Santa Rosa A.C.E.S.
Central, Jay, Milton & Navarre High Schools
Student Writing Contests
Submission Deadlines
January
Grades 9 - 12
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: January 4, 2018
In Profiles in Courage, John F. Kennedy recounted the stories of eight U.S. senators who risked their careers to do what was right for the nation. These leaders demonstrated political courage by taking a stand for the public good in spite of pressure by interest groups, their political party, or even their constituents. The Profile in Courage Essay Contest challenges students to write an original and creative essay that demonstrates an understanding of political courage as described by John F. Kennedy in Profiles in Courage.
The maximum word count is 1,000 with a minimum of 700, not including citations and bibliography. Use at least five varied sources such as government documents, letters, newspaper articles, books, and/or personal interviews.
Letters About Literature
Grades 9 - 12
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: January 12, 2018
Letters About Literature is a reading and writing contest for students in grades 4-12. Students are asked to read a book, poem or speech and write to the author (living or dead) about how the book affected them personally. Letters are judged on state and national levels. Tens of thousands of students from across the country enter Letters About Literature each year. If you are in grades 4-12, you are eligible to enter the Letters About Literature reading and writing contest.
Young Authors Writing Competition
Grades 9 - 12
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: January 16, 2018
Started as a local writing contest in Chicago in 1995, the Young Authors Writing Competition has grown into a yearly international contest of high school writers. Sponsored by the English and Creative Writing Department at Columbia College Chicago, the competition has received tens of thousands of submissions from talented writers all over the world.
The Young Authors competition awards top submissions with cash prizes and recognition in the categories of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. Students who are currently enrolled in high school are encouraged to submit up to two pieces in each of the categories of Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry.
February
Writopia Lab Worldwide Plays Festival
1st - 12th Grades
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: February 1st, 2018
Following the great success of the immersive production of WPF’s 2017 Home plays, where every play took place in a different room in a home, this year, playwrights must set their plays at a school, where there is so much more to learn than what’s on the board.
Plays can be any genre—comedy, drama, horror, polemic, tragedy, historical, docu-drama, solo-play, interactive, sci-fi, or any other you dream up.
We the Students
Ages 14 - 19
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: February 5th, 2018
Should schools be able to keep tabs on students’ social media to prevent internet bullying? Should there be regulations that prohibit President Trump from tweeting? This year’s prompt is, To what extent in the U.S. does the government–federal, state, and local–have the duty to monitor internet content? With our “We the Students” essay contest, you could win prizes just for sharing your thoughts on this issue!
-
1st Place – $5,000 and a scholarship to our 2018 Constitutional Academy in Washington, D.C.
-
Runners Up – Six prizes at $1,250 each
-
Honorable Mentions – Eight prizes at $500 each
Davidson Fellows Scholarship
18 or younger
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: February 14, 2018
The Davidson Fellows Scholarship awards $50,000, $25,000 and $10,000 scholarships to extraordinary young people, 18 and under, who have completed a significant piece of work.
To be eligible for consideration as a Davidson Fellow, applicants must:
-
Be 18 or younger as of Oct. 1, 2018.
-
Be a U.S. citizen residing in the United States, or a Permanent Resident of the United States residing in the United States, or be stationed overseas due to active U. S. military duty.
-
There is no minimum age for eligibility.
The Davidson Institute is looking for students whose projects are at, or close to, the college graduate level with a depth of knowledge in their particular area of study. This scholarship is not geared toward students at the novice level.
NCTE - Achievement Awards in Writing
11th Grade/Juniors
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: February 15th, 2018
Purpose: To encourage high school juniors to write and to publicly recognize the best student writers.
-
Schools in the United States, Canada, Virgin Islands and American Schools Abroad are eligible to nominate juniors. Nominating schools must be US accredited.
-
Participating students submit two types of writing: themed writing and best writing.
-
Electronic submissions only.
-
Themed writing prompt: Sandra Day O'Connor - Changing the Narrative
March
NCTE - Norman Mailer Creative Non-fiction Writing Award
Grades 9 - 12
REOPENS: March 1, 2018
The Norman Mailer High School Creative Non-Fiction Writing Award Competition is open to students currently enrolled in high school. Students may submit one or more pieces of writing as one file, maximum 10 single-spaced pages endorsed and released by a parent or guardian. One winner will receive a cash award of $2,500 at a special award ceremony.
USIP & AFSA National High School Essay Contest
Grades 9 - 12
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: March 15, 2018
Why Diplomacy and Peacebuilding Matter
The United States has many tools to advance and defend its foreign policy and national security interests around the world—from diplomatic approaches pursued by members of the Foreign Service, to the range of options available to the U.S. military. In countries affected by or vulnerable to violent conflict, peacebuilding tools are important additions to the national security toolkit. In a 1,000-1,250-word essay, identify two cases—one you deem successful and one you deem unsuccessful—where the U.S. pursued an integrated approach to build peace in a conflict-affected country.
