language essay competitions

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Discourse, debate, and analysis

Cambridge re:think essay competition 2024.

Competition Opens: 15th January, 2024

Essay Submission Deadline: 10th May, 2024 Result Announcement: 20th June, 2024 Award Ceremony and Dinner at the University of Cambridge: 30th July, 2024

We welcome talented high school students from diverse educational settings worldwide to contribute their unique perspectives to the competition.

Entry to the competition is free.

About the Competition

The spirit of the Re:think essay competition is to encourage critical thinking and exploration of a wide range of thought-provoking and often controversial topics. The competition covers a diverse array of subjects, from historical and present issues to speculative future scenarios. Participants are invited to engage deeply with these topics, critically analysing their various facets and implications. It promotes intellectual exploration and encourages participants to challenge established norms and beliefs, presenting opportunities to envision alternative futures, consider the consequences of new technologies, and reevaluate longstanding traditions. 

Ultimately, our aim is to create a platform for students and scholars to share their perspectives on pressing issues of the past and future, with the hope of broadening our collective understanding and generating innovative solutions to contemporary challenges. This year’s competition aims to underscore the importance of discourse, debate, and critical analysis in addressing complex societal issues in nine areas, including:

Religion and Politics

Political science and law, linguistics, environment, sociology and philosophy, business and investment, public health and sustainability, biotechonology.

Artificial Intelligence 

Neuroengineering

2024 essay prompts.

This year, the essay prompts are contributed by distinguished professors from Harvard, Brown, UC Berkeley, Cambridge, Oxford, and MIT.

Essay Guidelines and Judging Criteria

Review general guidelines, format guidelines, eligibility, judging criteria.

Awards and Award Ceremony

Award winners will be invited to attend the Award Ceremony and Dinner hosted at the King’s College, University of Cambridge. The Dinner is free of charge for select award recipients.

Registration and Submission

Register a participant account today and submit your essay before the deadline.

Advisory Committee and Judging Panel

The Cambridge Re:think Essay Competition is guided by an esteemed Advisory Committee comprising distinguished academics and experts from elite universities worldwide. These committee members, drawn from prestigious institutions, such as Harvard, Cambridge, Oxford, and MIT, bring diverse expertise in various disciplines.

They play a pivotal role in shaping the competition, contributing their insights to curate the themes and framework. Their collective knowledge and scholarly guidance ensure the competition’s relevance, academic rigour, and intellectual depth, setting the stage for aspiring minds to engage with thought-provoking topics and ideas.

We are honoured to invite the following distinguished professors to contribute to this year’s competition.

The judging panel of the competition comprises leading researchers and professors from Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Cambridge, and Oxford, engaging in a strictly double blind review process.

Keynote Speeches by 10 Nobel Laureates

We are beyond excited to announce that multiple Nobel laureates have confirmed to attend and speak at this year’s ceremony on 30th July, 2024 .

They will each be delivering a keynote speech to the attendees. Some of them distinguished speakers will speak virtually, while others will attend and present in person and attend the Reception at Cambridge.

Why has religion remained a force in a secular world? 

Professor Commentary:

Arguably, the developed world has become more secular in the last century or so. The influence of Christianity, e.g. has diminished and people’s life worlds are less shaped by faith and allegiance to Churches. Conversely, arguments have persisted that hold that we live in a post-secular world. After all, religion – be it in terms of faith, transcendence, or meaning – may be seen as an alternative to a disenchanted world ruled by entirely profane criteria such as economic rationality, progressivism, or science. Is the revival of religion a pale reminder of a by-gone past or does it provide sources of hope for the future?

‘Religion in the Public Sphere’ by Jürgen Habermas (European Journal of Philosophy, 2006)

In this paper, philosopher Jürgen Habermas discusses the limits of church-state separation, emphasizing the significant contribution of religion to public discourse when translated into publicly accessible reasons.

‘Public Religions in the Modern World’ by José Casanova (University Of Chicago Press, 1994)

Sociologist José Casanova explores the global emergence of public religion, analyzing case studies from Catholicism and Protestantism in Spain, Poland, Brazil, and the USA, challenging traditional theories of secularization.

‘The Power of Religion in the Public Sphere’ by Judith Butler, Jürgen Habermas, Charles Taylor, and Cornel West (Edited by Eduardo Mendieta and Jonathan VanAntwerpen, Columbia University Press, 2011)

This collection features dialogues by prominent intellectuals on the role of religion in the public sphere, examining various approaches and their impacts on cultural, social, and political debates.

‘Rethinking Secularism’ by Craig Calhoun, Mark Juergensmeyer, and Jonathan VanAntwerpen (Oxford University Press, 2011)

An interdisciplinary examination of secularism, this book challenges traditional views, highlighting the complex relationship between religion and secularism in contemporary global politics.

‘God is Back: How the Global Rise of Faith is Changing the World’ by John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge (Penguin, 2010)

Micklethwait and Wooldridge argue for the coexistence of religion and modernity, suggesting that religious beliefs can contribute to a more open, tolerant, and peaceful modern world.

‘Multiculturalism’ by Tariq Modood (Polity Press, 2013)

Sociologist Tariq Modood emphasizes the importance of multiculturalism in integrating diverse identities, particularly in post-immigration contexts, and its role in shaping democratic citizenship.

‘God’s Agents: Biblical Publicity in Contemporary England’ by Matthew Engelke (University of California Press, 2013)

In this ethnographic study, Matthew Engelke explores how a group in England seeks to expand the role of religion in the public sphere, challenging perceptions of religion in post-secular England.

