Green Chair Pictures ........................................................ Dana Biscotti Myskowski, author/screenwriter
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On the Lookout For:
Fabulous Writing Competitions for Young Adults 

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Dana occasionally searches the web for reputable competitions, hoping to find those gems that will appeal to young voices.  If you have a suggestion for a contest, please contact Dana. Thank you! 

Competitions are listed by month according to the published submission deadline. If you're looking for a contest to submit your work to and the deadline for one you're interested in is already past, you might consider writing for next year's anticipated competition deadline.

January
  • Young Playwrights Inc. - No defined length; deadline: postmarked by Jan. 2, 2014; age 18 or younger by competition deadline
  • JFK Profile in Courage Essay Contest - deadline: Jan. 6, 2014; grades 9-12
  • PUSH Novel Contest - 15-50 pages of a novel; deadline: January 16, 2014; Grades 7-12

February
  • The Bishop Prize - poetry, fiction, or play; deadline: Feb. 1, but this is a revolving deadline, so the next year's competition opens March 1; grades 8 - 11
  • National Peace Essay Contest - deadline: Feb. 10, 2014 (possibly near that date in Feb. 2015; a high school coordinator must sign up first, then open the competition to students); high school students
  • NCTE Achievement Awards in Writing - Open category; deadline: Feb. 13 (though manuscripts are accepted beginning in Nov.); grade 11 only; NOTE: submitted by high school

March
  • National Federation of State Poetry Societies - poems; national deadline: March 1, 2014, however, student poems are to be submitted to the Poetry Society within the state the student resides; grades 6-12
  • Apprentice Writer - fiction, poetry, essay, memoir, photography; deadline: March 10, 2014; grades 9-12
  • Walt Whitman Young Poets Contest - This year's theme = A Song of Joys; assignment = write a poem about singing; March 14, 2014; grades 3-12.
  • Anthem Essay Contest - Ayn Rand contests; deadline: March 20, 2014; grades 8-10
  • Scriblerus Live Arts Contest - Greenville College's Literary Magazine launches with its Live Arts Contest, accepting short fiction, nonfiction, poetry/song lyrics, cartoons/graphic stories, and serialized novel chapters; deadline: March 31, 2014; grades 9-12

April
  • The Fountainhead Essay Contest - Ayn Rand series of contests; deadline: April 26, 2014; grades 11 & 12

May
  • Skipping Stones Magazine - essays, interviews, poems, plays, short stories, etc., (plus art--photos, paintings, cartoons, etc.); deadline: May 25, 2014; ages 7-17; NOTE: fee of $4, though it may be waved in some circumstances

June

July

August

September
  • Scholastic Art & Writing Awards - 28 categories; contest opens in September (waiting to hear when the annual deadline falls; 2013 competition is already closed; NOTE: It appears there are regional competitions; in Maine watch the Southern Maine Writing Project for more information.) 

October
  • Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest - Ayn Rand series of contests; deadline: October 24, 2014; 12th graders, undergrads, and graduate students

November
  • Patriot's Pen - Essay contest; deadline: Nov. 1, 2014; 2014 theme = "Why I Appreciate America's Veterans"; grades 6-8

December
  • River of Words - Poetry of 32 lines or fewer (& art); deadline: Dec. 1, 2014, K-12 students 19 years-old or younger, entry forms and rules are available HERE
  • Letters About Literature - Letter to a literary figure; Deadline: Dec. 10, grades 9-12, and Jan. 10, grades 4-8

Ongoing
  • Check out this page on the John Hopkins Center for Talented Youth website
  • The Claremont Review - poetry, short stories, plays; ages 13-19
  • The Concord Review - history essays; high school students; NOTE: there is a $40 submission fee
  • Creative Kids Magazine - cartoons, songs, stories, plays, poetry, editorials, etc.; ages 8-16
  • Skipping Stones Magazine -  essays, stories, letters to the editor, riddles, etc.; youth (ages are not defined, though the target audience is 7-17); some adult submissions too; also: occasional contests
  • Stone Soup - creative writing; ages 8-13
  • Teen Ink - poetry, fiction, nonfiction, reviews; ages 13-19


Thanks to these sources for providing links to contests for young writers:
  • Scholastic
  • Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth

​Last updated in 2017.

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