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Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest
Students > Essay Contests > Atlas Shrugged
✓ Open to all high school, college, and graduate students worldwide.
Annual Grand Prize
Dec. 27, 2024
Winter Entry Deadline
Book Length
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Fill out the contact form below, and we’ll email you with more information about this year’s contest—including instructions on how to enter.
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What is Atlas Shrugged?
The astounding story of a man who said that he would stop the motor of the world—and did.
Tremendous in scope, breathtaking in its suspense, Atlas Shrugged is unlike any other book you have ever read. It is a mystery story, not about the murder of a man’s body, but about the murder—and rebirth—of man’s spirit.
How It Works
Every three months there is a new seasonal entry round, with its own unique essay prompt. You may compete in any or all of these entry rounds.
The top three essays from each season will be awarded a cash prize. The first-place essay from each season will advance to compete for the annual grand prize.
The first-place essay from each season will be eligible to contend for the annual first-place title, with the opportunity to secure a grand prize of $25,000.
Challenging Essay Topics
Each entry round features a unique topic designed to provoke a deeper understanding of the book’s central themes and characters.
Essays must be written in English only and be between 800 and 1,600 words in length.
Questions? Write to us at [email protected] .
- Summer Prompt
- Fall Prompt
- Winter Prompt
Over the course of the novel, Hank Rearden struggles to resolve a dramatic internal conflict. What are the conflicting premises or ideas in his soul, and how does he eventually resolve this conflict? In what way does Rearden’s conflict represent the conflict within the best of American businessmen, and a central conflict in American culture? Judging from how Rearden resolves his conflict, how do you think the author might propose resolving the cultural conflict?
The story of the Twentieth Century Motor Company is about how a private business and its employees voluntarily decide to adopt a supposedly moral plan. What are the ideas, especially the moral ideas, that lead to the company’s destruction? How can we see these ideas at work in business, culture, or politics today? Explain how you think their consequences will be similar to, and/or different from those suffered by the Twentieth Century Motor Company.
Grand Prize
Master our grading standards.
Essays are judged on whether the student is able to justify and argue for his or her view, not on whether the Institute agrees with the view the student expresses.
Our graders look for writing that is clear, articulate, and logically organized. Essays should stay on topic, address all parts of the selected prompt, and interrelate the ideas and events in the novel.
Winning essays must demonstrate an outstanding grasp of the philosophic meaning of Atlas Shrugged .
Organization
Understanding, contest timeline, discover the power of atlas shrugged.
Atlas Shrugged is a mystery novel like no other. You enter a world where scientists, entrepreneurs, artists, and inventors are inexplicably vanishing—where the world is crumbling.
And what you discover, by the end, is an uplifting vision of life, an inspiring cast of heroes, and a challenging new way to think about life’s most important issues.
Learn more and request a free digital copy of the book today.
Learn from Past Winners
Curious to know what makes for a winning essay in the Atlas Shrugged contest? Check out some of the essays written by our most recent grand-prize winners.
To varying degrees, they all display an excellent grasp of the philosophic meaning of Atlas Shrugged .
Click here to see the full list of 2022 contest winners.
Jacob Fisher
Graduate Student
Stanford University
Stanford, California
United States
Mariah Williams
Regis University
Denver, Colorado
Nathaniel Shippee
University of Illinois
Chicago, Illinois
Samuel Weaver
St. John’s College
Annapolis, Maryland
Patrick Mayles
Graduate student
Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Christina Jeong
College Student
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana
Improve Your Writing Skills
Other than endorsing perfect punctuation and grammar in English, the Ayn Rand Institute offers no advice or feedback for essays submitted to its contests. However, we do recommend the following resources as ways to improve the content of your essays.
The Atlas Project
Writing: a mini-course.
Sign Up for Contest Updates!
Want to stay up-to-date on any new developments to the contest? Sign up to our email list below.
We’ll send you periodic reminders about the contest deadlines, as well as helpful resources to ensure you get the most out of your experience reading and writing about Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged .
Great! Let's get you a copy of the book.
Atlas Shrugged is a mystery novel like no other. You enter a world where scientists, entrepreneurs, artists, and inventors are inexplicably vanishing—where the world is crumbling.
What you discover, by the end, is an uplifting vision of life, an inspiring cast of heroes, and a challenging new way to think about life’s most important issues.
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We've received your request for a free copy of Atlas Shrugged and will be emailing you details on how you can access it shortly. In the meantime, are you ready to begin the entry process?
Please enter your password below, either to create a new account or to sign in to your existing account for the contest. Once you're logged in to your account, you'll be able to save your entry progress and return later to complete it.
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Now that you've logged in to your account, let's get you started on your entry for the contest. It's OK if you haven't finished reading the book or writing your essay yet. We'll save your progress for you to continue later.
Then, when you're ready to submit your essay, just return to our platform. Your saved entry will be right where you left off. So, why wait? Take the first step, and start your entry today.
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The Best Student Writing Contests for 2024-2025
Help your students take their writing to the next level.