The Claremont Review Contest
Ages 13 - 19
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: March 15, 2018
The Claremont Review publishes the best poetry, short stories and visual art by young adults aged 13-19, from anywhere in the English speaking world.
We accept:
-
poetry (up to 3 poems)
-
short stories/fiction (up to 2,000 words)
-
visual art/photography (up to 6 images)
ENTRY FEE: $25
April
Ten Minute Play Contest
11th Grade Students
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: April 2, 2018
Eligibility for this annual playwriting contest is limited to students in the eleventh grade in the U.S. (or international equivalent of the eleventh grade). The jury consists of members of the Princeton University Program in Theater faculty.
Prizes: First Prize – $500, Second Prize – $250, Third Prize – $100
May
June
Goi Peace Foundation
Ages 15 - 25
CLOSED: June 15, 2017
This annual essay contest is organized in an effort to harness the energy, creativity and initiative of the world's youth in promoting a culture of peace and sustainable development. It also aims to inspire society to learn from the young minds and to think about how each of us can make a difference in the world. * This program is an activity of the UNESCO Global Action Programme (GAP) on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD).
Our Oceans in a Changing Climate
Ages 15 - 18
SUBMISSION DEADLINES: June 18, 2018
The Ocean Awareness Student Contest is open to students aged 11-18 worldwide. Your work should explore the relationship between human systems, climate change, and our oceans. We challenge you to create a piece that not only presents issues and challenges, but also communicates a message that inspires others to act. We encourage you to connect your submission to your own life, your local community, or something else that motivates you.
Submissions are accepted in:
-
Visual Art
-
Poetry
-
Prose
-
Film
-
Music
July
August
Torrance Creativity Awards
Ages 8 - 18
CLOSED: Submissions accepted January 1 - August 20, 2017
The International Torrance Legacy Creativity Awards offer students from all over the world a distinct opportunity to submit in four major areas: Creative Writing, Visual Arts, Music Composition, and Invention. The Awards began in 2008 with creative writing (poems and short stories). Other categories soon followed, with original work from all parts of the United States as well as other countries submitted by enthusiastic participants age 8-18.
September
October
VFW Voice of Democracy
Grades 9 - 12
CLOSED: October 31, 2017
WHAT IS THE VOICE OF DEMOCRACY PROGRAM?
Since 1947, the Voice of Democracy has been the Veterans of Foreign Wars’ (VFW’s) premier scholarship program. Each year, nearly 40,000 high school students compete for more than $2 million in scholarships and incentives. Students compete by writing and recording an audio essay on an annual patriotic theme. This year’s theme is, American History: Our Hope for the Future.
Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest
Sophomore & Junior Girls
CLOSED: October 31, 2017
Sponsored by Hollins University, the Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest is in its fifty-fourth year. The contest awards prizes for the best poems submitted by young women who are sophomores or juniors in high school or preparatory school.
WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS?
-
-
Students must submit their poem(s) in Microsoft Word, 12pt Times New Roman. [Please note: the contest has ended.]
-
No more than two poems by any one student may be submitted
-
November
Bennington Young Writers Awards
Grades 10 - 12
REOPENS: November 4, 2018
Annually students in the 10th, 11th, and 12th grades are invited to enter in one of the following categories: poetry (a group of three poems), fiction (a short story or one-act play), or nonfiction (a personal or academic essay). All entries must be original work and sponsored by a high school teacher. Short stories and nonfiction must be fewer than 1,500 words. Judges include Bennington College faculty and students. First-place winners in each category are awarded a prize of $500; second-place winners receive $250. The competition runs each year from September 1 to November 1 with winning entries posted by April 15.
Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize
Sophomores & Juniors
RUNS: November 1 - November 30
The Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers recognizes outstanding young poets and is open to high school sophomores and juniors throughout the world. The contest winner receives a full scholarship to the Kenyon Review Young Writers workshop. In addition, the winning poem and the poems of the two runners-up will be published in The Kenyon Review, one of the country’s most widely read literary magazines.
December
River of Words
Ages 5-19
CLOSED: 12/1/17
River of Words® (ROW) is a program of The Center for Environmental Literacy and a part of the Kalmanovitz School of Education. Acknowledged pioneers in the field of place-based education, River of Words has been inspiring educators and their students for over twenty years with an innovative blend of science and the arts.
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
Grades 9 - 12
CLOSED: 12/7/17
$5 per individual work
Each year, the Alliance partners with more than 100 visual arts and literary arts organizations across the country to bring the Scholastic Awards to local communities. Teens in grades 7–12 apply in 29 categories of art and writing. In 2017, students submitted more than 330,000 works of art and writing to the Scholastic Awards.
Categories include: Critical Essay, Dramatic, ScriptFlash, FictionHumor, Journalism, Novel, Writing, Personal Essay & Memoir, Poetry, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Short Story