allowed to submit up to five entries for poetry and five for art, but the submissions must be made through separate Jotforms. Your poems must not exceed 32 lines in length and 3 minutes (signed).

The poetry submissions are accepted in English and Spanish. There are four categories of participants on the basis of age groups, and their categories of winners will be decided for each of these groups.

Why it stands out: You’ll reflect on nature through poetry or art, helping you develop both observational skills and environmental awareness.

12. The Blank Theatre Young Playwrights Festival (YPF)

Cost: Free
Deadline: January 5th – March 15th
Location: Online
Eligibility: U.S. students 19 years or younger

The Blank Theatre Young Playwrights Festival invites entries for original plays on any genre or subject. The plays can be of any length. The submissions can be done online or by mail to a physical address. Your submission must have a title page and numbered pages.

An individual or team can share up to three plays, but through separate submission forms. The winning entries will be mentored, directed, and performed by professional artists. Winners will be notified in April.

Why it stands out: It gives you the chance to see your original script professionally produced, showing you how writing transforms into live performance.

13. VSA Playwright Discovery Program Competitions

Cost: Free
Deadline: October 1st – January 7th
Location: Virtually and at theKennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
Eligibility: 14-19-year-old high school students worldwide with disabilities

VSA Playwright Discovery Program Competitions invite high school students with disabilities to write ten-minute scripts and understand the art of writing for performance. The scripts need to reflect your personal observations and experiences through fictional characters and metaphors. 

The entries will be reviewed by a panel of theater professionals. The program also offers you virtual and in-person script development sessions, workshops, a trip to the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and more.

Why it stands out: You’ll learn the fundamentals of dramatic writing while exploring themes of disability, identity, and storytelling in a professional arts context.

14. Bennington College Young Writers Awards

Cost: Free
Deadline: Submissions open: September 1st; Deadline: November 1st
Location: Online
Eligibility: 9th-12th-grade high school students worldwide

Bennington College’s Young Writers Awards (YWA) is an annual global writing competition for high-school students that invites entries in poetry, fiction, or nonfiction. The Bennington College Young Writers Award is open to participants all around the world.

The submissions are accepted in one of the three categories, including fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. The word limit is strictly 1500 words. The entries are free, and winners will be awarded with cash prizes and scholarships.

Why it stands out: Winners or finalists who later enrol at Bennington may receive substantial four-year undergraduate scholarships.

15. Coolidge Student Essay Contest

Cost: Free
Deadline: September 10th
Location: Online
Eligibility: High school student not graduating earlier than 2026, must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident

The Coolidge Student Essay Contest invites entries on the topics of protectionism and national security. Your essays must focus specifically on the Jones Act, a 1920 measure. The word limit for high school students is 1,100 words.

Your essay will be reviewed by judges based on writing clarity, strength of supporting evidence, proper syntax,  grammar, and quality of argument and analysis. There will be ten finalists from two divisions: high school and college. The first and second place winners will receive $10,000 and $5,000, respectively. $1,000 will be awarded to a maximum of ten finalists in each division.

Why it stands out: It focuses on public policy, civic thought, and economics, preparing you well for future work in these fields.

Taking Your Writing Further

Writing competitions help you take your ideas seriously. You learn to think critically, structure arguments clearly, and refine your voice beyond standard school assignments.

Through writing competitions for high school students, you have the chance to receive expert feedback, build confidence, and create work that strengthens university applications.

Each entry develops research, editing, and communication skills that support long-term academic success and personal growth as a writer.

If you want a chance to win a full or partial scholarship to study on one of our programmes across 10 global locations, you can find out more about entering the Immerse Education Essay Competition and how to take part.