When students write for teachers, it can feel like an assignment. When they write for a real purpose, they are empowered! Student writing contests are a challenging and inspiring way to try writing for an authentic audience— a real panel of judges —and the possibility of prize money or other incentives. We’ve gathered a list of the best student writing contests, and there’s something here for everyone. Prepare highly motivated kids in need of an authentic writing mentor, and watch the words flow.
2024-2025 Student Writing Contests
1. the scholastic art & writing awards.
With a wide range of categories—from critical essays to science fiction and fantasy—the Scholastic Awards are a mainstay of student contests. Each category has its own rules and word counts, so be sure to check out the options before you decide which one is best for your students.
How To Enter
Students in grades 7 to 12, ages 13 and up, may begin submitting work in September by uploading to an online account at Scholastic and connecting to their local region. Entry fees are waived for students in need.
2. YoungArts National Arts Competition
YoungArts offers an annual national competition in the categories of creative nonfiction, novel, play or script, poetry, short story, and spoken word. Student winners may receive awards of up to $10,000 as well as the chance to participate in artistic development with leaders in their fields.
Check out the site for guidelines on writing modes, such as short stories and spoken word poetry, and sign up for updates so you’re ready when the applications open.
FEATURED PICK
3. The Edit
The Edit is a digital storytelling challenge from NBCU Academy and Adobe. Your middle or high school students will build critical communication and collaboration skills as they plan, script, and produce their own 90-second video news reports on wellness topics. Winning classrooms will be rewarded with prizes like GoPros, Fandango gift cards, and more!
It’s free to enter. All submissions must be received by March 3, 2025.
4. Write the World Competitions
Not only is Write the World one of my favorite places to find writing resources, but it also hosts free monthly contests with cash prizes. There are also opportunities for feedback, and lots of ideas to help students get started.
With a student account, young writers draft and submit their work on the website. ADVERTISEMENT
5. National Youth Foundation Programs
Each year, awards are given for Student Book Scholars, Amazing Women, and the “I Matter” Poetry & Art competition. This is a great chance for kids to express themselves with joy and strength.
The rules, prizes, and deadlines vary, so check out the website for more info.
6. American Foreign Service National High School Essay Contest
If you’re looking to help students take a deep dive into international relations, history, and writing, look no further than this essay contest. Winners receive a voyage with the Semester at Sea program and a trip to Washington, D.C.
Students fill out a registration form online, and a teacher or sponsor is required. The deadline to enter is March 1, 2025.
7. Poets.org’s Annual Dear Poet Contest
Each year during National Poetry Month in April, students can write letters to famous poets in response to their work. In this interactive contest, all submissions receive a general letter and certificate, and winners receive a personalized response from the poet they wrote to. It’s a great way to #TeachLivingPoets, and kids get to ask questions about the creative process.
Return to the site in April to find the forms for submitting letters. A guardian or teacher must also provide a letter so the submissions can be published.
8. John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest
This annual contest invites students to write about an elected official’s act of political courage that occurred anytime after 1917, the year Kennedy was born. The winner receives $10,000, and 16 runners-up also receive a variety of cash prizes.
Students may submit a 700- to 1,000-word essay through January 12. The essay must feature more than five sources and a full bibliography.
9. WriteCause Competitions
These free quarterly contests accept a variety of written submissions, each based on a different quarterly theme. WriteCause also provides research links so students can learn about the topics before writing. Open to kids ages 13 to 18.
Check out the Compete link for contest information each quarter, and use the online submission form.
10. The Princeton Ten-Minute Play Contest
Looking for student writing contests for budding playwrights? This exclusive competition, which is open only to high school juniors, is judged by the theater faculty of Princeton University. Students submit short plays in an effort to win recognition and cash prizes of up to $500. (Note: Only open to 11th graders.)
Students submit one 10-page play script online or by mail. The deadline will be announced later this year.
11. Princeton University Poetry Contest for High School Students
The Leonard L. Milberg ’53 High School Poetry Prize recognizes outstanding work by student writers in 11th grade. Prizes range from $100 to $500.
Students in 11th grade can submit their poetry. Contest details will be published this fall.
12. The New York Times Tiny Memoir Contest
This contest is also a wonderful writing challenge, and the New York Times includes lots of resources and models for students to be able to do their best work. They’ve even made a classroom poster !
Submissions need to be made electronically by November 1.
13. The New York Times Contest Calendar
For students who want to extend beyond 100-word memoirs, the New York Times also provides competitive opportunities in areas including photography, opinion pieces, and podcasting.
Find an area that students are interested in and check out the rules and deadlines.
14. The Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers
The Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers is open to high school sophomores and juniors, and the winner receives a full scholarship to a Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop .
Submissions for the prize are accepted electronically from November 1 through November 30.
15. Jane Austen Society Essay Contest
High school students can win up to $1,000 and publication by entering an essay on a topic specified by the Jane Austen Society related to a Jane Austen novel.
Details for the 2024 contest will be announced in November. Essay length is from six to eight pages, not including works cited.
