Writing Contests
Writing Contests
When students write with an authentic purpose and audience, they are motivated to craft powerful words into prose and poetry. The New York Times Learning Network has an article with ten reasons to send student work out into the world. The Learning Network also has a list of over 70 avenues for student publication of writing.
The following contests—state, national, and international—are ways for students to submit their writing. The contests are organized chronologically by deadline.
| Name | Participants | Type | Genre(s) | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Ages 13-18 |
National |
Nov: novel * Dec: creative nonfiction * Jan: narrative for children * Feb: environmental journalism * Mar: op-ed * Apr: poetry & spoken word * May: one-act play * June: food * July: sports * Aug: flash fiction |
Monthly |
|
| Rattle's Ekphrastic Poetry Challenge | all ages | National | poetry | Monthly |
| The First Line literary journal | all ages | International | fiction | Quarterly |
| NYC Midnight | all ages | International |
short story, screenwriting, flash fiction, short screenplay |
Quarterly |
| I, Too, Am the Dream Contest | 12th | National | essay | September 14, 2020 |
| Personal Narrative Writing Contest* | Ages 13-19 | International | essay | October 29, 2019 |
|
9th-12th |
State |
essay |
October 2019 |
|
|
12th |
State |
essay |
October 31, 2019 |
|
|
9th-12th |
National |
audio essay |
October 31, 2019 |
|
| VFW Patriot's Pen | 6th-8th | National | essay | October 31, 2019 |
|
Chisholm Trail Heritage Center's Cowboy Youth Poetry Contest |
K-12th |
State |
poetry |
November 1, 2019 |
| Review Contest* | Ages 13-19 | International | review | December 10, 2019 |
|
7th-12th |
National |
critical essay, dramatic script, flash fiction, humor, journalism, novel writing, personal essay & memoir, poetry, science fiction & fantasy, short story, writing portfolio |
December 2019 |
|
|
6th-12th |
State |
poetry, short essay, comic strip, descriptive paragraph, personal narrative, short story |
December 2019 |
|
|
8th |
State |
essay |
December 2019 |
|
| Connect What You're Studying in School With the World Today* | Ages 13-19 | International | essay | January 4, 2020 |
| Oklahoma Bar Association Law Day Writing Contest | PK-12th | State | essay | January 15, 2020 |
| Profile in Courage Essay Contest | 9th-12th | National | essay | January 17, 2020 |
|
PK-12th; teacher |
State |
descriptive paragraph, personal narrative, poem, short story, essay, writing across the curriculum, flash fiction, sentence |
January 2020 |
|
| OKC National Memorial Annual Student Essay Contest | 5th-12th | National | essay | January 2020 |
| R. Darryl Fisher Creative Writing Contest | 9th-12th | State | fiction & poetry | February 2020 |
| Aerie International | Ages 13-19 | International | poetry, short story, flash fiction, brief nonfiction, lyric essay, short drama, foreign language poetry and translations, & more | February 1, 2020* |
| Engineer Girl | 3rd-12th | National | short story |
February 2020 |
| Black Heritage Creative Contest | K-12th | State | essay & poetry | February 2020 |
| Promising Young Writers (NCTE) | 8th | State | various | February 2020 |
| Achievement Awards in Writing (NCTE) | 11th | State | various | February 2020 |
| Vocabulary Video* | Ages 13-19 | International | video | February 11, 2020 |
| English Jueju | K-12; adults | State | poetry | 2021 |
| Scope's Write-a-Story Contest | 5th-10th | National | short story | March 2020 |
| Sejong Cultural Society | K-12; adults | National | poetry (sijo) & literary analysis essay | March 2020 |
| Podcast (NPR) | 5th-12th | National | podcast | March 2020 |
| Editorial* | Ages 13-19 | International | editorial | March 31, 2020 |
| Adroit Prizes | 9th-12th; college | International | poetry & short story | April 1, 2020 |
| Ages 6-14 | National | poetry | April 1, 2020 | |
| Bulwer Lytton Fiction Contest | PK-12th; adults | National | bad sentence | April 15, 2020 |
| Penguin Random House Creative Writing Awards Program in Partnership with We Need Diverse Books | 12th | National | poetry, memoir/personal essay, fiction/drama, & spoken-word | April 2020 |
|
8th-12th |
National |
essay |
April 2020 |
|
| Podcast* | Ages 13-19 | International | podcast | May 12, 2020 |
| Summer Reading* | Ages 13-19 | International | essay | August 21, 2020 |
| *The Learning Network from The New York Times | ||||