Gene therapy is a medical approach that treats or prevents disease by correcting the underlying genetic problem. Is gene therapy better than traditional medicines? What are the pros and cons of using gene therapy as a medicine? Is gene therapy justifiable?

Especially after Covid-19 mRNA vaccines, gene therapy is getting more and more interesting approach to cure. That’s why that could be interesting to think about. I believe that students will enjoy and learn a lot while they are investigating this topic.

The Hall at King’s College, Cambridge

The Hall was designed by William Wilkins in the 1820s and is considered one of the most magnificent halls of its era. The first High Table dinner in the Hall was held in February 1828, and ever since then, the splendid Hall has been where members of the college eat and where formal dinners have been held for centuries.

The Award Ceremony and Dinner will be held in the Hall in the evening of  30th July, 2024.

Stretching out down to the River Cam, the Back Lawn has one of the most iconic backdrop of King’s College Chapel. 

The early evening reception will be hosted on the Back Lawn with the iconic Chapel in the background (weather permitting). 

King’s College Chapel

With construction started in 1446 by Henry VI and took over a century to build, King’s College Chapel is one of the most iconic buildings in the world, and is a splendid example of late Gothic architecture. 

Attendees are also granted complimentary access to the King’s College Chapel before and during the event. 

Confirmed Nobel Laureates

Dr Thomas R. Cech

The nobel prize in chemistry 1989 , for the discovery of catalytic properties of rna.

Thomas Robert Cech is an American chemist who shared the 1989 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Sidney Altman, for their discovery of the catalytic properties of RNA. Cech discovered that RNA could itself cut strands of RNA, suggesting that life might have started as RNA. He found that RNA can not only transmit instructions, but also that it can speed up the necessary reactions.

He also studied telomeres, and his lab discovered an enzyme, TERT (telomerase reverse transcriptase), which is part of the process of restoring telomeres after they are shortened during cell division.

As president of Howard Hughes Medical Institute, he promoted science education, and he teaches an undergraduate chemistry course at the University of Colorado

Sir Richard J. Roberts

The nobel prize in medicine 1993 .

F or the discovery of split genes

During 1969–1972, Sir Richard J. Roberts did postdoctoral research at Harvard University before moving to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where he was hired by James Dewey Watson, a co-discoverer of the structure of DNA and a fellow Nobel laureate. In this period he also visited the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology for the first time, working alongside Fred Sanger. In 1977, he published his discovery of RNA splicing. In 1992, he moved to New England Biolabs. The following year, he shared a Nobel Prize with his former colleague at Cold Spring Harbor Phillip Allen Sharp.

His discovery of the alternative splicing of genes, in particular, has had a profound impact on the study and applications of molecular biology. The realisation that individual genes could exist as separate, disconnected segments within longer strands of DNA first arose in his 1977 study of adenovirus, one of the viruses responsible for causing the common cold. Robert’s research in this field resulted in a fundamental shift in our understanding of genetics, and has led to the discovery of split genes in higher organisms, including human beings.

Dr Aaron Ciechanover

The nobel prize in chemistry 2004 .

F or the discovery of ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation

Aaron Ciechanover is one of Israel’s first Nobel Laureates in science, earning his Nobel Prize in 2004 for his work in ubiquitination. He is honored for playing a central role in the history of Israel and in the history of the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology.

Dr Ciechanover is currently a Technion Distinguished Research Professor in the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and Research Institute at the Technion. He is a member of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the Russian Academy of Sciences and is a foreign associate of the United States National Academy of Sciences. In 2008, he was a visiting Distinguished Chair Professor at NCKU, Taiwan. As part of Shenzhen’s 13th Five-Year Plan funding research in emerging technologies and opening “Nobel laureate research labs”, in 2018 he opened the Ciechanover Institute of Precision and Regenerative Medicine at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen campus.

Dr Robert Lefkowitz

The nobel prize in chemistry 2012 .

F or the discovery of G protein-coupled receptors

Robert Joseph Lefkowitz is an American physician (internist and cardiologist) and biochemist. He is best known for his discoveries that reveal the inner workings of an important family G protein-coupled receptors, for which he was awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize for Chemistry with Brian Kobilka. He is currently an Investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute as well as a James B. Duke Professor of Medicine and Professor of Biochemistry and Chemistry at Duke University.

Dr Lefkowitz made a remarkable contribution in the mid-1980s when he and his colleagues cloned the gene first for the β-adrenergic receptor, and then rapidly thereafter, for a total of 8 adrenergic receptors (receptors for adrenaline and noradrenaline). This led to the seminal discovery that all GPCRs (which include the β-adrenergic receptor) have a very similar molecular structure. The structure is defined by an amino acid sequence which weaves its way back and forth across the plasma membrane seven times. Today we know that about 1,000 receptors in the human body belong to this same family. The importance of this is that all of these receptors use the same basic mechanisms so that pharmaceutical researchers now understand how to effectively target the largest receptor family in the human body. Today, as many as 30 to 50 percent of all prescription drugs are designed to “fit” like keys into the similarly structured locks of Dr Lefkowitz’ receptors—everything from anti-histamines to ulcer drugs to beta blockers that help relieve hypertension, angina and coronary disease.

Dr Lefkowitz is among the most highly cited researchers in the fields of biology, biochemistry, pharmacology, toxicology, and clinical medicine according to Thomson-ISI.

Dr Joachim Frank

The nobel prize in chemistry 2017 .

F or developing cryo-electron microscopy

Joachim Frank is a German-American biophysicist at Columbia University and a Nobel laureate. He is regarded as the founder of single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), for which he shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2017 with Jacques Dubochet and Richard Henderson. He also made significant contributions to structure and function of the ribosome from bacteria and eukaryotes.

