creative writing competition ppc 2023

First Question is being asked by Ashwani from Madurai

When students write for teachers, it can feel like an assignment. When they write for a real purpose, they are empowered! Student writing contests are a challenging and inspiring way to try writing for an authentic audience— a real panel of judges —and the possibility of prize money or other incentives. We’ve gathered a list of the best student writing contests, and there’s something for everyone. Prepare highly motivated kids in need of an authentic writing mentor, and watch the words flow.

1.  The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

With a wide range of categories—from critical essays to science fiction and fantasy—The Scholastic Awards are a mainstay of student contests. Each category has its own rules and word counts, so be sure to check out the options  before you decide which one is best for your students.

How To Enter

Students in grades 7-12, ages 13 and up, may begin submitting work in September by uploading to an online account at Scholastic and connecting to their local region. There are entry fees, but those can be waived for students in need.

2.  YoungArts National Arts Competition

This ends soon, but if you have students who are ready to submit, it’s worth it. YoungArts offers a national competition in the categories of creative nonfiction, novel, play or script, poetry, short story, and spoken word. Student winners may receive awards of up to $10,000 as well as the chance to participate in artistic development with leaders in their fields.

YoungArts accepts submissions in each category through October 13. Students submit their work online and pay a $35 fee (there is a fee waiver option).

3. National Youth Foundation Programs

Each year, awards are given for Student Book Scholars, Amazing Women, and the “I Matter” Poetry & Art competition. This is a great chance for kids to express themselves with joy and strength.

The rules, prizes, and deadlines vary, so check out the website for more info.

4.  American Foreign Service National High School Essay Contest

If you’re looking to help students take a deep dive into international relations, history, and writing, look no further than this essay contest. Winners receive a voyage with the Semester at Sea program and a trip to Washington, DC.

Students fill out a registration form online, and a teacher or sponsor is required. The deadline to enter is the first week of April.

5.  John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest

This annual contest invites students to write about a political official’s act of political courage that occurred after Kennedy’s birth in 1917. The winner receives $10,000, and 16 runners-up also receive a variety of cash prizes.

Students may submit a 700- to 1,000-word essay through January 12. The essay must feature more than five sources and a full bibliography.

6. Bennington Young Writers Awards

Bennington College offers competitions in three categories: poetry (a group of three poems), fiction (a short story or one-act play), and nonfiction (a personal or academic essay). First-place winners receive $500. Grab a poster for your classroom here .

The contest runs from September 1 to November 1. The website links to a student registration form.

7. The Princeton Ten-Minute Play Contest

Looking for student writing contests for budding playwrights? This exclusive competition, which is open only to high school juniors, is judged by the theater faculty of Princeton University. Students submit short plays in an effort to win recognition and cash prizes of up to $500. ( Note: Only open to 11th graders. )

Students submit one 10-page play script online or by mail. The deadline is the end of March. Contest details will be published in early 2024.

8. Princeton University Poetry Contest for High School Students

The Leonard L. Milberg ’53 High School Poetry Prize recognizes outstanding work by student writers in 11th grade. Prizes range from $100 to $500.

Students in 11th grade can submit their poetry. Contest details will be published this fall.

9. The New York Times Tiny Memoir Contest

This contest is also a wonderful writing challenge, and the New York Times includes lots of resources and models for students to be able to do their best work. They’ve even made a classroom poster !

Submissions need to be made electronically by November 1.

10.  Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest

The deadline for this contest is the end of October. Sponsored by Hollins University, the Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest awards prizes for the best poems submitted by young women who are sophomores or juniors in high school or preparatory school. Prizes include cash and scholarships. Winners are chosen by students and faculty members in the creative writing program at Hollins.

Students may submit either one or two poems using the online form.

11.  The Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers

The Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers is open to high school sophomores and juniors, and the winner receives a full scholarship to a  Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop .

Submissions for the prize are accepted electronically from November 1 through November 30.

12. Jane Austen Society Essay Contest

High school students can win up to $1,000 and publication by entering an essay on a topic specified by the Jane Austen Society related to a Jane Austen novel.

