11 Summer Writing Contests for Middle School Students
- Stephen Turban
- 5 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Writers looking to hone their craft and compete with peers can participate in summer writing contests. Through such competitions, you can practice writing in different formats and on different topics. Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, contests are available in various categories.
You not only receive awards and prizes but also recognition for your work. Many contests publish winning entries on their websites. If you want to start writing, here are some summer contests for you to participate in.
11 Summer Writing Contests for Middle School Students
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 6 winners
Location: Virtual
Prize: Winners receive scholarships
Application Deadline: April 26
Eligibility: Students in grades 6–8
The Lumiere Junior Scholars Essay Contest is for middle schoolers looking to push their writing skills. In this contest, you pick one of the available essay prompts and tackle the thought-provoking question. The competition challenges you to question your thinking and assumptions. You strengthen your argumentation, critical thinking, and writing skills. An international panel of distinguished professors and researchers form the Academic Advisory Committee that reviews all entries for intellectual independence and persuasive arguments. Winners receive a range of scholarship awards.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Location: Virtual
Prize: Winning entries are published on The Learning Network
Application Deadline: April 8
Eligibility: Students aged 13–19
You can write a letter to the New York Times with this competition. For this contest, you write an open letter to people or groups about an issue that you care about. The letter must be meaningful to the NYT audience. Your submission must not exceed 500 words, must be addressed to a specific audience, and must contain a call for action. You must also use at least two sources to support your writing, including one from NYT. If you win, your letter will be published on The Learning Network.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 4 winners
Location: Virtual
Prize: $1,000
Application Deadline: June 3
Eligibility: Students in grades 6–8
This writing competition provides one theme for all participants to write about. You use the prompt as a line or inspiration for your writing. The submission can be in any format, whether a story, essay, poem, scene, monologue, or something else. However, the submission must not exceed 1,000 words. The organization also provides resources and references that provide context and information regarding the prompt. You submit an Intent to Participate prompt in May and send in the submission in June.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 3 winners
Location: Virtual
Prize: Varies by place
Application Deadline: September (tentative)
Eligibility: Students in grades 6–8
This competition celebrates Thomas Wolfe’s writing. You receive a lesson plan, vocabulary, and activities related to a particular story. You also receive writing prompts based on which you write your own short work of creative fiction. Winners are selected and announced in each category. The award ceremony is held as a hybrid event. You can attend the in-person ceremony at Historic Victorian Home in Downtown Asheville, NC.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 3 winners from each category
Location: Virtual; award ceremony held in London
Prize: Varies by place
Application Deadline: May 31
Eligibility: Students under 19 years old
This competition by the John Locke Institute spans various subjects. The competition looks for writers who demonstrate independent thought, depth of knowledge, clear reasoning, critical analysis and persuasive style. For this competition, you respond to a question on a subject of your choice. You can also submit essays in more than one subject. Entries are judged by academics from leading educational institutions. You are expected to appropriately cite your sources. If you win, you can attend the award ceremony and an invite-only conference in London. Attending these events is not compulsory.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 3 winners
Location: Virtual
Prize: Varies by place
Application Deadline: June 22
Eligibility: Writers aged 13–19
Write the World offers a range of competitions for you to participate in. For the Personal Essay Competition, you share a story from your life that resonates with the theme. A guest judge reviews all entries. You must add rich detail, various characters, and vivid descriptions. Winners receive a cash prize as well as stationery. Further details will be provided when the competition opens.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 10 finalists
Location: Virtual
Prize: Varies by place
Cost: $30
Application Deadline: July 15
Eligibility: Students in grades 6–8
Writers interested in poetry can participate in this poetry competition. The competition allows you to submit up to 4 poems, and there is no line limit. The entry fee gives you a one-year subscription to the magazine. A single poem wins the $15,000 prize. Finalists and readers’ choice winners receive other prizes. The winners are judged by the editors in an anonymized review. Many poems are published in the magazine.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 3 winners
Location: Virtual
Prize: Cash awards of up to $1,000
Application Deadline: June 8
Eligibility: Students aged 11–18
This contest encourages you to think about and consider the ocean. Entries are accepted in a range of categories, including creative writing and poetry. You write about your personal connection with the ocean and how it sustains, protects, and inspires us. You can choose from different sub-themes and respond to the prompt accordingly. Your submissions become part of your portfolio and enhance your knowledge about environmental issues.
9. ARTEFFECT
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Location: Virtual
Prize: Varies by place
Application Deadline: April 21
Eligibility: Students in grades 6–12
Although this competition focuses on art, it also asks you to write a reflective statement. Here, you celebrate and highlight the lives of unsung heroes through different kinds of art pieces. You also write a 500 – 1,000-word impact statement. The statement must discuss your Unsung Hero’s unique contribution, your creative process and interpretation, and your plans for sharing your artwork with others. You showcase your artwork in your classroom and community. Awards are available in various categories.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 4 winners
Location: Virtual
Prize: First-place winners have their names published on the NCTE website
Application Deadline: February 15
Eligibility: Nominated 8th-grade students
This competition aims to develop writing skills among 8th graders. You must be nominated by an educator to be eligible to participate. You receive a prompt from the Promising Young Writers Advisory Committee. You respond to it in a creative manner such as personal narratives, collections of poetry, screenplays, photo essays, etc. The submission must not exceed 10 pages. Winners are announced in mid-May.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 3 winners
Location: Virtual
Cost: $9 (Babes Who Write members) | $15 (nonmembers)
Prize: Varies by place
Application Deadline: January 1
Eligibility: Women-identifying participants
This is an open competition for all who identify as women. There is no theme for this contest. You simply write an authentic and original nonfiction piece about yourself. The submission must not exceed 5,000 words. Entries are reviewed blind by a judge. Winners are announced by mid-April.
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a Ph.D. 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.
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