As a high school student who is good at any form of writing, you can use your skills by participating in writing competitions.
There are several writing competitions for high school students worldwide, and their rewards range from cash awards to scholarships to medals.
Coming out top in a writing competition as a high school student will boost your resume for college application in addition to other attractive benefits.
Review this article down to the last line to find out several writing competitions you should seek to participate in as a high school student.
10 Writing Competitions For High School Students
Here are some writing competitions for high school students:
1. YoungArts Competition
The YoungArts Competition is one of the writing competitions for high school students. It is open to students interested in writing, music, visual arts, and other fields.
This competition has a cash prize of $10,000, and winners also receive professional mentorship and other incentives.
The YoungArts Competition is open to students between the ages of 15 and 18 who are from the United States or have a green card.
Also, applicants must be between grades 10 and 12 at the time of application and pay an application fee of $35. The deadline for applying to the YoungArts Competition is around mid-October.
2. Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards
The Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards is another writing competition for high school students featured on this list.
The cash prize for this competition is between $1,000 and $12,500 to cover the cost of the education of winners.
This competition is only open to high school students between grades seven and twelve under 13 at the time of application.
The Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards come in different categories, such as science-fiction and fantasy writing, dramatic scripts, critical essays, etc.
Additionally, the Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards are open to students in the U.S. and Canadian schools and American academic institutions in other nations.
There is no specific application deadline for this competition, and all interested candidates are to pay $40 for the application unless they can get a waiver.
3. Ocean Awareness Contest
The Ocean Awareness Contest is a writing competition focusing on the future of marine life destroyed by climate change’s effect.
There is no distinct form of submitting entries for this competition, as all art forms are accepted.
This competition comes in different categories: poetry, multimedia, creative writing, etc. The cash prize for the Ocean Awareness Contest is close to $1,500.
Furthermore, a student must be neither under 11 nor above 18 to apply for this competition. The deadline for applying to the Ocean Awareness Contest is around mid-June.
4. EngineGirl Writing Contest
EngineGirl Writing Contest is an excellent addition to this list of writing competitions for high school students. The cash prize for this competition ranges from $100 to $500.
The theme of the EngineGirl Writing Contest is “what ways has female or and/or non-white engineers contributed towards some of the finest engineering achievements.”
This competition is open to high school students, irrespective of gender, between grades three and twelve. The deadline for applying to the EngineGirl Writing Contest is February 1.
5. The American Foreign Services Association Essay Contest
The American Foreign Services Association Essay Contest is a writing competition for high school students.
Participants are to pick any country that the U.S. Foreign Service has been active in since 1924 and discuss, in not more than 1,500 words, how the Foreign Service was successful or unsuccessful in promoting the foreign policy of the United States in that nation.
They are also expected to suggest means that the Foreign Service can advance their policies in the future. The cash prize for this competition is between $1,250 and $2,500.
Besides the cash award, the winner of this competition will receive a fully funded trip to Washington, D.C. At the same time, the second-place holder gets a scholarship to attend the International Diplomacy Program of the National Student Leadership Conference.
The American Foreign Services Association Essay Contest is open to American students between grades nine and twelve and U.S. students who are schooling outside the country.
The deadline for applying to this writing competition is April 3.
6. River of Words
River of Words is a competition where participants are asked to consider a watershed which is a region that drains into the same body of water and try to write about what connects it with local settlements.
Unlike other competitions, the River of Words competition has no cash prizes. However, the winner will earn a publication of their work in the River of Words anthology.
Participants are to express their views in the form of arts of poetry.
Additionally, only Kindergarten through grade 12 students between the ages of 5 and 19 can participate in the River of Words writing competition.
The deadline for applying to the River of Words competition is January 31.
7. Androit Prizes
Androit Prizes is a writing competition for high school students. The Adroit Journal puts this competition together. This competition has a cash prize of $200.
Here, students can submit up to six poems or three works of prose with 3,500 words.
Androit Prizes is open to high school students as well as college students. To apply for this competition, applicants must pay a fee of $15 and send in their application before April.
8. VSA Playwright Discovery Program Competition
The VSA Playwright Discovery Program Competition is a popular writing competition for high school students.
In this competition, participants who are suffering from one form of disability or another are to send in a ten-minute script that narrates their personal experiences as a student and as disabled.
These scripts can be based on real-life experiences or purely fiction.
The VSA Playwright Discovery Program Competition awards range from tickets to several professional development events at the Kennedy Center to professional script development training.
Only American and international students between 14 and 18 can apply for the VSA Playwright Discovery Program Competition.
The organizers of this competition even allow students to form groups of not more than five members to submit a single entry.
However, at least one member of any group must be disabled.
The deadline for applying to the VSA Playwright Discovery Program Competition is January 4 each year, and the application window opens in October.
9. Worldwide Plays Festival Competition
Worldwide Plays Festival Competition is another addition to this list. In this competition, participants are to send an eight-minute clip of a play nearby.
The play must feature three actors, have a narrator that is not a character, and not feature any set change.
Winners of the Worldwide Plays Festival Competition will get their play specially produced by experts at a New York Theatre. Also, they receive financial incentives that will partially cover their education costs.
The Worldwide Plays Festival Competition is open only to American and international students between grades one and twelve. The deadline for applying to this competition is in March.
10. John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Contest
The John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Contest is a writing competition for high school students.
In this competition, participants are to craft an essay of not less than 700 words and not more than 1,000 words on an act that depicts political courage by a U.S. elected officehoU.S. serving in 1917 or after that, inspired by John F. Kennedy’s Profiles in Courage.
They are to discuss the act and any risk the officer put themselves into to do the right thing.
Participants must avoid discussing officials mentioned in the contest wholly and before avoiding people like F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, or Edward M. Kennedy.
The John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Contest’s cash prizes range between $100 and $10,000.
A student must be a U.S. resident between nine and twelve to compete. The deadline for applying to this program is January 13.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Writing Competitions for High School Students
Yes, you can make so much money off writing competitions as a student. Most writing competitions offer cash as a reward for winners.
You can do well in any writing competition by applying the following tips; search for writing contests in areas of your writing strength, abide by the contest rules, and write strategically by surprising the reader with your ideas. Also, ensure that you proofread your work very well before submitting it.
Besides the cash prizes of any writing competition, partaking in writing competitions is an excellent idea because they allow you to win an award, develop your writing ability and assess your writing capabilities.
Writing can be classified as a skill. It is an ability that anyone can learn.
Conclusion
Participating in high school writing competitions is a great way to put your writing abilities to work if you are a senior in high school.
The prizes for these literary contests, anything from cash to university scholarships to medals, are becoming increasingly common.
In addition to the monetary prize, winning a writing competition as a high school student would look great on your resume when applying to universities.
In addition to the competitions listed above, the SPJ/JEA High School Essay Contest, YouthPLAYS, and the Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest are other writing competitions highly recommended for high school students.
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