In 1975, Dr Frank was offered a position of senior research scientist in the Division of Laboratories and Research (now Wadsworth Center), New York State Department of Health,where he started working on single-particle approaches in electron microscopy. In 1985 he was appointed associate and then (1986) full professor at the newly formed Department of Biomedical Sciences of the University at Albany, State University of New York. In 1987 and 1994, he went on sabbaticals in Europe, one to work with Richard Henderson, Laboratory of Molecular Biology Medical Research Council in Cambridge and the other as a Humboldt Research Award winner with Kenneth C. Holmes, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg. In 1998, Dr Frank was appointed investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). Since 2003 he was also lecturer at Columbia University, and he joined Columbia University in 2008 as professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics and of biological sciences.

Dr Barry C. Barish

The nobel prize in physics 2017 .

For the decisive contributions to the detection of gravitational waves

Dr Barry Clark Barish is an American experimental physicist and Nobel Laureate. He is a Linde Professor of Physics, emeritus at California Institute of Technology and a leading expert on gravitational waves.

In 2017, Barish was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics along with Rainer Weiss and Kip Thorne “for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves”. He said, “I didn’t know if I would succeed. I was afraid I would fail, but because I tried, I had a breakthrough.”

In 2018, he joined the faculty at University of California, Riverside, becoming the university’s second Nobel Prize winner on the faculty.

In the fall of 2023, he joined Stony Brook University as the inaugural President’s Distinguished Endowed Chair in Physics.

In 2023, Dr Barish was awarded the National Medal of Science by President Biden in a White House ceremony.

Dr Harvey J. Alter

The nobel prize in medicine 2020 .

For the discovery of Hepatitis C virus

Dr Harvey J. Alter is an American medical researcher, virologist, physician and Nobel Prize laureate, who is best known for his work that led to the discovery of the hepatitis C virus. Alter is the former chief of the infectious disease section and the associate director for research of the Department of Transfusion Medicine at the Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. In the mid-1970s, Alter and his research team demonstrated that most post-transfusion hepatitis cases were not due to hepatitis A or hepatitis B viruses. Working independently, Alter and Edward Tabor, a scientist at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, proved through transmission studies in chimpanzees that a new form of hepatitis, initially called “non-A, non-B hepatitis” caused the infections, and that the causative agent was probably a virus. This work eventually led to the discovery of the hepatitis C virus in 1988, for which he shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2020 along with Michael Houghton and Charles M. Rice.

Dr Alter has received recognition for the research leading to the discovery of the virus that causes hepatitis C. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the highest award conferred to civilians in United States government public health service, and the 2000 Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research.

Dr Ardem Patapoutian

The nobel prize in medicine 2021 .

For discovering how pressure is translated into nerve impulses

Dr Ardem Patapoutian is an Lebanese-American molecular biologist, neuroscientist, and Nobel Prize laureate of Armenian descent. He is known for his work in characterising the PIEZO1, PIEZO2, and TRPM8 receptors that detect pressure, menthol, and temperature. Dr Patapoutian is a neuroscience professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at Scripps Research in La Jolla, California. In 2021, he won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly with David Julius.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why should I participate in the Re:think essay competition? 

The Re:think Essay competition is meant to serve as fertile ground for honing writing skills, fostering critical thinking, and refining communication abilities. Winning or participating in reputable contests can lead to recognition, awards, scholarships, or even publication opportunities, elevating your academic profile for college applications and future endeavours. Moreover, these competitions facilitate intellectual growth by encouraging exploration of diverse topics, while also providing networking opportunities and exposure to peers, educators, and professionals. Beyond accolades, they instil confidence, prepare for higher education demands, and often allow you to contribute meaningfully to societal conversations or causes, making an impact with your ideas.

Who is eligible to enter the Re:think essay competition?  

As long as you’re currently attending high school, regardless of your location or background, you’re eligible to participate. We welcome students from diverse educational settings worldwide to contribute their unique perspectives to the competition.

Is there any entry fee for the competition? 

There is no entry fee for the competition. Waiving the entry fee for our essay competition demonstrates CCIR’s dedication to equity. CCIR believes everyone should have an equal chance to participate and showcase their talents, regardless of financial circumstances. Removing this barrier ensures a diverse pool of participants and emphasises merit and creativity over economic capacity, fostering a fair and inclusive environment for all contributors.

Subscribe for Competition Updates

If you are interested to receive latest information and updates of this year’s competition, please sign up here.

French Flash Fiction Competition

OGN German Olympiad

Spanish Flash Fiction Competition

Dante 700 Competition

We run annual competitions in French, German, and Spanish (detailed below).  

Our annual French Flash Fiction competition invites secondary school students learning French to send us a *very* short story written in French to be in with a chance of winning up to £100. We’re looking for a complete story using no more than 100 words .

Our panel of academic judges assess stories on their imagination and narrative flair, as well as linguistic accuracy. Your use of French is considered in the context of your age and year group: in other words, we don't expect younger pupils to compete against older pupils linguistically. The judges award a top prize of £100 in each category, as well as prizes of £25 to a maximum of two runners up. Please note that the submission deadline has now passed and the 2024 competition is now closed.

Results and winning stories will be published on our blog,  Adventures on the Bookshelf  in mid- to late-May. Last year's  winning entries  can be read here.

If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected] .   

The topic for this year's Oxford German Olympiad, hosted by the Oxford German Network (OGN), is  Kafkaesque Kreatures . 

