4 Writing Competitions for High School Students in 2025
Writing competitions offer many advantages to college students. They provide a good platform for testing and improving their writing, reading, and critical thinking skills, along with earning cash rewards that could help them in their academic lives.
Moreover, participating in and winning a writing competition will also allow students to earn a name for themselves and their school. Hence, it is a total win-win for high schoolers! Let’s explore the four hot writing competitions for high school students in the last months of 2024 and the next year, 2025.
4 International Writing Competitions for High School Students
These are the top 4 Writing Contests that the best essay writer online by perfectessaywriting selected for high schoolers.
- National Scholastic Art and Writing Awards
- The Bennington Young Writers Awards
- The John Locke Essay Competition
- Harvard Crimson Global Essay Competition 2025
National Scholastic Art and Writing Awards
The first one from the list is a writing competition with 11 writing categories for young writers to compete in their interests. You can participate in poetry, humor, short stories, and more in the National Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Students begin competing at the regional level and then move on to the national level.
There are no complications in the application process. All you need to do is apply online and share your best work in any category representing your skills. The total application cost is $40, of which $10 is the registration cost and $30 is for the portfolio.
After winning the contest, your work will be featured in a New York exhibition.
We understand you are getting more excited to see your work published in this exhibition, but do polish your skills as much as possible before it. Most students get stuck in main paragraph starters for essays, but you should not at any cost.
Eligibility Criteria
To apply for this creative writing competition for high school students:
- You must be 13 years of age and older.
- Teen students in grades 7 to 12 can take part.
Deadline for Applications
Entries for this contest are open in September, and deadlines vary from December to January.
Reward
Winners of this contest are expected to have a scholarship of $12,500.
The Bennington Young Writers Awards
The second one from the list is a free writing-contest promoting the writing talent of high school students. In the Bennington Young Writers Awards, you can participate in three categories: fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.
You can easily apply to this contest via an online application on their portal. You can pick
Eligibility criteria
Students in grades 9 to 12 from all over the US can apply.
Submission Deadline
This event runs from 1st September to 1st November.
Rewards for Winners
- First place winners: $1000
- Second-place winners: $500
- Third-place winners: $250
Sounds like a good contest, isn’t it? Keep reading, as you may like the other two writing competitions for high school students more.
The John Locke Essay Competition
The second last one from this author’s list is such a great opportunity for young writers to showcase their critical thinking, depth of knowledge, and reasoning skills.
In the John Locke Essay Competition, you have seven categories to present your best abilities in this essay contest: philosophy, theology, Economics, History, Psychology, and Politics. To apply for this contest, complete the online form and submit an essay.
The application deadline for this contest has passed, but you can still participate in one coming next year.
Eligibility Criteria
Students from any country can take part in it. They must be 18 years or younger.
Submission Deadline: June 30 every year. You can also include a perfect cover letter using a professional cover letter writing service to introduce your abilities better.
Rewards
Each winner will receive a scholarship worth $2000 to attend John Locke Institute.
Harvard Crimson Global Essay Competition 2025
Lastly, we have another platform for young writers to improve their writing skills and compete globally. This is a unique contest where you will have the opportunity to take part in webinars, boot camps, and workshops. The Harvard Crimson Global Essay Competition is entirely held online, so students from anywhere can apply.
Eligibility Criteria
- Students participating must be 13 to 18 years old and enrolled in secondary or high school.
- The registration fee for the entry is $15.
Registration Deadline
- $1000 for first place
- $750 for the second place
- $500 for the third place
What You Need to Do Now?
- Now you need to decide which competition is more suitable for you.
- After that, practice creative, argumentative topics more and more.
Your author is dropping a hint regarding self-essay competitions. Yes, you read it right. You may need to write an essay about yourself in one of the competitions. Thus, be familiar with how to start off a paragraph about yourself and kill it from your words.
Good Luck and Get Our Writer’s Guidance
Writing competitions are the best way for students to sharpen their abilities and gain crucial recognition in their academic lives. These four are among the most prestigious writing competitions for high school students. Furthermore, don’t hesitate to contact our experts if you need more information or help in preparation.