Details for the 2024 contest will be announced in November. Essay length is from six to eight pages, not including works cited.

13. Rattle Young Poets Anthology

Open to students from 15 to 18 years old who are interested in publication and exposure over monetary awards.

Teachers may choose five students for whom to submit up to four poems each on their behalf. The deadline is November 15.

14. The Black River Chapbook Competition

This is a chance for new and emerging writers to gain publication in their own professionally published chapbook, as well as $500 and free copies of the book.

There is an $18 entry fee, and submissions are made online.

15. YouthPlays New Voices

For students under 18, the YouthPlays one-act competition is designed for young writers to create new works for the stage. Winners receive cash awards and publication.

Scroll all the way down their web page for information on the contest, which accepts non-musical plays between 10 and 40 minutes long, submitted electronically. Entries open each year in January.

16. The Ocean Awareness Contest

The 2024 Ocean Awareness Contest, Tell Your Climate Story , encourages students to write their own unique climate story. They are asking for creative expressions of students’ personal experiences, insights, or perceptions about climate change. Students are eligible for a wide range of monetary prizes up to $1,000.

Students from 11 to 18 years old may submit work in the categories of art, creative writing, poetry and spoken word, film, interactive media and multimedia, or music and dance, accompanied by a reflection. The deadline is June 13.

17. EngineerGirl Annual Essay Contest

Each year, EngineerGirl sponsors an essay contest with topics centered on the impact of engineering on the world, and students can win up to $500 in prize money. This contest is a nice bridge between ELA and STEM and great for teachers interested in incorporating an interdisciplinary project into their curriculum. The new contest asks for pieces describing the life cycle of an everyday object. Check out these tips for integrating the content into your classroom .

Students submit their work electronically by February 1. Check out the full list of rules and requirements here .

18. NCTE Student Writing Awards

The National Council of Teachers of English offers several student writing awards, including Achievement Awards in Writing (for 10th- and 11th-grade students), Promising Young Writers (for 8th-grade students), and an award to recognize Excellence in Art and Literary Magazines.

Deadlines range from October 28 to February 15. Check out NCTE.org for more details.

19. See Us, Support Us Art Contest

Children of incarcerated parents can submit artwork, poetry, photos, videos, and more. Submissions are free and the website has a great collection of past winners.

Students can submit their entries via social media or email by October 25.

20. The Adroit Prizes for Poetry & Prose

The Adroit Journal, an education-minded nonprofit publication, awards annual prizes for poetry and prose to exceptional high school and college students. Adroit charges an entry fee but also provides a form for financial assistance.

Sign up at the website for updates for the next round of submissions.

21. National PTA Reflections Awards

The National PTA offers a variety of awards, including one for literature, in their annual Reflections Contest. Students of all ages can submit entries on the specified topic to their local PTA Reflections program. From there, winners move to the local area, state, and national levels. National-level awards include an $800 prize and a trip to the National PTA Convention.

This program requires submitting to PTAs who participate in the program. Check your school’s PTA for their deadlines.

22. World Historian Student Essay Competition

The World Historian Student Essay Competition is an international contest open to students enrolled in grades K–12 in public, private, and parochial schools, as well as those in home-study programs. The $500 prize is based on an essay that addresses one of this year’s two prompts.

Students can submit entries via email or regular mail before May 1.

23. NSHSS Creative Writing Scholarship

The National Society of High School Scholars awards three $2,000 scholarships for both poetry and fiction. They accept poetry, short stories, and graphic novel writing.

Apply online by October 31.

Whether you let your students blog, start a podcast or video channel, or enter student writing contests, giving them an authentic audience for their work is always a powerful classroom choice.

If you like this list of student writing contests and want more articles like it, subscribe to our newsletters to find out when they’re posted!

Plus, check out our favorite anchor charts for teaching writing..

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Best 2024 Competitions for Students in Grades K-12

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The Jamaica Creative Writing Competition and Exhibition

The Literary Arts Programme is one of the best channels for recognizing writing talent, validating, showcasing and promoting the original works of writers through the Jamaica Creative Writing Competition & Exhibition. The competition is open in September each year to writers age 6 years and older, to submit works in the following categories: novel, essay, play, poetry and short story.