The Olympiad invites school pupils from Years 5 and 6 to A-level to create and submit an entry inspired by the theme through a wide variety of creative tasks. Please see the OGN website for more details and guidance about the competition. 

Closing date for all entries is  Thursday, 7 March 2024 at 12 noon . Results will be announced in June 2024. Winners will be contacted by email.

OGN German Classic Essay Prize

This competition, hosted by the Oxford German Network, celebrates a different 'German Classic' each year by inviting sixth formers to write an essay inspired by their reading of the chosen text.

In 2023, the Oxford German Network invited students to read  Franz Kafka’s  Der   Heizer  (1912/13). It is the first chapter of the unfinished novel  Der Verschollene  (‘The Man Who Disappeared’), narrating the beginning of the story about 17-year-old Karl Rossmann. The story addresses themes including family and friendship, migration, identity and encounters with the foreign, be it a person of a different nationality, social status or gender. It is a story about growing up, finding one’s way in a foreign land, and personal (in)stability.

Winning entries will be announced in October 2023.  For more information about the competition, click  here .

If you have any questions, please email the Prize Coordinator, at  [email protected] .   

Our annual Spanish Flash Fiction competition invites secondary school students learning Spanish to send us a *very* short story to be in with a chance of winning up to £100. We look for a complete story, using no more than 100 words .

Our panel of academic judges assess stories on their imagination and narrative flair, as well as linguistic accuracy. Your use of Spanish is considered in the context of your age and year group: in other words, we don't expect younger pupils to compete against older pupils linguistically. The judges award a top prize of £100 in each category, as well as prizes of £25 to a maximum of two runners up. Please note that the submission deadline has now passed and the 2024 competition is now closed.

Results and winning stories will be published on our blog,  Adventures on the Bookshelf   in mid- to late-May. Last year's  winning entries  can be read here.

In December 2021, the Sub-Faculty of Italian here at Oxford launched a new competition - the Dante700 Competition - in celebration of the 700th anniversary of the death of the Italian poet Dante Alighieri. Many students in the UK may never have heard of Dante or his most famous poem  The Comedy . The competition aimed to introduce Dante and his work to students of all ages in a fun and engaging way.

Submissions closed in April 2022 , and we received over 50 entries to the competition across the different themes and age categories. Our judges were extremely impressed with the hard work and creativity that went into every entry. The final list of winners and a virtual anthology containing their wonderfully creative submissions has been published on our blog here . 

The competition's resources are still freely accessible to pupils, parents/guardians, and teachers  here . 

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Best Essay Writing Contests in 2024

Showing 51 contests that match your search.

Climate Change Writing Competition

Write the World

Genres: Essay, Memoir, and Non-fiction

This month, dear writers, ahead of COP27, help us raise the voices of young people in this urgent fight. In a piece of personal narrative, tell the world’s leaders gathering in how climate change impacts you. How has this crisis changed your environment, your community, your sense of the future? Storytelling, after all, plays a critical role in helping us grasp the emergency through which we are all living, igniting empathy in readers and listeners—itself a precursor to action.

Additional prizes:

Runner-up: $50

📅 Deadline: October 18, 2022 (Expired)

African Diaspora Awards 2024

Kinsman Avenue Publishing, Inc

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, and Short Story

Up to $1000 in cash prizes for the African Diaspora Award 2024. African-themed prose and poetry wanted. Top finalists are published in Kinsman Quarterly’s magazine and the anthology, “Black Butterfly: Voices of the African Diaspora.”

Publication in anthology, "Black Butterfly: Voices of the African Diaspora" and print and digital magazine

💰 Entry fee: $25

📅 Deadline: June 30, 2024

Literary and Photographic Contest 2023-2024

Hispanic Culture Review

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, and Poetry

As we move forward we carry our culture wherever we go. It keeps us alive. This is why we propose the theme to be “¡Hacia delante!”. A phrase that means to move forward. This year we ask that you think about the following questions: What keeps you moving forward? What do you carry with you going into the future? How do you celebrate your successes, your dreams, and your culture?

Publication in magazine

📅 Deadline: February 07, 2024 (Expired)

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Plan, write, edit, and format your book in our free app made for authors.

Learn more about Reedsy Studio .

Irene Adler Prize

Lucas Ackroyd

Genres: Essay, Non-fiction, and Travel

I’ve traveled the world from Sweden to South Africa, from the Golden Globes to the Olympic women’s hockey finals. I’ve photographed a mother polar bear and her cubs and profiled stars like ABBA, Jennifer Garner and Katarina Witt. And I couldn’t have done it without women. I’ve been very fortunate, and it’s time for me to give back. With the Irene Adler Prize, I’m awarding a $1,000 scholarship to a woman pursuing a degree in journalism, creative writing, or literature at a recognized post-secondary institution.

2x honorable mentions: $250

📅 Deadline: May 30, 2024

A Very Short Story Contest

Gotham Writers Workshop

Genres: Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Humor, Memoir, and Non-fiction

Write a great short story in ten words or fewer. Submit it to our contest. Entry is free. Winner of the bet gets a free Gotham class.

Free writing class from Gotham Writers Workshop.

📅 Deadline: May 31, 2024

Young Sports Journalist 2024

Genres: Essay and Non-fiction

The Young Sports Journalist Competition, 2024, seeks well-argued articles from aspiring journalists aged 14-21. Winning entries will be published online and printed in the Summer Issue of Pitch. Critiqued by our panel of accomplished judges, winners will also receive a £50 cash prize and offered work experience here at PITCH HQ. The competition runs from 7 February 2024 to 5 April 2024. And winners will be announced in May.

