Writing Contests
You might have accidentally found this page because you eat clickbait like I eat Fritos© Corn Chips. You could be here because I had been, am or will be your teacher. No matter, your reason. Eh? This is not about school or schooling. Or is it? This is about potentially making money as a writer...or getting yourself on that path. This is about you and the art you create.
Writing Contests are a great way to write for a purpose. Writing Contests are a great way to grow your art. Enter any writing contest with a piece you have taken through the entire creative process (with me, a classmate, a group of writers, etc.). Students enrolled in one of my courses will get an EXTRA CREDIT GRADE for submission. Win a contest and be recognized on my website in addition to getting whatever spoils are offered by the writing contest host. You may enter ANY contest, however, CONTESTS that require an entry fee are NEVER required by me. EVER. You may enter them, but neither I nor the school I’m employed at will help with financial investment.
It’s your responsibility to know what it will take to get your submission in on time while meeting all requirements. To reach your desired outcome, look over everything . Planning will be key. Deadlines happen.
We will not spend time on this in the classroom. Only after submission proof is provided will you get your EXTRA CREDIT grade. Your writing DOES NOT have to end up accepted and published. You simply have to have the courage to submit your writing for consideration. Here is what it will take to get the EXTRA CREDIT. You must provide proof (pics, screenshots, links, etc.) that
- You built any background knowledge needed to do your best: Google Doc of research.
- You took your writing through the whole creative process: Google Doc.
- You took all the necessary steps to get your work submitted: Google Doc w/screenshots
Some TIPS!
- ALWAYS research the person judging the contest. The judge always has preferences: Write to those preferences. So, this means you have to do some useful research, not like the research you did for some of your k-12 school courses; This research could get you some cash. Eh? NICE!
- ALWAYS satisfy the submission guidelines exactly.
- ALWAYS be humble. Most writers get a lot, and I mean A LOT, of rejections. It’s part of the process. You can’t celebrate getting published if you’ve never been rejected. Kind of. You want recognition? Submit a lot of your writing. You will get published. I just don’t know when.
Search site pages to get current-year submission guidelines, deadlines, and other information.
Contest Search & List Pages
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- Poets & Writers – Writing Contests Grants & Awards – Use this search page.
- NewPages.com/classifieds: Big list of Writing Contests – NOT kidding, this list is MASSIVE! The current month is always at the top. If you’re serious about getting published, USE THIS PAGE.
- Gotham Writers – Contests page
- USA.gov search result for “writing contest”
- State Library of North Carolina – Contests page
Specific Contests
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- Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Contests (mostly in January)
- Do The Write Thing Essay Challenge – A National Contest
- Stossel in the Classroom (by March)
- Scholastic Art & Writing Awards – The Nation’s Highest Honors for Creative Teens
- NASA’s – Cassini Scientist for a Day Essay Contest
- Writing Contests (a wordpress site) – Search through the posts. Usually pretty current. Read the post to determine if you have anything you could submit.
- New Voices Young Writers Competition (Middle School)
- North Carolina Council on the Holocaust – Writing, Music, And Art Contest
- Scope Magazine Contests
- Teen Ink Contests
- New Youth Connections – A different writing prompt for each contest. You must be age 14-19 to enter. Preference will be given to New York City area residents. At the editors’ discretion, entries from outside the New York City area will be considered. $150 maximum prize.
- The Writing Conference, Inc. – Yearly writing contests for elementary, junior high/middle and high school students. Topic changes yearly. Students may create a poem, a narrative, or an essay. Each of the winners in each school level will receive a plaque commemorating the award. In addition, these winners will have their writing published in The Writers’ Slate. They will be guests at the evening Celebration of Writing Reception.
- The Claremont Review – Contest in poetry and fiction for teens 13-19. $500 maximum prize, along with publication on abebooks.com. $18 entry fee that includes a subscription to the magazine.
Everything we do is built for this kind of thing. Get out there
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