Professor Mervyn Morris, Dennis Scott, Olive Senior, Trevor Rhone, Hazel, Campbell, Diane Browne, Michael Reckord, Michael Bailey are some of the recognizable names, who have benefited from the exposure gained through the Competition.  

In partnership with the National Library of Jamaica and the Jamaica Library Service, the Commission exposes the winning works in the Jamaica Creative Writing Competition in each parish, maximizing the exposure of the awardees and their works and giving members of the public an opportunity to enjoy the best that Jamaica has to offer in creative writing.

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Welcome to the home page of the Bulgarian Creative Writing Competition! Please feel free to click around and learn more about the contest, its history, and how you and your school can get involved! Use the tabs at the top of the page or the following quick links:

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Creative Writing Competition 2023

The winners, about the competition.

The Tower Hamlets Creative Writing Competition is an annual event for schools in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets for students aged six years to sixteen.

• Open to pupils in subscribing schools OR to members of Tower Hamlets Idea Stores
• Pupils in years 1 to 11 may enter
• Categories for short stories and poetry

It has been run by Tower Hamlets Schools Library Service since 2011 with the aims of promoting wider reading and literacy, and to encourage young people to express themselves through the written word. Research carried out during the 2020 competition showed that pupils participating in the competition and in the author workshops benefited by gaining confidence in their writing ability and developing greater insight into the issues raised by the competition themes

• Winners are listed by ctegory
• Prizes awarded for 1st, 2nd, 3rd and commended and best in school places
• The judges’ decision is final and correspondence will not be entered into
• We reserve the right to withdraw prizes in the case of any evidence of plagiarism.

Feedback form for teachers

• Let us know how we did
• Add your suggestions for next year’s theme!

Your school

The year group that you teach

The Competition

Why did your school take part in this event? (tick all that apply)

To win prizes Good experience with previous competitions Opportunity for free author workshops To encourage children to write Other (please specify below)

It was easy to submit work for the competition

1. Strongly Agree 2. 3. 4. 5. Strongly disagree If you disagreed, please let us know who we can improve this process.

The Competition theme and supporting resources

How did you find the suitability of the theme for differenct age ranges.

1. More suited to younger children 2. 3. About right for all ages 4. 5. More suited to older pupils

The competition (overall) and the theme helped inspire pupils

1. Strongly Agree 2. 3. 4. 5. Strongly disagree

The theme allowed for a range of writing styles/ genres

The prompts and ideas for writers (suggested on this website) were useful, what kind of resources would you like to see provided as part of future writing competitions, do you have any suggestions for future competition themes, the writing workshops, did your school host one or more of our funded writing workshops as part of the competition, the workshop was useful for the children who took part, the workshop was useful for the teachers who took part, teachers will be able to make use of what they learnt in future lesson planning, the free author visit has inspired us to have more author visits in the future, do you have any other feedback, comments or suggestions for the future of the tower hamlets creative writing competition, submit survey.

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Theme for 2023 : A Brighter Future ?

The theme for this year’s competition is A Brighter Future ?

• Prompts and a booklist to support the theme and provide ideas for all year groups can be found at www.towerhamlets-sls.org.uk/cwc-ideas
• Promotional posters and flyers with writing prompts will be sent to all participating schools

In 2023 there will be 5 age groups in the competition:

• Group 1: Years 1 & 2
• Group 2: Years 3 & 4
• Group 3: Years 5 & 6
• Group 4: Years 7 to 9
• Group 5: Years 10 & 11
• may also be an illustrated story or comic book
• Write a poem or verse story up to 25 lines (primary) and 35 lines (secondary)
• Poems and stories may exceed this word count/line limit by up to 100 words/5 lines
• Poems and stories must follow the competition theme

Pupils may enter both the short story and poetry categories. The competition deadline is Friday 31st March 2023. Work must be submitted by this date.

Submitting work:

The competition is now closed!

Register for the competition (schools only).

