15 Essay Writing Contests for High School Students
- Stephen Turban
- 49 minutes ago
- 15 min read
Writing is part of almost every subject, whether you are explaining an idea, building an argument, or presenting research. If you want to get better at it early, essay writing contests for high school students are worth considering. They give you a clear prompt, a deadline, and a standard to work towards. Essay writing contests for high school students help you build skills like structuring arguments, editing your work, and writing with clarity. You might respond to a theme, develop a position, and refine your draft through multiple revisions. This process shows you how strong writing is built step by step.
Why should I participate in an essay writing competition in high school?
Essay writing contests for high school students help you practice writing under clear expectations. You learn how to present ideas logically, support them with evidence, and stay within a defined format. They also give you outcomes you can use in college applications, such as awards, rankings, or completed essays. This makes it easier to demonstrate your writing ability with specific examples.
To make your search easier, here are 15 essay writing contests for high school students.
If you’re looking for online summer research programs, check out our blog here.
Key takeaways
Most contests on this list are free to enter, with the Ayn Rand Institute Essay Contests offering up to $25,000 in prizes, the JFK Profile in Courage Essay Contest awarding $10,000 for first place, Bennington Young Writers Awards offering up to $2,000 in prizes plus substantial college scholarships, and the Lumiere Scholars Essay Award distributing $11,000 total across multiple winners and distinctions.
Contests span a wide range of writing styles and subject areas including legal and policy writing (Columbia Undergraduate Law Review, Princeton Legal Journal, AFSA Foreign Policy), literary analysis (Ayn Rand, Jane Austen JASNA), economics and international affairs (HIEEC, John Locke, AFSA), environmental and nature writing (Ocean Awareness Contest, River of Words), political history and courage (JFK Profile in Courage), and creative and journalistic writing (Scholastic Art and Writing, NYT Summer Reading, Bennington Young Writers).
Several contests offer publication as a significant benefit alongside prizes, including Columbia Undergraduate Law Review (winners published on the site), Princeton Legal Journal (top three essays published), HIEEC (top essays published by Harvard Undergraduate Economics Association), and NYT Summer Reading Contest (selected responses published by the New York Times).
Students interested in law, policy, or government should consider the JFK Profile in Courage Essay Contest, Columbia Undergraduate Law Review Contest, AFSA National Essay Contest, Princeton Legal Journal Contest, and John Locke Global Essay Prize, all of which focus on legal reasoning, civic argument, or policy analysis at a rigorous academic level.
Deadlines are spread across the full calendar year, with River of Words and John Locke Prize closing around May and June, AFSA and Columbia contests varying by year, and JFK Profile in Courage closing January 12, so students should track multiple contest cycles simultaneously and begin drafting essays well in advance of each deadline.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free; Winners will receive a total of $11,000 in cash prizes and scholarships
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly disclosed
Dates: Submissions open March 9, winners announced on May 17
Application Deadline: April 26
Eligibility: Students from any country enrolled in high school (as of December 31) can apply.
The Lumiere Scholars Essay Award is an international essay competition that invites participants to write research-based argumentative essays on interdisciplinary topics. You choose from a set of prompts that span areas like humanities, STEM, and social sciences, and develop a well-reasoned response supported by evidence. Essays are evaluated by an academic panel of professors and researchers through a double-blind review process, with emphasis on originality, analysis, structure, and the use of sources. You work within a defined word limit and are expected to follow formal academic writing conventions, including citation standards. The award includes multiple levels of recognition, with winners receiving cash prizes and scholarships to Lumiere programs. In addition to top placements, there are several distinction-based awards, so more participants can receive recognition for their work.
Location: Online
Cost: Varies based on category; National Medalists are eligible for scholarships of up to $12500
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly disclosed
Dates: Varies every year
Application Deadline: Typically between December and January, varies each year
Eligibility: Teens in grades 7–12, ages 13 and up
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is an international competition that recognizes creative work across a wide range of art and writing categories, including poetry, journalism, short stories, and essays. You can submit original pieces in specific categories and follow detailed guidelines for formatting, anonymity, and citations. Entries are first reviewed at a regional level, and selected works advance to national judging, where they are evaluated by panels of artists, writers, and educators. You develop and submit individual pieces rather than responding to a single prompt, which means you decide the topic, form, and approach. The competition has been running since 1923 and is organized by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers.
Location: Online
Cost: Free; prize details not publicly listed
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly disclosed
Dates: Varies each year
Application Deadline: Varies each year
Eligibility: Open to high school students
The Columbia Undergraduate Law Review High School Essay Contest is an annual writing competition focused on legal and policy-based topics. You respond to a prompt related to law, rights, or public policy and develop a clear argument supported by legal reasoning and evidence. Topics change each year, but typically require you to engage with current or historical issues and refer to court cases, legal documents, or case studies. You write a long-form essay within a set word limit and are expected to use formal citations and credible sources. Winning entries are published on the Columbia Undergraduate Law Review website, and top participants are recognized by the organization.