Publication in magazine and online

📅 Deadline: April 05, 2024 (Expired)

Hispanic Culture Review Contest 2022-2023

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Short Story, and Flash Fiction

As the Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano once said, "the best that the world has is in the many worlds that the world contains." Therefore, this year we invite you to reflect on the following questions: How do you or your community celebrate these connections? How do you value those experiences with those people who leave a mark on your life? 1 work will be awarded in each category: 1) photography & visual arts, 2) poetry, and 3) narrative/essay/academic investigation.

$100 for photography, poetry, and essay winners

Publication

💰 Entry fee: $0

📅 Deadline: February 01, 2023 (Expired)

Rigel 2024: $500 for Prose, Poetry, Art, or Graphic Novel

Sunspot Literary Journal

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, Novel, Novella, Poetry, Script Writing, and Short Story

Literary or genre works accepted. Winner receives $500 plus publication, while runners-up and finalists are offered publication. No restrictions on theme or category. Closes: February 29. Entry fee: $12.50. Enter as many times as you like through Submittable or Duotrope

$500 + publication

Runners-up and finalists are offered publication

💰 Entry fee: $12

📅 Deadline: February 29, 2024 (Expired)

Brink Literary Journal Award for Hybrid Writing

Genres: Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Humor, Memoir, Non-fiction, Poetry, Science Writing, and Short Story

The Brink Literary Journal Award for Hybrid Writing will be administered to the winner of a literary contest designed to champion innovative hybrid and cross-genre work.

💰 Entry fee: $22

📅 Deadline: February 16, 2024 (Expired)

Annual Student Essay Contest

Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum

For this year’s Essay Contest, we are asking students to think about why the story of the Oklahoma City bombing is important today.

📅 Deadline: March 04, 2024 (Expired)

The Hudson Prize

Black Lawrence Press

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, and Short Story

Each year Black Lawrence Press will award The Hudson Prize for an unpublished collection of poems or prose. The prize is open to new, emerging, and established writers.

💰 Entry fee: $28

📅 Deadline: March 31, 2024 (Expired)

World Historian Student Essay Competition

World History Association

Genres: Children's and Essay

The World Historian Student Essay Competition is an international competition open to students enrolled in grades K–12 in public, private, and parochial schools, and those in home-study programs. Membership in the World History Association is not a requirement for submission. Past winners may not compete in the same category again.

📅 Deadline: May 01, 2024 (Expired)

Anthology Travel Writing Competition 2024

Anthology Magazine

The Anthology Travel Writing Competition is open to original and previously unpublished travel articles in the English language by writers of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. We are looking for an engaging article that will capture the reader’s attention, conveying a strong sense of the destination and the local culture. Max 1000 words.

💰 Entry fee: $16

📅 Deadline: November 30, 2024

Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize

Genres: Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult

The Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize is a writing competition sponsored by the stage and radio series Selected Shorts. Selected Shorts is recorded for Public Radio and heard nationally on both the radio and its weekly podcast. This years entries will be judged by Carmen Maria Machado (In the Dream House, Her Body and Other Parties).

$1000 + free 10 week course with Gotham Writers

📅 Deadline: March 01, 2024 (Expired)

Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award

Killer Nashville

Genres: Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Novel, Poetry, Science Fiction, Script Writing, Short Story, and Thriller

The Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award is committed to discovering new writers, as well as superlative books by established authors and, upon discovery, sharing those writers and their works with new readers. There are a large number of both fiction and non-fiction categories you can enter.

💰 Entry fee: $79

📅 Deadline: June 15, 2024

NOWW 26th International Writing Contest

Northwestern Ontario Writers Workshop (NOWW)

Open to all writers in four categories: poetry, short fiction, creative nonfiction, and critical writing.

2nd: $100 | 3rd: $50

💰 Entry fee: $7

High School Academic Research Competition

Columbia Undergraduate Science Journal

The High School Academic Research Competition is where talented students from around the world compete to publish high-quality research on any topic. SARC challenges students to sharpen their critical thinking skills, immerse themselves in the research process, and hone their writing skills for success.

Indigo Research Intensive Summer Program

📅 Deadline: April 17, 2024 (Expired)

Indignor Play House Annual Short Story Competition

Indignor House Publishing

Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, Short Story, Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Novella, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, and Young Adult

Indignor House Publishing is proud to announce that our annual writing competition (INDIGNOR PLAYHOUSE Short Story Annual Competition) is officially open with expected publication in the fall of 2024. Up to 25 submissions will be accepted for inclusion in the annual anthology.

2nd: $250 | 3rd: $150

💰 Entry fee: $20

Military Anthology: Partnerships, the Untold Story

Armed Services Arts Partnership

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Humor, Memoir, Non-fiction, Poetry, and Short Story

Partners are an integral aspect of military life, at home and afar, during deployment and after homecoming. Partnerships drive military action and extend beyond being a battle buddy, wingman, or crew member. Some are planned while others arise entirely unexpectedly. Spouses, family, old or new friends, community, faith leaders, and medical specialists all support the military community. Despite their importance, the stories of these partnerships often go untold. This anthology aims to correct that: We will highlight the nuances, surprises, joy, sorrow, heroism, tears, healing power, and ache of partnerships. We invite you to submit the story about partnerships from your journey, so we can help tell it.

$500 Editors' Choice award

$250 for each genre category (prose, poetry, visual art)

Askew's Word on the Lake Writing Contest

Shuswap Association of Writers

Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Essay, Memoir, and Short Story

Whether you’re an established or emerging writer, the Askew’s Word on the Lake Writing Contest has a place for you. Part of the Word on the Lake Writers’ Festival in Salmon Arm, BC, the contest is open to submissions in short fiction (up to 2,000 words), nonfiction (up to 2,000 words), and poetry (up to three one-page poems).