Parents/ students entering via the Idea Stores do NOT need to register

In order to enter the competition, receive posters, entry forms and flyers, and take advantage of these free author workshops, schools need to:

• enter the competition by “buying” it via SLAonline (Creative Writing Competition 2023. Just £40 to subscribing primary schools to cover administration)
• email [email protected] letting us know who is to lead on running this event in your school.
• use the form below to book your free writing workshops!

The Arts Council grant also enables us to publish a book of the winning entries.

Fully-funded writing workshops for schools

We are thrilled to announce that  Arts Council England  has again awarded Tower Hamlets Schools Library Service with a grant to enhance our annual Creative Writing Competition with author-led creative writing workshops for schools, Idea Stores and home-educated children.

All of the author workshops have now been booked.

Important information

The author workshops are intended to provide practical creative writing skills to your pupils (and teachers!) including structuring a story and character creation. The workshops will relate to the theme of the competition but the skills learnt can be applied to other projects and lessons.

How will a visit to your school work?

It is our intention to arrange in-person author visits rather than virtual visits.

• An author will be able to work with up to 2 groups of pupils during the time allocated to their visit. These 2 sessions will be up to 50 minutes each and run one after the other with a short break in between.
• An author or poet can also work with just 1 group for the visit duration as a more advanced workshop for older pupils – let us know in the additional details box in the booking form.
• The school should suggest a date or (preferably) a range of dates during which you can host your visit. We will match you with an author based on your requirements and their availability.
• Workshops should take place from January to March (world book day week is likely to be booked up very early on)
• Each group of pupils can be up to the size of one class
• Workshops can be for all ages from year 1 upwards
• Groups can be of mixed ages, although there shouldn’t be too wide a gap between these ages in order to ensure age-appropriate content

Idea Stores 

We are working with the Tower Hamlets Idea Stores to provide five workshops in public libraries between January and March. Dates and times to be announced.

If you have any questions, please email [email protected]

Poetry Slam Link!

Schools can also combine this competition with a performance poetry event! Give your pupils a confidence boost with a two-day intensive poetry workshop in association with the Poetry Society. This will prepare them for a half-day Slam performance where they’ll compete with other schools for prizes!

For more information see our Junior Slam page. The Junior Slam requires a separate registration.

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• 2023-2024 Creative Writing Competition Results
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2023-2024 Creative Writing Competition Results

Congratulations to all of the passionate student writers, who entered the 16th annual, cga creative writing competition.

Our volunteer judges have spent the last few months reviewing the story and poetry entries. We wholeheartedly thank the judges for their time, dedication and effort!  Most of our volunteer judges are also teachers with many demands on their time this year.

First Place and Honorable Mention recipients listed below will be published in a book.   Books contain entries from ALL First Place and Honorable Mention finalists with parent permission.   We are not planning a book release party this year, but will notify those who have purchased books when they are available for pick up.

BOOK INFORMATION

First place winners receive one free copy of the book.  Additional copies of the book are available for purchase at:

CGA Webstore Link

All pre-ordered Finalist Books will be distributed to those who purchased after they are received.    Purchasers will be given information about book delivery as soon as it becomes available.

2023-2024 winners: first place and honorable mention, 9-12 poetry –.

• First Place – Nikhita Kumar – My Voyage to India
• Honorable Mention – Akshaya Ashokanand – Contemplation
• Honorable Mention – Raima Awan – Hide
• Honorable Mention – Scarlett Bliobenes – Tomato Stars
• Honorable Mention – Georgia Reynolds – Poet’s Manual
• Honorable Mention – Ishani Tammra – Karol Bagh Night Market

8 Poetry –

• First Place – Saniya Francis – My Pace
• Honorable Mention -Aditri Amresh – An Ode to Fireworks
• Honorable Mention – Meghana Darimadugu – Time
• Honorable Mention – Gurleen Dharni – Fear
• Honorable Mention – Samanyu Gujjula – Troubles of a Scout
• Honorable Mention – Inika Jadhav – Smiles
• Honorable Mention – Sahasra Lokula – My Everything
• Honorable Mention – Shivaansi Patidar – Friendship

