International writing competitions provide high school students with opportunities to develop their writing skills, critical thinking, and ability to express their ideas, while also adding a valuable highlight to their academic profiles. In this article, Aralia has compiled 23 writing competitions for high school students across a wide range of fields, including creative writing, poetry, literature, history, economics, science, and environmental issues.
Competition Introduction: The Ocean Awareness Competition provides a platform for young people to understand environmental issues through artistic creation and creative thinking, explore their relationship with the changing world, and become advocates of positive change
Eligibility: International competition. Any student aged 11-18 who is/was enrolled in middle or high school (secondary school) while the contest is open. Proof of age, identity, or eligibility may be required. Students who have started college or university are not eligible to participate in the Contest.
- Junior Division: 11-14 years old
- Senior Division: 15-18 years old
Competition theme: Connections to Nature: Looking Inside, Going Outside.
Competition time: The submission deadline is June 8, 2026.
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Competition Introduction: Since 2010, The New York Times has held a summer reading competition for middle school students worldwide. More than 50,000 middle school students have participated so far.
The Summer Reading Contest invites students to choose something in The Times that has sparked their interest and then tell us why. At the end of every week, judges from the Times newsroom pick their favorite responses, and the winner’s work will be published in the NY Times.
Competition schedule: Before the end of the competition (August), participants can choose any article, essay, video, interaction, podcast, or photo published in The New York Times to analyze, write about, and submit to the competition.
Every Tuesday after the start of the competition, the previous week’s winners are announced, and their writing pieces are published.
Competition time: June 4-11, July 2-9, July 30 – August 6, 2027
Suitable for students: 13-19-year-old students from all over the world;
- Students aged 13-15 can submit via the form in the link to the weekly article, subject to parent or guardian consent;
- Students aged 16-19 can submit comments directly in the weekly articles.
You can access the full calendar of every New York Times contest here.
Complete Guide to the New York Times Summer Reading Contest.
Competition Introduction: Write the World is an online community and writing competition for young writers. It is open to writers ages 13-18 and gives them a platform to share their writing, receive feedback from peers, and participate in writing challenges and contests. The website offers a range of resources and tools for writers, including writing prompts, writing tips, and the opportunity to join online writing groups and workshops. Write the World also hosts a number of writing contests throughout the year, with prizes ranging from publication and mentorship opportunities to cash awards.
Competition time: Varies
Suitable for students: 13-18-year-old students from all over the world
Competition Introduction: The John Locke Essay Competition is organized by the John Locke Institute, an independent education organization located in Oxford, UK. The John Locke Institute encourages young people to cultivate the characteristics that turn good students into great writers: independent thought, depth of knowledge, clear reasoning, critical analysis, and persuasive style. Senior academics judge all of the essay prizes from the University of Oxford. The judges will choose their favorite essay from each subject category and an overall ‘best essay’ across seven subjects.
Competition deadline: May 31st, 2026 (Late Submission Deadline: June 21, 2026)
Suitable for students: High school students 18 years old or younger and Middle School students 14 years old or younger at the submission deadline.
Competition Introduction: The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards is the longest-running, oldest, and most prestigious literary and art competition in the United States, aiming to find creative works and original technical skills by students in grades 7-12. Since 1923, the Academic Art and Writing Award has recognized young people’s vision, originality, and talent, and has provided opportunities and academic awards for creative young people to express their talent. The high school award is a symbol of the pursuit of excellence and will help students stand out in university and scholarship applications.
Competition time: Deadlines vary by region and can be as early as December 1
Suitable for students: North American teens in grades 7–12 (ages 13 and up) can apply in 28 categories of art and writing.
Competition Introduction: The Young Authors Writing Competition is sponsored by the English and Creative Writing Department at Columbia College Chicago. The competition has grown into a yearly international contest of high school writers. You may enter up to two works (in separate files) in each Creative Nonfiction and Fiction category. You may enter up to two files in the Poetry category, but each can have 1-5 poems. You can submit up to six files (two in each category). You cannot upload three or more files in the same category.
Competition time: N/A
Suitable for students: Open to students in grades 9-12 worldwide
Competition Introduction: River of Words Poetry and Art Contest is a free, international youth poetry and art contest — the largest in the world — that inspires children ages 5 to 19 to translate their observations into creative expression. River of Words® (ROW) is a program of The Center for Environmental Literacy and a part of the Kalmanovitz School of Education, at Saint Mary’s College of California.
Competition deadline: January 31, 2026
Suitable for students: K through 12th-grade students, ages 5-20. Students must be enrolled in school to be eligible. All entries must be submitted by a parent, guardian, educator, or facilitator unless the student is 18 years old or older.