💰 Entry fee: $11

📅 Deadline: January 31, 2024 (Expired)

Vocal Challenges

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, and Short Story

Enter themed storytelling contests to put your creativity to the test and be in with a chance of winning cash prizes and more. To submit, you'll need to sign up for a monthly fee of $9.99, or $4.99/month for 3 months.

$1,000 — $5,000

💰 Entry fee: $15

📅 Deadline: March 07, 2024 (Expired)

Bacopa Literary Review Annual Writing Contest

Writers Alliance of Gainesville

Bacopa Literary Review’s 2024 contest is open from March 4 through April 4, with $200 Prize and $100 Honorable Mention in each of six categories: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Flash Fiction, Free Verse Poetry, Formal Poetry, and Visual Poetry.

📅 Deadline: May 02, 2024 (Expired)

Journalism Competition 2024

What are the most important issues taking place close to home? Perhaps a rare bird sighting near your town? Or a band of young people in your province fighting for access to higher education? This month, immerse yourself in a newsworthy event inside the borders of your own country, and invite us there through your written reporting.

Best entry: $100

Runner up: $50 | Best peer review: $50

📅 Deadline: July 22, 2024

Goldilocks Zone

Sunspot Lit is looking for the perfect combination of craft and appeal in stories, CNF, novel or novella excerpts, artwork, graphic novels, poems, scripts/screenplays. Literary and genre accepted. Enter through Submittable or Duotrope.

💰 Entry fee: $10

📅 Deadline: April 30, 2024 (Expired)

Stories of Inspiration

Nonfiction stories of inspiration wanted (between 500 to 2,000 words). Submissions should highlight the struggle and resilience of the human spirit, especially related to cultures of BIPOC or marginalized communities. Stories must be original, unpublished works in English. One successful entry will be awarded each month from April 2024 and will be included within Kinsman Quarterly’s online journal and digital magazine. Successful authors receive $200 USD and publication in our digital magazine. No entry fee required.

Publication in Kinsman Quarterly's online magazine

📅 Deadline: December 31, 2024

International Essay Competition 2023/24

Avernus Education

Genres: Essay

Welcome to our prestigious International Essay Competition. At Avernus Education, we are thrilled to provide a platform for young minds to showcase their prowess in Medicine, Engineering, Law, Economics, Psychology, History and Politics. These varied subject categories underscore the importance of interdisciplinary study, a crucial foundation for future leaders in our increasingly interconnected world. Winners receive an exclusive Avernus Education Scholarship worth over £5000 - granting them free entrance to our exclusive summer camp at Oxford University! Outstanding Runners Up receive 5 hours worth of Credits for Avernus Education courses, conferences and tutoring services.

100% Scholarship Award to our Oxford University Summer Programme (worth £5995)

Partial scholarship

📅 Deadline: February 19, 2024 (Expired)

Solas Awards

Best Travel Writing

Extraordinary stories about travel and the human spirit have been the cornerstones of our books since 1993. With the Solas Awards we honor writers whose work inspires others to explore. We’re looking for the best stories about travel and the world. Funny, illuminating, adventurous, uplifting, scary, inspiring, poignant stories that reflect the unique alchemy that occurs when you enter unfamiliar territory and begin to see the world differently as a result. We hope these awards will be a catalyst for those who love to leave home and tell others about it.

📅 Deadline: September 21, 2024

Aurora Polaris Creative Nonfiction Award

Trio House Press

We seek un-agented full-length creative nonfiction manuscripts including memoir, essay collections, etc. 50,000 - 80,000 words.

📅 Deadline: May 15, 2024

The Letter Review Prize for Nonfiction

The Letter Review

Genres: Essay, Memoir, Non-fiction, Crime, Humor, and Science Writing

2-4 Winners are published. We Shortlist 10-20 writers. Seeking Nonfiction 0-5000 words. Judges’ feedback available. Open to writers from anywhere in the world, with no theme or genre restrictions. Judged blind. All entries considered for publication + submission to Pushcart.

Publication by The Letter Review

💰 Entry fee: $2

Personal Essay Competition 2024

Genres: Essay and Memoir

We want to hear about an experience in your life, rife with characters and description and conflict and scene… but we also want to hear how you make sense of this experience, how it sits with you, and why it has surfaced as writing. Open a window into your life and invite your readers to enter.

📅 Deadline: June 24, 2024

International Voices in Creative Nonfiction Competition

Vine Leaves Press

Genres: Essay, Memoir, Non-fiction, and Novel

Small presses have potential for significant impact, and at Vine Leaves Press, we take this responsibility quite seriously. It is our responsibility to give marginalized groups the opportunity to establish literary legacies that feel rich and vast. Why? To sustain hope for the world to become a more loving, tolerable, and open space. It always begins with art. That is why we have launched this writing competition.

Book publication

📅 Deadline: July 01, 2024

Great American Think-Off

New York Mills Regional Cultural Center

The Great American Think-Off is an exhibition of civil disagreement between powerful ideas that connect to your life at the gut level. The Cultural Center, located in the rural farm and manufacturing town of New York Mills, sponsors this annual philosophy contest.

📅 Deadline: April 01, 2024 (Expired)

Narratively 2023 Memoir Prize

Narratively

Genres: Essay, Humor, Memoir, and Non-fiction

Narratively is currently accepting submissions for their 2023 Memoir Prize. They are looking for revealing and emotional first-person nonfiction narratives from unique and overlooked points of view. The guest judge is New York Times bestselling memoirist Stephanie Land.