16. Rattle Young Poets Anthology
Open to students from 15 to 18 years old who are interested in publication and exposure over monetary awards.
Teachers may choose up to five students to submit up to four poems each on their behalf. The deadline is November 15.
17. The Black River Chapbook Competition
This is a chance for new and emerging writers to gain publication in their own professionally published chapbook, as well as $500 and free copies of the book.
There is an $18 entry fee, and submissions are made online.
18. YouthPlays New Voices
Young writers under 18 create new one-act plays for the stage. Winners receive cash awards and publication.
Scroll all the way down their web page for information on the contest, which accepts non-musical plays between 10 and 40 minutes long, submitted electronically. The entry period opens each year in January.
19. The Ocean Awareness Contest
The theme for the 2025 Ocean Awareness Contest is “Connections to Nature: Looking Inside, Going Outside.” Students are eligible for a wide range of monetary prizes up to $1,000.
Students from 11 to 18 years old may submit work in the categories of art, creative writing, poetry and spoken word, film, interactive media and multimedia, or music and dance, accompanied by a reflection. The deadline is June 13.
20. EngineerGirl Annual Writing Contest
Each year, EngineerGirl sponsors an essay contest with topics centered on the impact of engineering on the world, and students can win up to $500 in prize money. This contest is a nice bridge between ELA and STEM and great for teachers interested in incorporating an interdisciplinary project into their curriculum. The new contest asks for pieces describing the life cycle of an everyday object. Check out these tips for integrating the content into your classroom .
Students submit their work electronically by February 1. Check out the full list of rules and requirements here .
21. NCTE Student Writing Awards
The National Council of Teachers of English offers several student writing awards, including Achievement Awards in Writing (for 10th- and 11th-grade students), Promising Young Writers (for 8th-grade students), and an award to recognize Excellence in Art and Literary Magazines.
Deadlines range from October 28 to February 15. Check out NCTE.org for more details.
22. Narrative High School Writing Contest
The prompt for Narrative’s 10th Annual Writing Contest is “What I Cannot Say, I’ll Say Here.” Stories are limited to 600 words, and kids can also enter poems of no more than 50 lines. The website also provides different ideas and insights to help students approach the prompt.
Students in grades 9 through 12 submit their work through their teacher, who may submit up to 10 pieces.
23. US vs HATE Contests
Engage social media-savvy students with this creative contest that seeks messages of kindness, inclusivity, and bridge-building.
Check the website for an informational poster as well as guidelines and ideas about how students can submit their work.
24. National PTA Reflections Awards
The National PTA offers a variety of awards, including one for literature, in their annual Reflections Contest. Students of all ages can submit entries on the specified topic to their local PTA Reflections program. From there, winners move to the local area, state, and national levels. National-level awards include an $800 prize and a trip to the National PTA Convention.
This program requires submitting to PTAs who participate in the program. Check your school’s PTA for their deadlines.
25. World Historian Student Essay Competition
The World Historian Student Essay Competition is an international contest open to students enrolled in grades K through 12 in public, private, and parochial schools, as well as those in home-study programs. The $500 prize is based on an essay that addresses one of this year’s two prompts.
Students can submit entries via email or regular mail before May 1.
26. Future Scholar Foundation Short Story Contest
Monthly contests, each with different themes, offer Amazon gift cards and publication as awards. It’s open to elementary and middle school students.
Check the site each month for the new theme. Submissions are due on the 28th.
For more articles like this, subscribe to our newsletters to find out when they’re posted!
Plus, check out our favorite anchor charts for teaching writing..
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Writing Contests, Grants & Awards
- See Recent Winners
- View the Submission Calendar
The Writing Contests, Grants & Awards database includes details about the creative writing contests—including poetry contests, short story competitions, essay contests, awards for novels, and more—that we’ve published in Poets & Writers Magazine during the past year. We carefully review the practices and policies of each contest before including it. Ours is the most trusted resource for legitimate writing contests available anywhere.
Friends of American Writers
Literature awards.
A prize of $2,500 is given annually for a book of fiction or creative nonfiction published during the current year that is set in the Midwest or by a writer who is a resident...
Story Foundation Prize
A prize of $1,500 and publication in Story is given annually for a short story. Using only the online submission system, submit a story of up to 10,000 words with a $...
Narratively
Memoir prize.
A prize of $3,000 and publication in Narratively will be given annually for a short work of memoir written in the first person. Two runners-up prizes of $1,000 each...
Center for Book Arts
Poetry chapbook contest.
A prize of $500 and letterpress publication by the Center for Book Arts is given annually for a poetry chapbook. The winner also receives 10 copies of their chapbook, an...
Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry
Griffin poetry prize.
A prize of $130,000 Canadian (approximately $95,542) is given annually for a poetry collection published during the current year and written in, or translated into, English....
Canadian First Book Prize
A prize of $10,000 Canadian (approximately $7,349) is awarded for a debut poetry collection by a living Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada published during the...
Codhill Press
Pauline uchmanowicz poetry award.
A prize of $1,000, publication by Codhill Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. James Sherwood will judge. Submit a manuscript of 48 to 70...
