If you have a strong teen writer in your class \u2014 or if you are a student looking for competitions worth your time \u2014 this list is for you. These are the writing competitions for ages 14\u201318 that offer real financial rewards: scholarship money, cash prizes, and prestigious publication credits that strengthen university applications.<\/p>
Some of these prizes are remarkably large. A high school student who wins the right competition can earn tens of thousands of dollars toward university tuition. This list focuses on competitions with the most significant prizes, the most international accessibility, and the highest academic prestige.<\/p>
Open to:<\/strong> Grades 11\u201312 worldwide (no citizenship restriction)<\/p> What to write:<\/strong> An 800\u20131,600 word literary analysis essay on the novel The Fountainhead<\/em> by Ayn Rand. Students analyze themes of individualism, creativity, and integrity.<\/p> Prize:<\/strong> Grand prize: $25,000<\/strong>. First place: $5,000 (\u00d75 winners). Second place: $1,000 (\u00d710). Third place: $500 (\u00d725). Finalist prizes: $100.<\/p> Deadline:<\/strong> April annually<\/p> Why it matters:<\/strong> The $25,000 grand prize makes this one of the largest cash awards available to high school essay writers anywhere in the world. The competition is open internationally \u2014 no U.S. citizenship required. Students must read the novel first, so it doubles as a reading comprehension and critical thinking exercise in English.<\/p> Website:<\/strong> aynrand.org\/students\/essay-contests<\/p> Open to:<\/strong> Grades 8\u201310 worldwide<\/p> What to write:<\/strong> A 600\u20131,200 word literary analysis essay on the novella Anthem<\/em>. Shorter read, more accessible for younger teens.<\/p> Prize:<\/strong> Grand prize: $2,500. First place: $500 (\u00d75). Second place: $250 (\u00d710). Third place: $100 (\u00d725).<\/p> Deadline:<\/strong> April annually<\/p> Why it matters:<\/strong> This is the entry point for younger teens before they can tackle The Fountainhead<\/em>. Open worldwide, strong literary analysis skills required \u2014 good for advanced ESL students in grades 8\u201310.<\/p> Website:<\/strong> aynrand.org\/students\/essay-contests<\/p> Open to:<\/strong> U.S. citizens or permanent residents aged 18 and under<\/p> What to write:<\/strong> A substantial project in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, literature, music, or philosophy. The writing category requires a major original work.<\/p> Prize:<\/strong> $10,000, $25,000, or $50,000<\/strong> scholarships. This is one of the largest scholarship programs for pre-college students in the United States.<\/p> Deadline:<\/strong> February annually<\/p> Why it matters:<\/strong> The $50,000 scholarship makes this the single highest-value student writing award on this list for U.S. students. The Literature category requires a book-length or similarly substantial original work \u2014 meaning it rewards students who have been writing seriously for years.<\/p> Website:<\/strong> davidsongifted.org\/Fellows-Scholarship<\/p> Open to:<\/strong> Poets aged 15 and under, worldwide<\/p> What to write:<\/strong> Original poetry, any subject or form.<\/p> Prize:<\/strong> First place: $15,000. Additional prizes available.<\/p> Deadline:<\/strong> November annually<\/p> Why it matters:<\/strong> A $15,000 prize for a poet aged 15 or under makes this one of the highest-value youth poetry competitions in the world. Rattle is a highly respected literary magazine \u2014 publication here is a serious credential. Open internationally.<\/p> Website:<\/strong> rattle.com\/poetryprize<\/p> Open to:<\/strong> U.S. high school students in grades 9\u201312<\/p> What to write:<\/strong> An essay (under 1,000 words) arguing that an elected official at any level of government has demonstrated political courage by taking a stand for principle.<\/p> Prize:<\/strong> First place: $10,000. Second place: $3,000. Finalists: $1,000. All finalists are honored at a ceremony at the JFK Presidential Library in Boston.<\/p> Deadline:<\/strong> January annually<\/p> Why it matters:<\/strong> Named after John F. Kennedy’s book and judged in part by the Kennedy family, this is one of the most prestigious high school essay competitions in the U.S. Winning or placing is a significant university application credential.<\/p> Website:<\/strong> jfklibrary.org<\/p> Open to:<\/strong> Anyone aged 18 or under, any country worldwide<\/p> What to write:<\/strong> An analytical essay under 2,000 words on one question from Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Psychology, Theology, or Law.<\/p> Prize:<\/strong> First place: $10,000 scholarship toward the John Locke Institute’s summer school at Oxford. Second: $2,000. Third: $1,000.<\/p> Deadline:<\/strong> May 31 annually<\/p> Why it matters:<\/strong> Fully open internationally with no citizenship or residency requirement. The prize is directly tied to a residential Oxford-based academic program \u2014 so winning is both a scholarship and a study abroad opportunity. One of the few competitions combining cash prize + international prestige + university experience in one.<\/p> Website:<\/strong> johnlockeinstitute.com\/essay-competition<\/p> Open to:<\/strong> Students in grades 7\u201312 in the U.S. and Canada<\/p> What to write:<\/strong> 29 writing categories including fiction, poetry, personal essay, memoir, science fiction, humor, dramatic script, and journalism. One of the broadest student competitions available.<\/p> Prize:<\/strong> Gold Medal Portfolio Award: up to $12,500 scholarship. Regional medals are awarded first; national winners receive the largest prizes.<\/p> Deadline:<\/strong> Regional submissions open October; deadlines vary December\u2013January<\/p> Why it matters:<\/strong> Scholastic is the most established student writing and arts competition in North America. Alumni include authors, poets, and public figures. For U.S. and Canadian students, Scholastic recognition is immediately recognized by university admissions offices.