$1,000 and publication

📅 Deadline: November 30, 2023 (Expired)

Work-In-Progress (WIP) Contest

Unleash Press

Genres: Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Novel, Novella, Poetry, Science Fiction, Science Writing, and Young Adult

We aim to assist writers in the completion of an important literary project and vision. The Unleash WIP Award offers writers support in the amount of $500 to supplement costs to aid in the completion of a book-length work of fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. Writers will also receive editorial feedback, coaching meetings, and an excerpt/interview feature in Unleash Lit.

Coaching, interview, and editorial support

💰 Entry fee: $35

📅 Deadline: July 15, 2024

100 Word Writing Contest

Tadpole Press

Genres: Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Thriller, Young Adult, Children's, Poetry, Romance, Short Story, Suspense, and Travel

Can you write a story using 100 words or less? Pieces will be judged on creativity, uniqueness, and how the story captures a new angle, breaks through stereotypes, and expands our beliefs about what's possible or unexpectedly delights us. In addition, we are looking for writing that is clever or unique, inspires us, and crafts a compelling and complete story. The first-place prize has doubled to $2,000 USD.

2nd: writing coach package

Discover the finest writing contests of 2024 for fiction and non-fiction authors — including short story competitions, essay writing competitions, poetry contests, and many more. Updated weekly, these contests are vetted by Reedsy to weed out the scammers and time-wasters. If you’re looking to stick to free writing contests, simply use our filters as you browse.

Why you should submit to writing contests

Submitting to poetry competitions and free writing contests in 2024 is absolutely worth your while as an aspiring author: just as your qualifications matter when you apply for a new job, a writing portfolio that boasts published works and award-winning pieces is a great way to give your writing career a boost. And not to mention the bonus of cash prizes!

That being said, we understand that taking part in writing contests can be tough for emerging writers. First, there’s the same affliction all writers face: lack of time or inspiration. Entering writing contests is a time commitment, and many people decide to forego this endeavor in order to work on their larger projects instead — like a full-length book. Second, for many writers, the chance of rejection is enough to steer them clear of writing contests. 

But we’re here to tell you that two of the great benefits of entering writing contests happen to be the same as those two reasons to avoid them.

When it comes to the time commitment: yes, you will need to expend time and effort in order to submit a quality piece of writing to competitions. That being said, having a hard deadline to meet is a great motivator for developing a solid writing routine.

Think of entering contests as a training session to become a writer who will need to meet deadlines in order to have a successful career. If there’s a contest you have your eye on, and the deadline is in one month, sit down and realistically plan how many words you’ll need to write per day in order to meet that due date — and don’t forget to also factor in the time you’ll need to edit your story!

For tips on setting up a realistic writing plan, check out this free, ten-day course: How to Build a Rock-Solid Writing Routine.

In regards to the fear of rejection, the truth is that any writer aspiring to become a published author needs to develop relatively thick skin. If one of your goals is to have a book traditionally published, you will absolutely need to learn how to deal with rejection, as traditional book deals are notoriously hard to score. If you’re an indie author, you will need to adopt the hardy determination required to slowly build up a readership.

The good news is that there’s a fairly simple trick for learning to deal with rejection: use it as a chance to explore how you might be able to improve your writing.

In an ideal world, each rejection from a publisher or contest would come with a detailed letter, offering construction feedback and pointing out specific tips for improvement. And while this is sometimes the case, it’s the exception and not the rule.

Still, you can use the writing contests you don’t win as a chance to provide yourself with this feedback. Take a look at the winning and shortlisted stories and highlight their strong suits: do they have fully realized characters, a knack for showing instead of telling, a well-developed but subtly conveyed theme, a particularly satisfying denouement?

The idea isn’t to replicate what makes those stories tick in your own writing. But most examples of excellent writing share a number of basic craft principles. Try and see if there are ways for you to translate those stories’ strong points into your own unique writing.

Finally, there are the more obvious benefits of entering writing contests: prize and publication. Not to mention the potential to build up your readership, connect with editors, and gain exposure.

Resources to help you win writing competitions in 2024

Every writing contest has its own set of submission rules. Whether those rules are dense or sparing, ensure that you follow them to a T. Disregarding the guidelines will not sway the judges’ opinion in your favor — and might disqualify you from the contest altogether. 

Aside from ensuring you follow the rules, here are a few resources that will help you perfect your submissions.

Free online courses

On Writing:

How to Craft a Killer Short Story

The Non-Sexy Business of Writing Non-Fiction

How to Write a Novel

Understanding Point of View

Developing Characters That Your Readers Will Love

Writing Dialogue That Develops Plot and Character

Stop Procrastinating! Build a Solid Writing Routine

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Story Editing for Authors

How to Self-Edit Like a Pro

Novel Revision: Practical Tips for Rewrites

How to Write a Short Story in 7 Steps

Reedsy's guide to novel writing

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10 Essential Fiction Writing Tips to Improve Your Craft

How to Write Dialogue: 8 Simple Rules and Exercises

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After you submit to a writing competition in 2024

It’s exciting to send a piece of writing off to a contest. However, once the initial excitement wears off, you may be left waiting for a while. Some writing contests will contact all entrants after the judging period — whether or not they’ve won. Other writing competitions will only contact the winners. 

Here are a few things to keep in mind after you submit:

Many writing competitions don’t have time to respond to each entrant with feedback on their story. However, it never hurts to ask! Feel free to politely reach out requesting feedback — but wait until after the selection period is over.