Virginia Commonwealth University
Cabell first novelist award.
A prize of $5,000 is given annually for a debut novel published during the current year. The winner is also provided money for the cost of travel and lodging to attend the...
Michigan Quarterly Review
Laurence goldstein prize in poetry.
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Michigan Quarterly Review is given annually for a single poem. Cyrus Cassells will judge. Using only the online submission system...
Poetry Society of America
Alice fay di castagnola award.
A prize of $1,000 and publication on the Poetry Society of America website is given annually for poetry from a manuscript-in-progress. Using only the online submission system,...
Four Quartets Prize
A prize of $20,000 is given annually for a unified and complete sequence of poems published in the United States in a print or online journal, a chapbook, or a book during the...
Robert H. Winner Memorial Award
A prize of $2,500 and publication on the Poetry Society of America website is given annually to a poet over 40 who has published no more than one poetry collection. Using only...
Poetry Prize
A prize of €6,000 (approximately $6,605) is given annually for a single poem. Three runners-up prizes of €1,000 (approximately $1,101) each are also given. The four shortlisted...
Tupelo Press
Dorset prize.
A prize of $3,000, publication by Tupelo Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. The winner also receives a two-week residency at Gentle House in...
Short Fiction Contest for Emerging Writers
A prize of $1,500 and publication in Boulevard is given annually for a short story by a writer who has not published a nationally distributed book. The editors will...
Baton Rouge Area Foundation
Ernest j. gaines award for literary excellence.
A prize of $15,000 is given annually to an emerging African American writer for a book of fiction published in the current year. The winner is also provided money for the cost...
Ohio University Press
Hollis summers poetry prize.
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Ohio University Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Natalie Shapero will judge. Using only the online submission system,...
Lascaux Review
Lascaux prize in short fiction.
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Lascaux Review is given annually for a short story. Previously published and unpublished stories are eligible. The editors will...
Award for Short Fiction
A prize of $1,000, publication by Press 53, and 53 author copies is given annually for a story collection. Claire V. Foxx will judge. Submit a manuscript of 100 to 250 pages...
Tampa Review
Danahy fiction prize.
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Tampa Review is given annually for a short story. Using only the online submission system, submit a story of 500 to 5,000 words...
Action, Spectacle
Prose & poetry chapbook contest.
A prize of $1,000, publication by Action, Spectacle, and 25 author copies will be given annually for a chapbook of poetry, prose, or hybrid-genre work. Using only the online...
American Library Association
W.y. boyd literary award.
A prize of $5,000 is given annually for a novel published in the current year that is set in a period when the United States was at war. Publishers or authors may submit seven...
Jesmyn Ward Prize in Fiction
A prize of $2,000 and publication in Michigan Quarterly Review is given annually for a short story. Ghassan Zeineddine will judge. Using only the online submission...
Before Columbus Foundation
American book awards.
Awards are given annually for books published in the United States during the current year to recognize “outstanding literary achievement from the entire spectrum of America’s...
Virginia Woolf Award for Short Fiction
A prize of $2,500 and publication in LitMag is given annually for a short story. The winner will also have their work reviewed by agents Lisa Bankoff (Bankoff...
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Our 2024-25 Student Contest Calendar
Ten challenges that invite teenagers to engage, experiment, reflect and create — via writing, photography, audio, video and more.
By The Learning Network
Our annual Contest Calendar is probably the single most powerful thing we publish all year. Teachers tell us they plan their classes around our challenges, and tens of thousands of teenagers around the globe participate by creating narratives, reviews, videos, opinion pieces, podcasts, illustrations, photo essays and more.
For us, these contests are an honor and a joy to host. We love learning from young people — about what moves them and makes them mad, what intrigues and confuses and delights and defines them.
This year, we are bringing back some recent and longtime favorites, as well as introducing a few new challenges.
To begin, we have two options this fall in response to the U.S. election, though students around the globe are welcome. In September, we open with a series of special forums that invite teenagers to have thoughtful conversations about their civic and political identities, values and beliefs. Then, if they choose, they can work alone or with others to make something in response — whether in writing, video, audio or visual art.
In the spring, we’re offering “My List,” a twist on our long-running review contest. This time, students can choose any collection of three to five works of art or culture to group in some way and then tell us why we should — or shouldn’t — check them out.
We’ll be posting the full rules and guidelines for each contest here when it opens. but for now you can look at the related resources we’ve provided, as well as last year’s rules, which will largely remain the same for our returning contests. And don’t forget we have a full yearlong writing curriculum to help support this work.
As always, we hope these contests encourage students to try different ways of thinking and creating, experimenting with both what they want to say and how they want to say it.
If you need some encouragement to participate, we recommend three pieces. Students might start with “ ‘I Was Enough’: How I Stopped Trying to Sound Smart and Found My Genuine Writing Voice ,” by a teenager who reflects on how our competitions have helped her grow. If you are an educator, our reader-submitted “ 10 Reasons to Send Student Work Out Into the World ” might be compelling, as might this essay , published on EdSurge by a teacher in a career and technical education program who uses our contests to help design learning around “authentic issues, problems and ideas.”