<\/p> Website:<\/strong> artandwriting.org<\/p> Open to:<\/strong> U.S. citizens or permanent residents, ages 15\u201318<\/p> What to write:<\/strong> Creative nonfiction, novel, play\/script, poetry, short story, or spoken word.<\/p> Prize:<\/strong> Financial awards from $250 to $10,000. Senior finalists also receive a Writing Scholarship applicable to any accredited institution. YoungArts finalists are eligible for nomination as U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts \u2014 one of the highest honors given to U.S. high school students.<\/p> Deadline:<\/strong> October annually<\/p> Why it matters:<\/strong> YoungArts is one of the most prestigious arts competitions in the United States. The Presidential Scholar nomination pathway alone makes it worth entering for serious writers.<\/p> Website:<\/strong> youngarts.org<\/p> Open to:<\/strong> High school sophomores and juniors (approximately ages 15\u201317) worldwide<\/p> What to write:<\/strong> One unpublished poem, any subject or form, maximum 100 lines.<\/p> Prize:<\/strong> The winner receives a full scholarship to a Kenyon Review Young Writers residential workshop<\/strong> in Ohio. Winner and runners-up are published in The Kenyon Review<\/em>, one of the most respected literary journals in the world.<\/p> Deadline:<\/strong> November 1\u201330 annually<\/p> Why it matters:<\/strong> Publication in the Kenyon Review is a career-level achievement for adult poets \u2014 for a high school student, it is extraordinary. The fully funded workshop scholarship also offers a pathway: Kenyon Review Young Writers alumni who apply to Kenyon College are automatically considered for a $25,000\/year merit scholarship.<\/p> Website:<\/strong> kenyonreview.org<\/p> Open to:<\/strong> Poets aged 11\u201317, worldwide (UK and international)<\/p> What to write:<\/strong> Original poetry. Maximum 40 lines. International entrants may submit 1 poem; UK entrants may submit up to 3. Phrases in other languages are allowed \u2014 making this one of the most ESL-friendly poetry competitions available.<\/p> Prize:<\/strong> Top 15 winners receive a mentoring relationship, publication in an anthology, and a place at a residential poetry retreat in the UK. Runners-up are published online.<\/p> Deadline:<\/strong> July 31 annually<\/p> Why it matters:<\/strong> This is the most respected poetry competition for young writers in the UK \u2014 and it is fully open internationally. The explicit permission to include home-language phrases makes it uniquely accessible to ESL students who want to write about identity and culture.<\/p> Website:<\/strong> foyleyoungpoets.org<\/p> Open to:<\/strong> High school students worldwide<\/p> What to write:<\/strong> Poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction. Accepted work is published in a prestigious national journal that is itself edited by high school students.<\/p> Prize:<\/strong> Publication in Polyphony Lit, widely recognized by top U.S. university admissions counselors.<\/p> Deadline:<\/strong> February annually<\/p> Why it matters:<\/strong> College admissions officers at selective U.S. universities know Polyphony Lit by name. Publication here is one of the most credible writing credentials a high school student can include in an application.<\/p> Website:<\/strong> polyphonyli.org<\/p> It depends on the student’s level and goals:<\/p> Writing competitions at the high school level are more than just prizes \u2014 they are evidence of independent thinking, ambition, and skill. A student who enters \u2014 and especially one who places \u2014 stands out in university applications, scholarship interviews, and future writing careers.<\/p> Continue to Part 3 of this series: Writing competitions that lead to study abroad and international exchange programs.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you have a strong teen writer in your class \u2014 or if you are a student looking for competitions worth your time \u2014 this list is for you. These are the writing competitions for ages 14\u201318 that offer real financial rewards: scholarship money, cash prizes, and prestigious publication credits that strengthen university applications. Some…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4269","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tahricteaches.com\/hu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4269","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tahricteaches.com\/hu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tahricteaches.com\/hu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tahricteaches.com\/hu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tahricteaches.com\/hu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4269"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tahricteaches.com\/hu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4269\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4281,"href":"https:\/\/tahricteaches.com\/hu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4269\/revisions\/4281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tahricteaches.com\/hu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4269"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tahricteaches.com\/hu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4269"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tahricteaches.com\/hu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4269"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}2. Ayn Rand Institute \u2014 Anthem Essay Contest (Grades 8\u201310)<\/h2>
3. Davidson Fellows Scholarship (Ages up to 18)<\/h2>
4. Rattle Young Poets Competition (Ages up to 15)<\/h2>
5. JFK Profile in Courage Essay Contest (Grades 9\u201312)<\/h2>
6. John Locke Institute Global Essay Prize (Ages up to 18)<\/h2>
7. Scholastic Art and Writing Awards (Grades 7\u201312)<\/h2>
8. YoungArts National Arts Competition \u2014 Writing (Grades 10\u201312)<\/h2>
9. Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize (High School Sophomores and Juniors)<\/h2>
10. Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award (Ages 11\u201317)<\/h2>
11. Polyphony Lit (Grades 9\u201312)<\/h2>
Which Competition Should My Student Enter First?<\/h2>
Final Thoughts<\/h2>