Writing Competitions and Publishing
Opportunities
As an elementary school teacher, I am inclined not to involve individual
students in writing competitions. However, some of my colleagues and I
encourage entire classrooms to participate in contests, such as, “The
Brief Message from the Heart” Letter Writing Contest. Find a select
few competitions (1-3 per year) you want your students to enter and make
it a classroom project where everyone is involved, including the teacher.
The Letter Writing Contest is open to all ages, so I enter along with
my students. I model for my students my approach and revision process
to the pieces I am submitting.
It’s a different ball game with middle and
high school students. More contests are available to them, and they are
more mature to handle rejection. The older students are able to participate
in one competition after the other throughout the year. Although, I would
recommend that they really have knowledge of past winners and understand
the high standards and guidelines.
The following list, compiled by Linda Denstaedt for Clarkston High School,
Clarkston, Michigan, includes, school, local, state, national and international
competitions. Each competition has specific guidelines for submission.
The postmark deadline may change from year to year. Some competitions
require a fee or try to sell books to students. Adult competition and
publication markets are open to advanced students.
The following books and magazines offer additional
information on competitions and publications. Try these magazines: Writers
Digest, Poet’s and Writers, and books: Writer’s Market (several
different volumes which are organized by genre or young adult), Writer’s
Guide for Young Writers, and The International Directory of Little Magazines
and Small Presses.
Don’t forget to go first to those contest
web sites.
Kids Are Authors is an annual competition open to Grades K–8
and is designed to encourage students to use their reading, writing, and
artistic skills to create their own books.
Under the guidance of a project coordinator, children work in teams of
three or more students to write and illustrate their own book. The creative
process of working in teams helps provide a natural environment to practice
editing, teamwork, and communication skills necessary for future success.
All students involved get a sense of pride and accomplishment from submitting
the team project.
Scholastic Book Fairs will publish the winning books and distribute them
at Book Fairs throughout the country.
Contest: Ayn Rand
Institute
Grades: 9-10
Genre: Anthem Essay
Prize: Cash
Postmark Deadline: April 2
Contest: Ayn
Rand Institute
Grades: 11-12
Genre: The Fountainhead Essay
Prize: Cash
Postmark Deadline: April 16
Contest: Brief
Message from the Heart Contest (Most of Chris Weber’s students
enjoy this contest immensely and submit multiple entries.)
Grades: all ages
Genre: Letter of twenty-five words or less
Prize: Cash Prizes, Certificates so beautiful that they should be framed
and hung on the wall
Postmark Deadline: November 30
Contest: Fulbright
Grades: 7-12
Genre: Essay
Contact: Fulbright Young Essayists Awards, c/o Alliance for Young Artists
& Writers, 555 Broadway, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10012
Prize: Entry Fee, Savings Bond
Postmark Deadline: January 18
Contest: Hemingway
Writing Awards(look for Hemingway icon)
Grades: 9-12
Genre: Journalism: Features, News, Sports, Commentary
Prize: Scholarship
Postmark Deadline: January 15
Contest: Holocaust
Grades: 9-12
Genre: Essay
Contact: Children of Holocaust—Survivors
Prize: Cash
Postmark Deadline: March 1
Contest: Lawrence Technological University
Grades: 11-12
Genre: Poetry, Short Story, Essay
Contact:(248) 204-3520
Prize: Cash
Postmark Deadline: January 15
Contest: MADD
Grades: 1-12, 4-12, 7-12
Genre: Poster for 1-12, Essay for 4-12, Photography for 7-12, PSA Video
for 7-12
Contact: Local chapter
Prize: Cash
Postmark Deadline: January 31
Contest: Oatmeal Studios
Grades: Open
Genre: Greeting Cards
Contact: (802) 767-3171
Prize: Cash
Postmark Deadline: Continuous
Contest: Penguin
Putnam Inc.
Grades: 11-12
Genre: Essay
Prize: Scholarship
Postmark Deadline: April 15
Contest: Poetry.com
Grades: 9-12
Genre: Poetry
(An amazing site of over 2.4 million poets and superb links and resources.
It also sponsors: Poetry in Motion Contest, Haiku Contest, and an Online
Poetry Contest.)
Prize: Fee for publication
Postmark Deadline: Continuous
Contest: Potato
Hill Poetry Annual poetry contest for students and teachers.
Grades: Teachers K-12, students 1-3, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12
Genre: Poetry
Contact: 1-888-5 POETRY
Prize: Cash awards
Postmark Deadline: June 4
Contest: POP-TV
Writing Contest
Grades: 9-12
Genre: Plot description for TV episode with Sprawl as subject
Prize: Cash prizes
Postmark Deadline: February 15
Contest: Princeton University
Grades: 11
Genre: Poetry
Contact: (248) 204-3520
Prize: Recognition
Postmark Deadline: March 1
Contest: PTSA Reflection
Grades: K-12
Genre: Literature, Photography, Music, Visual Arts
Contact: Call local PTSA
Prize: Recognition, Publication
Postmark Deadline: December 14
Contest: River of
Words
Grades: K-12
Genre: Poetry & Artwork
Prize: Trip, Book and web site publication, T-shirt
Postmark Deadline: February 15
Contest: Scholastic
Grades: 7-12
Genre: All Genres & Visual Arts
Prize: Recognition, Scholarship
Postmark Deadline: January 18
Contest: Scholastic
Grades: 6-12
Genre: Lyrics
Prize: Concert
Postmark Deadline: April 28
Contest: Veterans of Foreign Wars
Grades: 10-12
Genre: Essay, Speech
Contact: (816) 756-3390
Prize: Cash
Postmark Deadline: November 1
Contest: Veterans of Foreign Wars
Grades: 7-9
Genre: Essay
Contact: (816) 756-3390
Prize: Cash
Postmark Deadline: March 15
Contest: Writer’s Digest
Grades: High School
Genre: Short Short Story
Contact: The Writer’s Digest Short Short Story Competition, 1507
Dana Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45207
Prize: Cash
Postmark Deadline: December 1
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