To download a PDF version of this contest calendar, click here . Questions? Scroll to the bottom of this post to learn more, write to us at [email protected] or post a comment here.
New! Election 2024 Student Conversation Forum
Reflect on your civic and political values, beliefs and identity and share your perspectives on current issues by participating in our special discussion forums for teenagers.
Run much like our 2020 Civil Conversation Challenge , these forums are accessible ways to help students from around the country and the world have rich discussions about important issues.
Here are the rules and guidelines for this year’s Student Conversation Forum . The five themes, along with dates when each forum will open for comment, are:
Forum 1 | Identity: Who are you, and how does that identity inform your political beliefs and values? (Open)
Forum 2 | Conversations Across Divides: What experiences have you had in talking to those who may not agree with you — whether in school, with friends and family, or online? What has been helpful? What has been hard? Why do these conversations matter? (Open)
Forum 3 | The Issues: What issues matter to you most? How do they connect to your life and the lives of those you care about? (Open)
Forum 4 | Information and Disinformation: Where do you get your information about current events? How do you think these sources affect your understanding of our world? (Open)
Forum 5 | Hope for the Future: What are you optimistic about? What might your generation do better than those that came before it? (Open)
Oct. 2-Nov. 4
New! Coming of Age in 2024: A Multimedia Contest
Choose any of the questions that we’ve posed in the Election 2024 Student Conversation Forum (see above) and make something in response — whether in writing, visual art, video or audio. You can work alone or with others, and you can create almost anything you like.
For instance, you could make …
A poem, a narrative essay or a comic about who you are and how that affects your political beliefs
A podcast, a video or a play about having conversations with those who think differently from you about an issue — or a list of tips for how to have those conversations productively
An opinion essay, a drawing or a song about an issue you care about
An infographic, a diary entry or a video about the news and political information you consume and how it affects you
A photograph, a letter or a collage that expresses what you’re hopeful about
Here are the rules and guidelines , and here is a guide that includes four steps to figuring out what you want to say and how you would like to say it, with inspiration from 31 teen-created works across genres.
Nov. 6-Dec. 4, 2024
My Tiny Memoir: Our 100-Word Personal Narrative Contest
What story from your life can you tell in just 100 words? Based on the storytelling form popularized by Modern Love’s Tiny Love Stories , we invite you to write a miniature personal narrative about a meaningful life experience.
Here are the rules and guidelines. For more inspiration, read the work of last year’s winners , or follow this step-by-step guide for participating .
Dec. 4, 2024-Jan. 15, 2025
Where We Are: Photo Essays About Community
Inspired by the immersive New York Times series Where We Are , which focuses on young people and the spaces where they create community, we invite students to work alone or with others to make photo essays about the communities that interest them.
You can document any kind of offline community you like and feature people of any age. Then tell us about it by sending six to eight images with captions and a short introduction.
Here are the rules and guidelines. For more inspiration, see the work of last year’s winners , or follow this step-by-step guide for participating .
Jan. 15-Feb. 12, 2025
New! My List: A Different Kind of Review Contest
Three Novels That Have Great Teenage Characters Four Sci-Fi Movies That Even People Who Hate Sci-Fi Will Love The Five Worst Fast Food Sandwiches
Choose any collection of three to five works of art or culture to group in some way, and then tell us, in 600 words or fewer, why we should — or shouldn’t — check them out.
You can work alone or with others and can make lists about any category of creative expression The Times covers, whether books, movies, restaurants, albums, theatrical productions, video games, dances, TV shows, architecture or art exhibitions. More details to come, but for now check out Times collections like this one (about Star Wars) or this one (about new songs) to get the idea.
Feb. 12-March 12, 2025
‘ How to …’: An Informational Writing Contest
Following the example of the long-running Tip column from The New York Times Magazine, write a short description of how to do (almost) any task in 400 words or fewer.
As long as your topic is appropriate for a family newspaper, you can explain whatever you like, including tasks that Tip has already taken on. But you must find, interview and quote one expert on the subject throughout your piece.
Here are the rules and guidelines. For more inspiration, read the work of last year’s winners , or follow this step-by-step guide for participating.
March 12-April 16, 2025
Open Letters: Our Opinion Writing Contest
What bothers you? Who could do something about it?
In the tradition of Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail and the open letters you can find in the Opinion section of The New York Times, we invite you to write a letter of protest or appeal, in 500 words or fewer, to a person or group who can make a change on an issue that matters to you. While your letter should address a specific audience, its real purpose is to be read by — and to influence — the general public.
April 16-May 14, 2025
Audio Stories: Our Podcast Contest
Make an original podcast of five minutes or less that informs or entertains listeners. You can create a podcast on any topic you like in any format you like, whether that’s an interview with an expert, an informal conversation with a friend, a journalistic investigation, a fictional story or anything else you can think of.
Here are the rules and guidelines. For inspiration, listen to the work of past winners and visit the related writing unit .