Location: Online
Cost: Free; prize details not publicly listed
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly disclosed
Dates: June 6th – August 15th
Application Deadline: August 15th
Eligibility: 13 to 19-year-old students from around the world
The New York Times Summer Reading Contest is a weekly response-based writing competition centered on content published by The New York Times. You choose an article, video, podcast, or visual piece and explain your reaction in a short written response or video. The contest runs over multiple weeks during the summer, with a new prompt released each week and one submission per week allowed. Entries are reviewed by newsroom staff, and selected responses are published on the New York Times website. You focus on explaining what caught your attention and why. Responses are brief, so you are expected to be clear and direct within a limited word count.
Location: Online
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly disclosed
Dates: Open for entries from October 15
Application Deadline: January 31
Eligibility: Open to Pre-K–12th grade students, ages 5–19, who are enrolled in school to be eligible; entries for students younger than 18 to be made by parent, guardian, educator, or facilitator
River of Words (Saint Mary’s College of California) allows you to take part in an international poetry and art contest where you create original work based on your observations of the natural environment, especially the watershed where you live. You’ll develop either poems or artwork that reflect your understanding of the place, combining creative expression with environmental awareness rather than working on abstract themes. The program encourages you to observe your surroundings closely, think about how people interact with nature, and translate that into a clear piece of work that follows specific guidelines. Submissions are organized by age groups, and selected entries are recognized as winners or finalists, with many being published or displayed in exhibitions.
Location: Online
Cost: Free; First-place: $10,000, Second-place: $3,000, Three Finalists: $1,000 each
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly disclosed
Dates: Submissions open on September 1
Application Deadline: January 12
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9 through 12 enrolled in a U.S. high school or equivalent home school program
The Profile in Courage Essay Contest is an annual writing competition organized by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation that focuses on political courage in American public life. The contest is named after President Kennedy's book "Profiles in Courage," in which he wrote about U.S. senators who took principled stands at personal and political cost. You research and write an essay describing and analyzing an act of political courage by a U.S. elected official who served during or after 1917, the year Kennedy was born. The essay must include an analysis of the obstacles, risks, and consequences associated with the act, and can address an issue at the local, state, or national level. You are required to use at least five sources, cite them using APA, MLA, or Turabian format, and submit the essay to a nominating teacher who reviews the work before submission.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free; cash award of $1000 for Gold Award, $750 for Silver Award, $500 for Bronze Award, $250 for Pearl Award, $50 each for Distinguished Honorable Mention and Honorable Mention
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly disclosed
Dates: Self-paced
Application Deadline: June 8
Eligibility: Middle and high school students ages 11-18
The Ocean Awareness Contest is an annual international competition organized by Bow Seat, a nonprofit focused on environmental arts and conservation, open to students ages 11-18. Each year, the contest is built around a theme related to the ocean and climate, asking participants to explore their relationship to the ocean and the environmental issues surrounding it. Submissions are accepted across a wide range of creative formats, including visual art, poetry and spoken word, creative writing, film, music, dance, and interactive multimedia. You can enter individually or as part of a group, class, or club, and submissions are judged within two age divisions: Junior (ages 11 to 14) and Senior (ages 15 to 18).
Location: Online
Cost: Free; $$2,000 for first-place winners, $1,000 for second-place winners, and $500 for third-place winners, $250 for YWA distinguished writers; YWA winners who enroll at Bennington will receive a full-tuition scholarship of up to $60,000 per year, YWA distinguished writers will receive a half-tuition scholarship of more than $30,000 per year, YWA finalists who enroll will get a scholarship of up to $25,000 per year
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly disclosed
Dates: Open for entries from October 15
Application Deadline: November 1
Eligibility: Students currently enrolled in Grades 9-12; Grade 12 students should submit their YWA entry by completing either the Common Application or Coalition Application
The Bennington Young Writers Awards is an annual writing competition hosted by Bennington College, recognizing outstanding original work in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry at the high school level. You submit a piece in one category of your choice, and the submission must be reviewed and approved by a sponsoring teacher before entry. Each participant may submit in only one category per year. Fiction entries can be a short story or a stand-alone excerpt from a larger piece, nonfiction entries can take the form of a personal or academic essay, and poetry submissions can include between one and three poems.