7 Poetry –

• First Place – Shalini Biswas – Words
• Honorable Mention – Vyom Bhatnagar – We Are All the Same
• Honorable Mention – Nethra Boyina – A Clean Paper
• Honorable Mention – Prajakta Mandal – The Pit of Despair
• Honorable Mention – Anukta Palli – Dreamland
• Honorable Mention – Malini Patel – Broken Friendship
• Honorable Mention – Amon Sarbadhikari – Game Day

6 Poetry –

• First Place – Vaishnavi Jaikumar – Perspective
• Honorable Mention – Deetiya Ashokkumar – She’s So Etched in Me
• Honorable Mention – Tanushri Balaji – Charred Butterfly Wings
• Honorable Mention – Abhiraj Chand – Leaves
• Honorable Mention – Shoubith Gnanaprakasam – Aftermath
• Honorable Mention – Pragna Gulla – A Mother
• Honorable Mention – Claire Pranivong – The Ant Bite

5 Poetry –

• First Place – Krish Prasad Gujarathi – Whispers of the Ocean’s Depths
• Honorable Mention – Samraggi Banerjee – My Sandwich & Ms. Brown
• Honorable Mention -Safiyah Bhatti – Bonsai
• Honorable Mention – Ghazal Dobariya – Dreams . . . 
• Honorable Mention – Amita Hathiramani – Haunted House
• Honorable Mention – Jesmitha Chowdary Kolla – Friendship
• Honorable Mention – Viyaan Mehta – The Roads I Cross
• Honorable Mention – Ishaa Ram – Untitled

4 Poetry –

• First Place – Anushka Bhakoo – The Land of Upside Down
• Honorable Mention – Ethan Chow – Seasons
• Honorable Mention – William Jennings – Wyatt
• Honorable Mention – Rithika Pillai – The Crescent Knight
• Honorable Mention – Salamrita Ramakrishnan – Day on the Beach
• Honorable Mention – Aadhya Sreenarasimhaiah – A Special Connection

9-12 Story –

• First Place – Georgia Reynolds – Sugar Maple Leaves
• Honorable Mention – Akshaya Ashokanand – An Unseemly Circle
• Honorable Mention – Nikhita Kumar – The Life and Times of a Shapeshifter
• Honorable Mention – Alivia Shang – Coffee, Literature, and Museums
• Honorable Mention – Fakiha Tariq – Not Just Black and White

8 Story –

• First Place – Anila Krishnan – The Catch
• Honorable Mention -Varshini Avula – Daydreams
• Honorable Mention – Yuseul (Rachel) Bak – Receiver of Hope
• Honorable Mention – Reid Dodd – Socially Challenged
• Honorable Mention – Sriya Gomatam – The Whispering Willow
• Honorable Mention – Neev Goyal – Vivid Dreams
• Honorable Mention – Pratyush Mohanty – Masked Reality
• Honorable Mention – Prakriti Srivats – The Secret

7 Story –

• First Place – Nethra Naresh – RR-1058
• Honorable Mention -Dhamitha Dhevi Anandakumar – The War that Changed My Life
• Honorable Mention – Lily Marquez – The Bounty Hunters of the Misty Woods
• Honorable Mention – Amon Sarbadhikari – Ebb and Flow
• Honorable Mention – Vihaan Sharma – Closing the Gap
• Honorable Mention – Yucheng Shi – The Daffodil
• Honorable Mention – Ashvin Vallabhaneni – School 2084

6 Story –

• First Place – Sahana Sudhagar – Duellum Feminarum
• Honorable Mention – Chakri Priya Chandu – Tough to be X!!
• Honorable Mention – Adeline Mendola – A Drop of Honey
• Honorable Mention – Gautham Muresh – The Sandstorm and the Duck

5 Story –

• First Place – Krish Prasad Gujarathi – The Stone Guardian: A Tale of Courage and Legends
• Honorable Mention – Sanayaa Choubey – A Girl Named Brave
• Honorable Mention – Joyce Deng – Tiny Tales: A Lesson in Friendship
• Honorable Mention – Suhana Rai – The Quest of the Wish Dragon
• Honorable Mention – Rani Shanaya – The World Needs Dreamers
• Honorable Mention – Sansthigha Vasantharaju – Magic Survivor