Guide to River of Words Competition for Student Artists and Poets.
Competition Introduction: The Harvard Undergraduate Economics Association (HUEA) is organizing its flagship Harvard International Economics Essay Contest in collaboration with the Harvard College Economics Review. HIEEC allows students to demonstrate an accomplished level of writing and understanding of economic theory. Students hone their academic and professional skills through the contest and exhibit their knowledge.
Competition deadline: January 5, 2026
Suitable for students: Students in grades 9 to 12
Exclusive Guide to Harvard International Economics Essay Competition (HIEEC)
Competition Introduction: The annual DNA Day Essay Contest is hosted by the American Society of Human Genetics, supporting National DNA Day. DNA Day commemorates the completion of the Human Genome Project in April 2003 and the discovery of the double helix of DNA in 1953. In celebration of DNA Day, the American Society of Human Genetics hosts the Annual DNA Day Essay Contest.
Competition deadline: March 4, 2026
Suitable for students: Open to students in grades 9-12 worldwide. Parents may submit essays if the student is home-schooled.
Competition Introduction: What does the future hold for young people around the world? With daily news of climate change, inequality and injustice, it can seem overwhelming. But when we tell new stories about the future, they inspire us to act in ways that can change everything. The Earth4All Stories of the Future challenge invites young people to imagine a world where we have taken bold collective action on global challenges. The judging panel includes Owen Gaffney from the Nobel Prize organization.
Submission Requirements: Written entries should be no longer than 800 words. Videos should be under 1.5 minutes.
Competition Date: Submissions are open until July 19, 2026 in the following categories: 15 and under, 16-18, 19-21
Prizes: include 50 EUR in book vouchers, a book, and publication in a digital magazine.
85% of Aralia Students Place in Top Writing Competitions
Competition Introduction: The World Historian Student Essay Competition is an international competition for students who are enrolled in grades K-12. Winners will receive a $500 prize and a one-year WHA membership. Participants will submit an essay addressing one of the following topics and discuss how it relates to you personally and to World History: Your view of a family story related to a historical event or your personal family cultural background, or an issue of personal relevance or specific regional history/knowledge, such as “My ancestor walked with Abraham Lincoln from Illinois to fight in the Black Hawk War of 1832.”
Competition date: May 1 every year
Suitable for students: Young writers in grades K-12.
Competition Introduction: The Ayn Rand Institute Essay Contests are created by the Ayn Rand organization in memory of this great novelist. The contests motivate students to engage deeply with Rand’s ideas by reflecting on her novels’ profound and influential themes. Students who participate in the contest must read their chosen book meticulously, tackle its intricate concepts, and extend the limits of their writing abilities. The aim is to foster in students a profound admiration for Rand’s literary works and pique their curiosity about the underlying philosophy.
Competition deadline:
- The Fountainhead: April 30, 2026
- Atlas Shrugged: April 30, 2026
Suitable for students: Students from grades 8 to 12 from around the world are welcome to apply.
Competition Introduction: Young Reporters for the Environment Competition is operated by the Foundation for Environmental Education. YRE gives young people aged 11-25 a platform to research environmental issues and promote solutions through investigative reporting, photography, and video journalism. Competition Structure: There are three ways to participate in the YRE International Competition: General YRE International Competition, Litter Less Campaign Competition, and International Collaboration
Competition date: June, 2026
Suitable for students: Three age categories in the International Competition: 11-14, 15-18, and 19-25
Competition Introduction: The New York Times invited students to write public-facing letters to people or groups about issues that matter to them. The letter should focus on a topic that matters to students, address a specific audience relevant to the issue, and call for action.
Competition date: February 25 to April 8, 2026
Suitable for students: You must be a student ages 13 to 19 in middle or high school to participate. All students must have permission from their parents or guardians to enter.
Competition Introduction: JASNA (Jane Austen Society of North America) conducts an annual student Essay Contest to foster the study and appreciation of Jane Austen’s works in new generations of readers.
Competition date: June 1, 2026
Suitable for students: Students and home-schooled students enrolled at the high school level during the contest year
Competition Introduction: The Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest is created by Winning Writers, the organization finding and creating quality resources for poets and writers. Winning Writers is among the “101 Best Websites for Writers” (Writer’s Digest, 2015-2019). The judges are Soma Mei Sheng Frazier, the winner of CutBank’s 2018 contest, released in 2019, and Michal Jones, Pushcart Prize-nominated poet, and parent in Oakland, California.