June 6-Aug. 15, 2025
Voice and Choice: Our Summer Reading Contest
Every week for 10 weeks during the summer we’ll be asking: What got your attention in The Times, and why? Each week students can enter by submitting a short written response — or they can make a video up to 90 seconds long.
Here are last year’s rules and guidelines . For inspiration, read the work of past winners and visit the related writing unit .
All School Year
Our Conversation Challenge for Weekly Current Events
We invite students to react to the news via our daily writing prompts , and each week, we publish a selection of their comments in a roundup for the world to read . We will also give a shout-out to new schools that join the conversation.
A Few More Details About Our Contests
Why do we run so many contests? We believe in student voice. We want young people to be active content creators, not just consumers. And we’re proud to offer places where they can create for an authentic audience of students, teachers, parents and other readers from around the world.
Here are more details:
On the day each contest begins, we will add a link here, on this page, to the contest announcement so students can submit entries. We will also link to all related materials as they are published.
The work students send us is always considered by our staff and other experts , including Times journalists, as well as educators from partner organizations or professional practitioners in a related field. Judging for our contests is blind. That means we see only the entries themselves, not student names or schools, when we make our decisions.
We announce finalists about two months after a contest has closed and winners get their work published on The Learning Network. We usually celebrate dozens of winners, runners-up and honorable mentions each time.
Students’ entries must be original and fundamentally their own. They must not be plagiarized, written by someone else or generated by artificial intelligence. They also should not have been published elsewhere at the time of submission, including in a school newspaper, on a radio station’s website or in a literary magazine.
Anyone who submits to our contests retains the copyright for the work, even after we publish it.
Students can enter as many contests as they want, but they can submit only one entry per contest. Our Summer Reading Contest, however, offers a fresh opportunity to submit each week for 10 weeks.
Entries for most contests must be accompanied by a statement describing your process. We are interested in how you made what you made, and your comments help us improve our offerings.
All of our contests are open to students around the world ages 13 to 19 who are in middle school or high school. Age is determined by the student’s age at the time of submission. College students cannot submit entries. However, high school students (including high school postgraduate students) who are taking one or more college classes can participate. Students attending their first year of a two-year CEGEP in Quebec can also participate. In addition, students ages 19 or under who have completed high school but are taking a gap year or are otherwise not enrolled in college can participate. Note: The children and stepchildren of New York Times employees are not eligible to enter these contests, nor are students who live in the same household as those employees.
Want to make sure you never miss a contest announcement? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter , or follow us on Facebook .
We can’t wait to see what you’ll create this year!
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Best Writing Scholarships in 2024
Showing 133 scholarships that match your search.
Unigo $10k Scholarship
The Unigo $10K Scholarship aims to help improve your education by offering a $10,000 prize to use towards school. "Would you rather be smart, funny or rich? Why?" In 250 words or less, submit an online written response to the question. Applicants must be 14 years of age or older and reside in the United States.
Categories: Short Fiction
Organization: Unigo
Deadline: December 31, 2024
Recipients: 1
Top award: $10,000
Apply now →
Delete Cyberbullying Scholarship Award
In an effort to get students committed to the cause of deleting cyberbullying, we are offering the Delete Cyberbullying Scholarship Award for high school, college and graduate student — a $1,000 scholarship to help cover educational expenses. To apply, write a short essay answering one of the following questions: "Why is it important to work to delete cyberbullying?" or "How has cyberbullying personally affected you?"
Categories: Personal Essay
Organization: Delete Cyberbullying
Top award: $1,000
WCF Scholarship for Student Research
The Willa Cather Foundation supports emerging scholars who increase our understanding and appreciation of the life and work of Willa Cather. As a part of this effort, we have designated three $400 annual scholarships to support upper-level students presenting original Cather research at non-Cather specific conferences. Applicants should submit their application at least four weeks prior to the conference.
Categories: Research
Organization: Willa Cather Foundation
Deadline: January 01, 2025
Recipients: 3
Top award: $400
The Walt Disney Company UNCF Corporate Scholars Program
The Walt Disney Company UNCF Corporate Scholars Program aims to help create a diverse pipeline of college-educated professionals poised to assume fulfilling off-camera careers in entertainment, and to help increase the number of underrepresented minorities employed in the entertainment industry. Please note applications submitted for this program will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Organization: UNCF
Additional awards: Multiple awards of varying amounts will be given
Recipients: 100
Top award: $2,500
Unigo College Review Scholarship
Love your college? Hate it? Meh? Tell other students about your experience so they can make better decisions about college. You must currently attend (or have previously attended) the college that you review to be eligible.
Recipients: 5
Islamic Scholarship Fund Program
Students who are Muslim or active members of the Muslim community may apply for the Islamic Scholarship Fund. The ISF awards multiple scholarships each year ranging from $3,000-$10,000, though the amounts and number of recipients will vary. Students must submit applications including essay questions, work samples, and letters of recommendation, and must also be majoring in an ISF-supported field related to media or politics.
