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. Each year, over 5,000 students submitted poetry, fiction, and nonfiction to the Young Writers Awards competition. Each year, students in the 9th-12th grades are invited to enter in 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 Category: Students can register for 3 categories: Poetry, Fiction, and Nonfiction
Entry Fee: FREE
Competition Awards: First-place winners in each category are awarded a prize of $1,000; second-place winners receive $500; third-place winners receive $250. Besides cash prizes, students will also receive scholarships to Bennington College for 4 years of undergraduate, the finalists will receive $40,000 and winners will receive $60,000 scholarships at Bennington for four years.
Competition Website: For general information about the university and the competition, click here.
Eligibility
9th-12th grades, welcome submissions from both US and international students.
Submission deadline
November 1