Competition date: April 15 – October 1, 2026
Suitable for students: No restriction on the age of the author. All countries eligible except Syria, Iran, North Korea, and Crimea (due to US government restrictions)
17. Marshall Society Essay Competition
Competition Introduction: Established in 1927, the Marshall Society is the Economics Society of the University of Cambridge. The competition invites pre-university students to write a convincing and well-structured essay related to economic theories.
Competition date: August 30, 2026
Suitable for students: Pre-university students around the world
Competition Introduction: Bennington College Young Writers Awards are created by Bennington College to promote excellence in writing at the high school level and to recognize outstanding writing achievement by high school students. The competition runs annually from September 1 to November 1. Over 5,000 students submitted poetry, fiction, and nonfiction to the Young Writers Awards competition each year. Each year, students in the 9th-12th grades are invited to enter one of the following categories with the following submission:
Poetry: A group of three poems
Fiction: A short story (1,500 words or fewer) or one-act play (run no more than 30 minutes of playing time)
Nonfiction: A personal or academic essay (1,500 words or fewer)
Competition date: September 1 to November 1
Suitable for students: 9th-12th grades, welcome submissions from both US and international students.
Complete Guide to the Bennington College Young Writers Awards.
Competition Introduction: In Profile in Courage, John F. Kennedy tells the stories of eight U.S. senators who risked their careers to do the right thing for their country. These leaders demonstrated political courage by standing up for the public good despite pressure from interest groups, political parties, and even constituents. The JFK Courage Essay Contest asks students to write an original and creative essay demonstrating an understanding of the political courage described in John F. Kennedy’s Profiles in Courage.
Competition deadline: January 12, 2026
Suitable for students: High school students in the United States and its territories in grades 9-12
20. New York Times 100-Word Tiny Memoir Contest
Competition Introduction: The New York Times invites all junior and senior high school students to write a memoir in fewer than 100 words that is very meaningful to each person. This can be a special situation, a scene, or a meaningful event. New York Times hopes to hear unique stories from the young writers in their own words. The judges hope to see how the young authors solve a problem in this short story and see the larger meaning behind the story.
Competition date: September 16 – October 28, 2026
Suitable for students: 13-19-year-old students from all over the world;
- Students aged 13-15 can submit via the form in the link to the weekly article, subject to parent or guardian consent;
- Students aged 16-19 can directly submit their comments in the weekly articles.
Competition Introduction: The SPJ/JEA High School Essay Contest is a joint initiative of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) and the Journalism Education Association (JEA). The contest is open to high school students in the United States and is designed to promote the importance of journalism and the free press.
The contest is held annually, and students can submit essays responding to specific prompts. The essays are judged by a panel of journalists, media educators, and other media professionals, who evaluate them based on their clarity, organization, and adherence to the contest theme.
Competition deadline: February 22, 2026
Suitable for students: All students enrolled in grades 9-12 in U.S. public, private, and home schools within the United States
Competition Introduction: The Concord Review (TCR) is an academic journal dedicated to publishing historical research papers of high school students in English. With the spring issue, the quarterly journal has published 1,362 research papers from authors in 46 states and 41 countries. Many of the authors of TCR have gone to prestigious universities and colleges across the US and around the world.
Competition date: Summer: February 1. Fall: May 1. Winter: August 1. Spring issue: November 1.
Suitable for students: Students must complete the paper before finishing secondary school, and you have not yet enrolled in a college or university.
Competition Introduction: Founded in 1998, the Foyle Young Poets Competition is a highly regarded global contest that attracts thousands of entries annually from aspiring poets around the globe. The competition is free to enter and allows young writers to showcase their work, gain recognition for their talents, and receive support and guidance from established poets. Many previous winners have succeeded in the literary world, becoming published authors and receiving numerous accolades for their work.
Competition date: July 31, 2026
Suitable for students: Everyone aged between 11-17.
In 2025, the nation’s art and writing contest (Scholastic Art & Writing Awards) announced their winners. Excitingly, Aralia students received a total of 137 awards, which consisted of 40 Gold Key Awards, 36 Silver Key Awards, and 56 Honorable Mentions! More information about the awards can be found here.
| Gold Key Award | Silver Key Award | Honorable Mentions |
| 40 | 36 | 56 |
In order to achieve these great results, most of the award-winning students have participated in the writing competition preparation program with the instruction and leadership of Aralia’s famous writing teachers. Aralia’s teachers are inspired teachers and professors who are committed to student success. They are recognized in their field or are currently teaching at top high schools and colleges/universities in the US.
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