Organization: Islamic Scholarship Fund
Recipients: 10
Ursinus College Creative Writing Award
The Ursinus College Creative Writing Award is a $40,000 per year major scholarship for creative writers of outstanding originality and potential. The award winner will have the honor of living in the dorm room once occupied by J.D. Salinger, who attended Ursinus. In the spirit of Holden Caulfield and Catcher in the Rye, we are looking for an unusual perspective, for quirky brilliance, for a voice. Candidates must achieve admission to Ursinus.
Categories: Critical Essay, Nonfiction, Novel Writing, Personal Essay, Playwriting, Poetry, and Short Fiction
Organization: Ursinus College
Deadline: January 03, 2025
Top award: $40,000
Pride Foundation Scholarships
The Pride Foundation provides essential financial resources and community support to inspirational LGBTQ+ and allied student leaders across the Northwest. Applicants must be from Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, or Washington to be eligible. Applications open in October of each year and all 60+ scholarships may be applied for through the same application form.
Organization: Pride Foundation
Deadline: January 05, 2025
Helen Lansdowne Resor Scholarship
The Helen Lansdowne Resor Scholarship offers its awardees a $10,000 scholarship to put toward their education, an internship at Wunderman Thompson, and other mentorship and post-graduate opportunities. Any female undergraduate or postgraduate student with at least a year left of their studies is eligible. Applicants must submit personal statement, letters of recommendation, and 3-5 creative samples.
Categories: Personal Essay, Portfolio, Novel Writing, Poetry, and Short Fiction
Organization: Wunderman Thompson
Additional awards: Intership placement at Wunderman Thompson
RTDNA Scholarships
Since 1970, RTDNF has awarded more than $1 million in scholarships and fellowships to more than 500 young journalists. Scholarships are open to college students pursuing careers in radio, television, or digital journalism. To apply, students must complete an online form for each scholarship including their cover letter, resume, and 3-5 work samples.
Categories: Journalism
Organization: Radio Television Digital News Foundation
Deadline: January 11, 2025
Additional awards: Multiple awards of $1,000-$6,000 will be given
CIC/Anna Chennault Scholarship
The Anna Chennault Scholarship awards $5,000 to an Asian American graduate student pursuing journalism as a career. Candidates will be judged on academic and journalistic achievement, commitment to the field of journalism and sensitivity to AAPI issues. Applicants must produce a piece of concise and comprehensive journalism that provides unique context on a current geopolitical issue based on a prompt provided by CIC or AAJA.
Organization: Asian American Journalists Association
Deadline: January 16, 2025
Top award: $5,000
Mary Quon Moy Ing Memorial Scholarship
The Mary Quon Moy Ing Memorial Scholarship will award up to $2,000 to a graduating high school senior who will be attending a college or university to pursue a journalism career. A winner will be selected based on academic and journalistic achievement, financial need, commitment to journalism and/or sensitivity to AAPI issues. Applicants must submit a resume, brief personal statements, and optional work samples.
Categories: Journalism and Personal Essay
Top award: $2,000
Josephine de Karman Fellowship
The Josephine De Karman Fellowship Trust was established in 1954 by the late Dr. Theodore Von Karman in memory of his sister, Josephine. DeKarman fellowships are open to PhD students in any discipline, including international students, who are currently enrolled in a university located within the United States.
Organization: Josephine de Karman Fellowship Trust
Deadline: January 31, 2025
Recipients: 8
Top award: $25,000
Norma Ross Walter Scholarship
The purpose of the Norma Ross Walter Scholarship is to provide financial assistance to female graduates of Nebraska high schools who plan to enroll as English majors in accredited colleges or universities. Applicants must be female high school seniors who are prospective first year college students and plan to continue their education as English majors.
Categories: Critical Essay
Additional awards: $2,500 for second place, $2,000 for third place
Top award: $3,000
Deming Fund Grant
We award small artist support grants ($500 – $2,000) to individual feminist women in the arts who are citizens in the U.S and Canada. We welcome applications from women artists and writers who exhibit high quality and originality, use feminism as their central interpretive lens, and validate and express intersectional views.
Categories: Journalism, Personal Essay, Critical Essay, Short Fiction, Novel Writing, and Poetry
Organization: Barbara Deming Memorial Fund, Inc.
What are writing scholarships?
Writing scholarships are financial awards given to students based primarily on written work, though other factors are usually taken into consideration as well. Most writing scholarships involve a prompt or series of prompts to which applicants must respond. Some writing scholarships — especially those that award large amounts of money — require applicants to submit past writing samples, or even a full portfolio.
The good news is that, with so many writing scholarships to choose from, you don’t have to apply for any that are “out of your league.” Indeed, though most students have heard of writing scholarships, you may not realize just how many different varieties there are! Here are five of the most common types of writing scholarships, all of which you can find in this directory.
1. Personal essay scholarships
Personal essay scholarships involve writing on a topic related to your own experience. You’ll often see personal essay prompts like, “How have your experiences influenced your choice of major?” and “What are your career aspirations and how do you plan to achieve them?” Other prompts may ask you to write about a role model, a life-changing event, an aspect of your identity, etc. Suggested length is usually about 500-1,000 words, but varies depending on the level of detail requested and how many essay questions are provided.
