Whether you are interested in studying business, engineering, medicine or any other field, adding strong writing skills to your profile will have a significant impact. It will help you complete and deliver excellent research, university applications and assignments. It will also help you to express yourself better and communicate effectively. Mastering this skill can set you apart. 

For this reason, organisations around the world hold writing competitions every year to celebrate student writing. Participating in these contests not only enhances your college application, but also gives you the opportunity to win cash prizes and scholarships to summer programmes. Many of these high school writing contests offer multiple levels of recognition. Hence, you don’t have to be the overall best writer to earn a title that will enhance your college applications. 

In this article, we will introduce you to some of the best writing contests. We’ve chosen competitions that give you the chance to showcase your talent and exercise your creativity through writing.

Why Enter an Essay Writing Competition?

Let’s face it, the final years of high school are filled with the thrill of leaving your teenage years behind and becoming a young adult. While celebrations, trips and spending time with your friends can be time consuming, it’s important that you are able to manage and dedicate enough time and resources to preparing for college admissions.

This means completing online courses, summer programmes, internships, A levels and more. At Immerse Education, we strongly recommend that you add essay writing competitions to this list. Although demanding, this is one of the most comprehensive and helpful extracurricular activities you can undertake.

They allow you to explore different subjects

As you prepare for university, you will spend time analysing and determining the subjects you are most interested in. Taking part in an essay competition gives you the opportunity to delve a little deeper into one of these areas and understand if it is something you are really passionate about. It’s like the perfect first step to weeding out the subjects you want to avoid in the years to come. 

Master research and time management skills

Before you can even start writing your essay, you need to spend time researching the topic of your interest. This means reading different authors, looking for insights and data, and digging a little deeper. These skills are highly valued in today’s world, where some students think that the first result on Google is more than enough to answer their questions. 

To make things even more interesting, you have to research, outline and write according to the deadlines set by the organisers of the essay competition. This forces you to spend and organise your time in a way that allows you to focus on your essay while still being responsible for the rest of your school work.

You will learn to think well 

As you begin to research and draft, you will master how to structure your thoughts, how to think, how to analyse and how to communicate. Every word you write has a reason for being there. Each punctuation mark will help you get your message across. Every second you spend reading will help you think in a new and more structured way.

You will present yourself as a better candidate for university

Let’s face it, the more strategic and career-focused your extracurricular activities are in your profile, the easier it will be to stand out from the crowd. Essay competitions confirm that you have writing and communication skills, commitment, grit and the ability to tailor content to make it relevant to a specific audience.

Writing Competitions for High School Students 

With these benefits in mind, we would like to share some of the best essay writing competitions! Starting, of course, with our own.  

Immerse Education Essay Competition

Starting in 2020, Immerse Education has hosted an essay competition that gives high school students from around the world the chance to further their education. Plus, there is a chance to win scholarships to our award-winning programmes. 

Students taking part in an Immerse Education programme

This competition is 100% free for any student around the world who wants to take part. They will all have the chance to attend multiple webinars on the topic of essay writing. It’s a chance to improve their skills and increase the quality of their submission.

The essays will be marked by expert and guest judges who will carefully consider the content, quality of research and critical analysis.

Type of writing competition: Essay writing competition.

Prize: 10 winners will receive a 100% scholarship, 40 runners-up will receive partial scholarships of up to 50-75% to study their chosen subject at Immerse, and up to 150 entrants will receive partial scholarships of up to 50%.

Eligibility: Students aged 13-18

Guidelines: Students worldwide must submit their 500-word essay by the competition deadline. The essay must answer one of over twenty subject-specific questions.

Further information about the programme can be found on Immerse Education website.

Harvard Crimson Global Essay Competition

This online competition gives high school students the opportunity to practise and demonstrate their writing skills, challenge themselves, and explore different writing styles. 

Each participant will have the opportunity to participate in on-demand bootcamps to improve their writing skills and understand the different career paths they can pursue. 

The competition will take place in two rounds. The first is at regional level (5 regions around the world), followed by the global finals, where only the top 15 regional qualifiers will meet. 

Registration typically opens in October and closes in January.

Type of writing competition: Essay writing competition.

Prize: Published work on the official HCGEC website, internships with The Harvard Crimson, credit with Crimson Education, and cash prizes. 

Eligibility: Students between the ages of 13 and 18 who are currently enrolled in secondary school.

Guidelines: Students must submit a 500-word essay on a Word document in one of three areas: creative, argumentative, or journalistic.  

