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 their deadline, but they can also be sorted by clicking on any of the other headings.
| Name | Participants | Type | Genre(s) | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Ages 13-18 |
National |
Aug: Flash Fiction |
Monthly, 2021-2022 |
|
| Learning Network from The New York Times | 6th-12th | International |
Jun-Aug: Summer Reading |
Monthly, 2021-2022 |
| 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 microfiction short screenplay |
Quarterly |
| Darling Axe | high school; adults | International |
novel/fiction: Clash of the Query Letters The Synopsis Skirmish First Page Challenge An Axe to Grind |
Quarterly |
| Gotham Writers: Temperatures Rising | 6th-12th; adults | National | flash fiction | August 31, 2022 |
| 9th-12th | National |
poetry/songwriting short fiction nonfiction/journalism |
October 1, 2022 | |
| Saugus Ghost Story | elementary; middle school; high school; adults | International |
fiction interactive fiction |
October 2022 |
|
9th-12th |
National |
audio essay |
October 31, 2022 |
|
| VFW Patriot's Pen | 6th-8th | National | essay | October 31, 2022 |
|
12th |
State |
essay |
October 31, 2022 | |
|
7th-12th |
National |
critical essay
humor |
December 7, 2021 |
|
| My Favorite Book | 4th-12th | State | essay | December 2022 |
| Oklahoma Bar Association Law Day Writing Contest | 1st-12th | State | essay | January 2023 |
| Profile in Courage Essay Contest | 9th-12th | National | essay | January 13, 2023 |
|
Oklahoma Council of Teachers of English Young Writers Contest |
6th-8th; 9th-12th |
State |
poetry comic art |
January 2023 |
|
PK-12th; teacher |
State |
descriptive paragraph |
January 17, 2023 |
|
|
8th |
State |
essay |
January 2023 |
|
| Penguin Random House Creative Writing Awards Program in Partnership with We Need Diverse Books | 12th | National |
poetry memoir/personal essay fiction/drama spoken-word |
February 2023 |
| Engineer Girl | 3rd-12th | National |
3rd-5th: letter 6th-8th: news story/blog post 9th-12th: essay |
February 2023 |
| R. Darryl Fisher Creative Writing Contest | 9th-12th | State | fiction & poetry | February 2023 |
| Promising Young Writers (NCTE) | 8th | State | various | February 2023 |
| Achievement Awards in Writing (NCTE) | 11th | State | various | February 2023 |
| OKC National Memorial Annual Student Essay Contest | 5th-12th | National | essay | February 2023 |
| Cancer Unwrapped Teen Writing Contest | 9th-12th | National | essay | March 2023 |
| Scope's First-Line Contest | 5th-10th | National | short story | March 14, 2022 |
| Podcast (NPR) | 5th-12th | National | podcast | March 2023 |
| Sejong Cultural Society | K-12; adults | National |
poetry (sijo) literary analysis essay |
March 2023 |
| White Rose Memorial Essay Contest | 6th-12th | State | essay | April 2023 |
| Oklahoma Poem Contest | K-12th; adults | State | poetry | April 2023 |
|
8th-12th |
National |
essay |
April 2023 |
|
| Adroit Prizes | 9th-12th; college | International |
poetry short story |
April 2023 |
| Bulwer Lytton Fiction Contest | PK-12th; adults | National | bad sentence | June 30, 2023 |
| I, Too, Am the Dream Contest | 12th | National | essay | on hiatus |
| English Jueju | K-12; adults | State | poetry | on hiatus |
| Aerie International | Ages 13-19 | International |
poetry short story flash fiction brief nonfiction lyric essay short drama foreign language poetry and translations |
on hiatus |