Location: Online
Cost: Entry fee of $20 for U.S. applicants and $30 for international (non-US) applicants; the top three winning essays will be published on the official website
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly disclosed
Dates: October 28th to 31 March
Application Deadline: January 5
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9 through 12
The High School International Economics Essay Competition (HIEEC) is an annual writing competition sponsored by the Harvard Undergraduate Economics Association, focused on economic theory and policy analysis. Each year, four prompts are released covering distinct areas of economics, and you choose one to respond to in an essay. Past prompt areas have included environmental economics, inequality, labor markets, and financial technology. You are expected to draw on economic reasoning, engage with relevant policy debates, and support your argument with cited sources in Chicago or APA format. Essays are first reviewed by the HUEA board, with the top submissions then adjudicated by an economics professor at Harvard. Winners and finalists are published on the HUEA website.
Location: Online
Cost: Free; First Place: $1,000 (plus free registration and two nights’ lodging for JASNA’s upcoming Annual General Meeting), Second Place: $500, Third Place: $250
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly disclosed
Dates: Entries typically accepted from February
Application Deadline: June 1
Eligibility: High school students (including home-schooled students), College/University students enrolled in at least six credit hours of coursework, and graduate school students enrolled during the contest year in at least three credit hours of graduate coursework.
The JASNA Essay Contest is an annual writing competition organized by the Jane Austen Society of North America, focused on the close reading and literary analysis of Jane Austen's novels. Each year, a specific topic is released, and you write an essay responding to it by drawing directly on Austen's texts rather than producing a research paper. The contest emphasizes personal interpretation and textual support, asking you to develop your own argument and back it up with relevant passages from the novels. Submissions are accepted across three divisions covering high school, undergraduate, and graduate students, with slightly different scope requirements at each level. High school participants may focus on characters or themes from one or more of Austen's works, while undergraduate and graduate entrants are expected to draw from at least two novels.
Location: Online
Cost: Free; First Place: prize of $2,500 to the winner, in addition to an all-expense paid trip for the winner and his or her parents to the nation’s capital, and an all-expense paid educational voyage by the Semester at Sea
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly disclosed
Dates: Varies each year
Application Deadline: Varies each year
Eligibility: High school students (including homeschooled students) whose parents are not in the Foreign Service, through grades 9 to 12, attending a public, private, or parochial school in any of the fifty states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. territories, or U.S. citizens attending high school overseas
The AFSA National High School Essay Contest is an annual writing competition run by the American Foreign Service Association on topics related to U.S. diplomacy and foreign policy. Past topics have covered areas such as the role of the Foreign Service, American soft power, and U.S. engagement abroad. As a participant, you are required to write a persuasive essay arguing a clear position on that prompt. You can use the contest's study guide and recommended resources to research and build your argument. Your essay must lay out an evidence-based case with a defined stance, supported by specific reasoning and examples.
Location: Online
Cost: Free; prizes up to $25000
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly disclosed
Dates: Varies each year
Application Deadline: Typically April 30, exact dates vary depending on the specific contest
Eligibility: Generally open to students from grades 8 to 12; exact requirements will vary based on the specific contest; some contests are open to graduate school students as well
The Ayn Rand Institute Essay Contests are a set of annual writing competitions organized around Ayn Rand's novels, including Anthem, The Fountainhead, and Atlas Shrugged. You can select the contest tied to the novel you choose to write about, and read it closely. The prompts ask you to analyze themes, characters, or philosophical ideas from the novel and construct an argument around them. Depending on the contest, you can write an essay ranging from 600 to 1,600 words in English. Your essay is evaluated on clarity, organization, how thoroughly you address the prompt, and how well you connect the novel's ideas in your response.
Location: Online
Cost: Free; first place - $1000, second place - $750, third place - $500
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly disclosed
Dates: Varies each year
Application Deadline: Not listed on website
Eligibility: High school sophomores & Juniors with a 3.0 GPA or who are Top 10% of their class from the Houston Independent School District or Title One schools
The CERCL High School Essay Contest is an annual writing competition hosted by Rice University's Center for Engaged Research and Collaborative Learning for students at Title I HISD high schools. As part of the contest, you are required to write an essay on a civic, social, or policy issue. Past topics have addressed areas such as public health, immigration, education policy, climate change, and local governance. Your essay will be evaluated by a committee of Rice faculty, staff, and students on the complexity of thought, strength of argumentation, structure, and adherence to the length requirement. All students who participate can attend a full-day workshop at Rice University covering general and college essay writing. The top 10 students also get the opportunity to attend a summer intensive Princeton Review SAT Prep course at Rice University.