For more details about the competition and the deadllines, visit their website.

John Locke Essay Competition

The John Locke Institute holds an annual essay competition for high school students, challenging them to answer relevant questions about the world we live in. Their goal is to encourage students to develop their writing skills, expand their critical thinking, and understand the issues affecting the world around them.

The essays will be reviewed and judged by experts from leading universities such as Oxford and Princeton, who will select their favourite essay for each of the seven categories: Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Psychology, Theology and Law. They will then choose the overall winner.

Type of writing competition: Essay writing competition.

Prize: The winner of the subject category will receive a scholarship of US$2,000 towards the cost of attending any John Locke Institute programme, and the essays will be published on the Institute’s website. The grand prize winner will receive a US$10,000 scholarship to attend one or more of John Locke summer schools or visiting scholar programmes. 

Eligibility: Applicants must be eighteen years of age or younger at the time of essay submission.

Guidelines: Each essay must address only one of the questions in the chosen subject category. Should be submitted as a PDF and must not exceed 2000 words.

To learn about key dates, visit the John Locke Institute website.

The Bennington Young Writers Awards

Bennington College created the Young Writers Awards to encourage excellence in writing among high school students. This annual competition takes place between September and November in 3 categories. Entrants can only enter one of these categories:

  • Poetry: Students must submit a group of three poems.
  • Fiction: Entrants must submit a short story of 1,500 words or less.
  • Non-fiction: High schools must submit a personal or academic essay of 1,500 words or less.

Type of competition: Poetry and essay competition.

Prize: First place winners in each category will receive a $1,000 prize; second place winners will receive $500; third place winners will receive $250.

Eligibility: Students in grades 9-12

Guidelines: Each category has its own guidelines, but all entries must be original work reviewed, approved and sponsored by a high school teacher.

More details can be found on the Bennington College website.

AFSA National High School Essay Contest

This year, the American Foreign Service Association invited students to explore, research, and write an essay on the role of diplomats in meeting the needs of an ever-changing world. Entrants had to submit an essay that answered the question, “Why does diplomacy and peacebuilding matter?” 

The topic of the essay changes each year, but is related to the Foreign Service and diplomacy. Students in the United States in grades nine through twelve are eligible to participate. The exception are those whose parents are in the Foreign Service.

Each entry will be judged on quality of analysis, quality of research, and form, style and mechanics. It should answer all aspects of the question and demonstrate an understanding of the Foreign Service. Essays will be judged blind over several rounds. 

Type of writing competition: Essay competition.

Prize: The winner will receive a $2,500 cash prize and an all-expense paid trip to Washington D.C. with his or her family.

Eligibility: Students in the United States in grades nine through twelve are eligible to enter, except those whose parents are in the Foreign Service.

Guidelines: Entrants must submit a 1,000-1,500 word essay in a Word document and include a list of sources consulted.

Further details about the competition are available on their website.

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Do Writing Competitions Help with College Admissions?

Universities receive thousands of applications each year. Of these, they select only a small percentage to join them and help them succeed in their studies. If you are a good student and want to increase your chances of getting into the university of your dreams, then entering and winning a writing competition is something you should definitely consider.

Writing competitions are a clear sign of your commitment, attitude and drive. It also demonstrates that you have skills such as critical thinking, the ability to express yourself and creativity. These will make your application memorable and stand out to admissions officers. 

In addition, this experience will help you write better admissions essays and clearly demonstrate your interest in your career and in each specific university. These skills will serve you well throughout your studies and in your future career, whether it’s related to writing or not.

Join the Immerse Education 2024 
Essay Competition

The Immerse Essay Competition is open for 2024! Follow the instructions to write and submit your best essay for a chance to be awarded a 100% scholarship.

Join competition

Conclusion

Although time-consuming, writing competitions not only help you improve your writing, communication and research skills. They give you the chance to win cash prizes, scholarships, publications and even trips. All in the space of a few months and with room for creativity to flourish.

Before you sign up for any of the options available, take time to check some of the details. You want to understand the judging criteria for the competition and choose one that has a theme that interests you. You don’t want to spend hours researching and writing something you don’t think is relevant. Also, check their deadlines and structure to make sure you have enough time to complete the assignment. 

As you embark on this journey, stay true to your own voice. Take the time to check all your words and make sure they’re clear, coherent and free of grammatical errors. Have fun and make the most of it!

Be in with a chance to receive a 100% scholarship by entering the Immerse Education Essay Competition today.