4 Story –

• First Place – Ishaan Nair – From Berlin to New York: A Journey of Hope and Freedom
• Honorable Mention – Blais Baker – Space Time
• Honorable Mention – Anushka Bhakoo – The Woodland Bypass
• Honorable Mention – Swami Chandrakantan – Conquest of the Sea
• Honorable Mention – Eden Choi – Ester’s New School
• Honorable Mention – Amelia Gabriele – Skort

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Out of the Centre

Savvino-storozhevsky monastery and museum.

Zvenigorod's most famous sight is the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery, which was founded in 1398 by the monk Savva from the Troitse-Sergieva Lavra, at the invitation and with the support of Prince Yury Dmitrievich of Zvenigorod. Savva was later canonised as St Sabbas (Savva) of Storozhev. The monastery late flourished under the reign of Tsar Alexis, who chose the monastery as his family church and often went on pilgrimage there and made lots of donations to it. Most of the monastery’s buildings date from this time. The monastery is heavily fortified with thick walls and six towers, the most impressive of which is the Krasny Tower which also serves as the eastern entrance. The monastery was closed in 1918 and only reopened in 1995. In 1998 Patriarch Alexius II took part in a service to return the relics of St Sabbas to the monastery. Today the monastery has the status of a stauropegic monastery, which is second in status to a lavra. In addition to being a working monastery, it also holds the Zvenigorod Historical, Architectural and Art Museum.

Belfry and Neighbouring Churches

Located near the main entrance is the monastery's belfry which is perhaps the calling card of the monastery due to its uniqueness. It was built in the 1650s and the St Sergius of Radonezh’s Church was opened on the middle tier in the mid-17th century, although it was originally dedicated to the Trinity. The belfry's 35-tonne Great Bladgovestny Bell fell in 1941 and was only restored and returned in 2003. Attached to the belfry is a large refectory and the Transfiguration Church, both of which were built on the orders of Tsar Alexis in the 1650s.  

To the left of the belfry is another, smaller, refectory which is attached to the Trinity Gate-Church, which was also constructed in the 1650s on the orders of Tsar Alexis who made it his own family church. The church is elaborately decorated with colourful trims and underneath the archway is a beautiful 19th century fresco.

Nativity of Virgin Mary Cathedral

The Nativity of Virgin Mary Cathedral is the oldest building in the monastery and among the oldest buildings in the Moscow Region. It was built between 1404 and 1405 during the lifetime of St Sabbas and using the funds of Prince Yury of Zvenigorod. The white-stone cathedral is a standard four-pillar design with a single golden dome. After the death of St Sabbas he was interred in the cathedral and a new altar dedicated to him was added.

Under the reign of Tsar Alexis the cathedral was decorated with frescoes by Stepan Ryazanets, some of which remain today. Tsar Alexis also presented the cathedral with a five-tier iconostasis, the top row of icons have been preserved.

Tsaritsa's Chambers

The Nativity of Virgin Mary Cathedral is located between the Tsaritsa's Chambers of the left and the Palace of Tsar Alexis on the right. The Tsaritsa's Chambers were built in the mid-17th century for the wife of Tsar Alexey - Tsaritsa Maria Ilinichna Miloskavskaya. The design of the building is influenced by the ancient Russian architectural style. Is prettier than the Tsar's chambers opposite, being red in colour with elaborately decorated window frames and entrance.

At present the Tsaritsa's Chambers houses the Zvenigorod Historical, Architectural and Art Museum. Among its displays is an accurate recreation of the interior of a noble lady's chambers including furniture, decorations and a decorated tiled oven, and an exhibition on the history of Zvenigorod and the monastery.

Palace of Tsar Alexis

The Palace of Tsar Alexis was built in the 1650s and is now one of the best surviving examples of non-religious architecture of that era. It was built especially for Tsar Alexis who often visited the monastery on religious pilgrimages. Its most striking feature is its pretty row of nine chimney spouts which resemble towers.

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