Location: Virtual; prize-giving ceremony takes place in London
Cost: Free (fees apply for deadline extension); scholarship of $5000 towards any John Locke Institute programme as first prize, $2000 for second prize, and $1000 for third; the winner of the Best Essay Overall will get a $10,000 scholarship to attend one or more summer schools or visiting scholars programmes
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly disclosed
Dates: Submissions open from 1 April to 31 May
Application Deadline: June 7 for a seven-day extension and June 21 for a 21-day extension
Eligibility: Anyone who is under 19 years old as of the regular submission deadline is eligible to apply
The John Locke Institute Global Essay Prize is an annual international writing competition organized across ten subject categories, including Economics, History, Philosophy, Politics, Law, Psychology, Public Policy, International Relations, Science and Technology, and Theology. You can select one question from your chosen category and write an argumentative essay of up to 2,000 words. Questions are open-ended and intellectually provocative, requiring you to engage with counterarguments and the strongest objections to your position. You may submit essays in multiple categories. Each essay will be evaluated independently by a panel of academics from universities including Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, and Princeton.
Location: Online
Cost: Free; the top three essays will be published in the Princeton Legal Journal
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly disclosed
Dates: Varies each year
Application Deadline: Varies each year
Eligibility: Open to all high school students
The Princeton Legal Journal High School Essay Contest is an annual writing competition hosted by Princeton University's student-run legal publication, centered on a theme in law and constitutional issues. Each year's theme anchors the contest around a specific legal area, with past themes covering topics such as presidential power, First Amendment rights, and technology law. You can write a research-based legal essay engaging with case law, constitutional doctrine, or relevant legislation to develop and support an argument within that theme. Your essay will be reviewed by the journal's editorial team and evaluated on the strength of your legal reasoning and argumentation. The top three essays are published in the Princeton Legal Journal.
Frequently asked questions
What types of essay writing contests are available for high school students?
Options include academic research and argumentative essay contests (Lumiere Scholars Essay Award, John Locke Global Essay Prize), legal and policy writing contests (Columbia Undergraduate Law Review, Princeton Legal Journal, AFSA, JFK Profile in Courage), economics essay contests (HIEEC), literary analysis contests (Ayn Rand Institute, JASNA), creative and personal writing contests (Scholastic Art and Writing, Bennington Young Writers, NYT Summer Reading), environmental writing contests (Ocean Awareness Contest, River of Words), and response-based journalism contests (NYT Summer Reading).
Which essay contests offer the largest prizes or scholarships?
Ayn Rand Institute Essay Contests offer prizes up to $25,000 across their novel-based competitions. Bennington Young Writers Awards offer up to $60,000 per year in college tuition scholarships for first-place winners who enroll at Bennington. JFK Profile in Courage Essay Contest awards $10,000 for first place. Lumiere Scholars Essay Award distributes $11,000 total across multiple winners and distinction levels. John Locke Global Essay Prize offers a $10,000 scholarship for the Best Essay Overall across all categories.
Which contests are best for students interested in law or public policy?
Columbia Undergraduate Law Review Essay Contest focuses on legal reasoning and policy argument, with winning essays published on their site. Princeton Legal Journal Essay Contest centers on constitutional and technology law themes, with top essays published. JFK Profile in Courage Essay Contest requires research into political courage by U.S. elected officials with APA or MLA citations. AFSA National Essay Contest focuses on U.S. foreign policy and diplomacy with a persuasive essay format. John Locke Global Essay Prize includes law as one of ten subject categories judged by Oxford and Cambridge academics.
Which contests are best for students interested in creative writing or literary analysis?
Bennington Young Writers Awards accept fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, with first-place winners eligible for significant college scholarships. Scholastic Art and Writing Awards recognize original creative work across poetry, journalism, and essays, evaluated first regionally and then nationally. JASNA Essay Contest focuses on close reading and personal interpretation of Jane Austen's novels. Ayn Rand Institute Contests focus on literary and philosophical analysis of specific novels by Ayn Rand.
Are there essay contests specifically for students with financial need or from underrepresented backgrounds?
CERCL High School Essay Contest at Rice University is specifically designed for students from Houston ISD Title I schools with a 3.0 GPA or top 10% class rank, offering prizes and access to a college essay workshop and Princeton Review SAT prep at Rice University. River of Words is free and open internationally, including to students in underserved communities. The Lumiere Scholars Essay Award is free to enter and open to high school students from any country.
When should I apply to essay writing contests for high school students?
JFK Profile in Courage Essay Contest opens September 1 and closes January 12. HIEEC closes January 5. River of Words closes January 31. Bennington Young Writers Awards close November 1. Lumiere Scholars Essay Award closes April 26. John Locke Global Essay Prize closes in late May or June. NYT Summer Reading Contest runs June through August. Students should map out a full-year calendar of contest deadlines at the start of the school year and begin drafting early to allow sufficient revision time before each submission.
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a graduate of Harvard College, where he earned an A.B. in Statistics. He founded Lumiere as a PhD student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.