Just about every scholarship these days has a personal essay component of some kind. This is because personal essay responses both demonstrate writing skills and give the judges a clear sense of each applicant’s goals. No one wants to throw away money on an aimless student — so if you’re applying for a personal essay scholarship, make sure to convey both your writing abilities and your ambitions in your work!
2. Critical essay scholarships
Critical essay scholarships are more in line with what students might consider “academic” essays. The prompts typically ask applicants to analyze works of literature. However, unlike open-ended English class essays, most critical essay scholarships provide a very specific prompt (e.g. “Examine The Great Gatsby in the context of its World War II-era revival”).
Critical essay scholarships can also involve non-literary subject matter. Some may ask applicants to evaluate a historical event or figure; others may ask them to defend their stance on a political or legal issue. Though the line between critical and personal essays can sometimes blur, for the purposes of this directory, we define critical essays as those that use evidence from an external source to prove a point.
3. Short fiction scholarships
Short fiction scholarships include scholarships for short stories, one-act plays, poetry, and any other form of fiction that isn’t a novel or full-length script. Short fiction scholarships tend to be easier to find than long-form fiction scholarships, since most judging panels don’t have time to read more than a few thousand words per entry. Therefore, if you write fiction and you’re hoping to nab yourself a scholarship, this category is the way to go! (That said, if you’re a hardline novelist, some places will accept a sample chapter or two as short fiction entries.)
4. Journalism scholarships
Journalism scholarships are for students interested in pursuing a career in news, magazine, and/or online journalism. These scholarship applications almost always ask for writing samples to show the candidate’s interest. Depending on the organization, they may prefer topical news reports, informative articles, thinkpieces, or a mix. Some journalism scholarships provide a prompt and ask applicants to write a new article, but the focus is usually on samples. Speaking of which…
5. Portfolio scholarships
Portfolio scholarships are the most rigorous kind of writing scholarship, requiring a substantial body of work from each applicant — usually 5-10 pieces of writing, if not more. The upside is that awards for portfolio scholarships tend to be pretty sizable, and may even cover your entire tuition!
If you decide to apply to a portfolio scholarship, make sure you have several strong pieces of work in your oeuvre, and consider writing a few new pieces as well. What you shouldn’t do is rush through a dozen new pieces to throw together as a portfolio. If you don’t have samples at the ready from previous assignments or projects, you’ll be better off applying to a less intensive writing scholarship.
Why apply to writing scholarships?
Applying to writing scholarships is a huge undertaking, especially if you’re pursuing multiple scholarships at once. It can sometimes feel like the effort isn’t worth it, or that you have little chance of actually winning any awards. But in truth, submitting to writing scholarships is one of the best investments you can make in your education, your creative writing skills, and your professional life.
Scholarships for larger amounts do attract more applicants, but that doesn’t mean they’re impossible to land — only that you have to work a little harder to stand out. And you can definitely sway the odds in your favor by applying to lots of small scholarships ($500 or less) for which you’ll have fewer competitors. Remember that every little bit helps! For example, if you plan on taking out student loans, even a $500 scholarship could save you much more in interest down the line.
Another compelling reason to apply to writing scholarships is that oftentimes, you’ve already done the work, or the work required is minimal. For scholarships that require writing samples, you’ll simply submit what you’ve already written in the past — and even for scholarships with specific prompts, you rarely have to write more than a couple of pages. If you were seriously committed, you could apply to a scholarship every day, spending a single concentrated evening on each application.
Jumping off that thought, as English majors love to say: the more writing scholarships you apply for, the better a writer you’ll become. Writing tons of scholarship essays will make you a much more creative and efficient writer. Not only will this help with your personal writing projects, but it will also be invaluable to your education and even your career! Writing is a crucial skill for every major — you’ll always have to write papers and emails to professors, after all — and even if you don’t plan to pursue a writing-based job, you'll still need writing skills to polish your résumé.
Finally, remember that there’s a writing scholarship out there for everyone, no matter what your interests or intended field. This directory includes plenty of creative writing scholarships, yes; but there are also personal essay scholarships for future doctors, lawyers, salespeople, and so much more. You have nothing to lose by giving it a shot, so why not start searching for your dream writing scholarship today? (And if you’re unsure about your writing skills, you might benefit from some of the resources below.)
Resources to strengthen your writing skills
- 20 Writing Tips to Help You Become A Better Writer Today. Click here to view
- How to Stop Procrastinating and Build A Solid Writing Routine. Click here to enroll
- What is Creative Nonfiction? Memoirs, Literary Journalism, and More! Check it out
- How to Write a Memoir: Tell Your Amazing Story in 9 Steps. Read more
- How to Write a Fantastic Short Story In 7 Steps. Find out more
- How to Self-Edit Your Manuscript Like a Pro. Enroll here
- 700+ Creative Writing Prompts to Inspire You. Click here to view
- 100+ Creative Writing Exercises for Authors. Learn more
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