If you’ve submitted the same work to more than one writing competition or literary magazine, remember to withdraw your submission if it ends up winning elsewhere.

After you send a submission, don’t follow it up with a rewritten or revised version. Instead, ensure that your first version is thoroughly proofread and edited. If not, wait until the next edition of the contest or submit the revised version to other writing contests.

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THE QUEEN'S COMMONWEALTH ESSAY COMPETITION

Since 1883, we have delivered The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition, the world's oldest international schools' writing competition. Today, we work to expand its reach, providing life-changing opportunities for young people around the world.

ENTER THE QCEC 2024

The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2024 is now live!

Find out more about this year’s theme

'Our Common Wealth' and make sure to enter by 15 May 2024!

140 years of The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition

The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition (QCEC) is the world’s oldest international writing competition for schools and has been proudly delivered by the Royal Commonwealth Society since 1883. 

ABOUT THE COMPETITION 

An opportunity for young Commonwealth citizens to share their thoughts, ideas and experiences on key global issues and have their hard work and achievement celebrated internationally.

Frequently Asked Questions for the Competition. Before contacting us please read these.

MEET THE WINNERS 

In 2023 we were delighted to receive a record-breaking 34,924 entries, with winners from India and Malaysia. Read their winning pieces as well as those from previous years.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Terms and Conditions for entrants to The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition. Please ensure you have thoroughly read them before submitting your entry.

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Many Languages, One World® International Essay Contest Winners Unveil Action Plans for a Sustainable Future at the United Nations General Assembly

Nearly 60 students from around the world gathered at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on 29 July to present their action plans for building a sustainable future through the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The event was the culmination of the weeklong Many Languages, One World ® Global Youth Forum, held at Hofstra University in New York from 25 to 29 July.

The students were winners of the 3rd annual Many Languages, One World international essay contest and they came from 54 universities in 36 countries. Each year the contest is organized by United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) and ELS Educational Services, Inc., and challenges college and university students around the globe to write an essay examining global citizenship, cultural understanding and the role that multilingualism can play in fostering both. Entrants are required to write essays in one of the six official United Nations languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish), which can be neither their first language nor their primary language of instruction. More than 9,000 individuals from 165 countries took part in the initial phase of the contest this year.

Nearly two dozen UN staff members across four departments used their language skills, serving as judges for the contest. Jason Pierce was a reader for the English language essays and impressed by the quality of the students' writing: The essays have reaffirmed my belief that multilingualism can help to overcome cultural barriers, serve as a unifying force, and lead to global citizenship.

Students who participated in the contest are pursuing undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees. Their fields of study include language and linguistics, medicine, architecture, computer science and technology, business, and sustainable research management.

The Youth Forum is a transformative experience for many of the students, like Amani Naburi from Tanzania: Many Languages, One World is definitely one of the most influential platforms to create change and to inspire a better world. Imagine 60 young and vibrant minds from around the globe, who are aspirants of varied sectors, discussing global issues and coming up with collective solutions. Imagine these minds, trying to be curious about each other's cultures, challenges and opportunities, and craving to identify similar patterns between themselves.

Cristina Gallach, Under Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information at the United Nations, opened the event by underlining the importance of multilingualism in our lives: Communication and continuous dialogue are core tools for peaceful societies, and multilingualism is not only a means we use to share information about the work of the UN, it also reflects our respect for diversity and inclusion that lie at the heart of our work.

The President of the General Assembly, Mogens Lykketoft, echoed these sentiments: Multilingualism and diversity can provide us with different ways to view the world. They can help us to be humble and more tolerant of others. And they can expand the reservoir of ideas and innovation that we need to implement the Sustainable Development Goals.

Ahmed Alhendawi, the Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth, who addressed the students on behalf of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, pointed out the students' important role in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: To realize this bold vision, we need the power, energy and ideas of today's young people, who are part of the largest generation of youth in history.

Mark Harris, President Emeritus of ELS, noted that the number of contest entrants tripled this year, reaching forty more nations than 2015, a sign of the growing importance of multilingualism in a globalized world. Susan Adams, Senior Advisor to the International Association of University Presidents (IAUP), highlighted the collaboration between UNAI, ELS and IAUP in their efforts to promote Global Citizenship education as a means of improving the world.

Learn more about Many Languages, One World and sign up for updates here . If your college or university is interested in becoming a member of United Nations Academic Impact you can enrol here.

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The Best Student Writing Contests for 2023-2024

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 for everyone. Prepare highly motivated kids in need of an authentic writing mentor, and watch the words flow.

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 7-12, ages 13 and up, may begin submitting work in September by uploading to an online account at Scholastic and connecting to their local region. There are entry fees, but those can be waived for students in need.

2.  YoungArts National Arts Competition

This ends soon, but if you have students who are ready to submit, it’s worth it. YoungArts offers a 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.

YoungArts accepts submissions in each category through October 13. Students submit their work online and pay a $35 fee (there is a fee waiver option).

3. 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.

4.  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, DC.

Students fill out a registration form online, and a teacher or sponsor is required. The deadline to enter is the first week of April.

5.  John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest

This annual contest invites students to write about a political official’s act of political courage that occurred after Kennedy’s birth in 1917. 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.

6. Bennington Young Writers Awards

Bennington College offers competitions in three categories: poetry (a group of three poems), fiction (a short story or one-act play), and nonfiction (a personal or academic essay). First-place winners receive $500. Grab a poster for your classroom here .

The contest runs from September 1 to November 1. The website links to a student registration form.

7. 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 is the end of March. Contest details will be published in early 2024.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10.  Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest

The deadline for this contest is the end of October. Sponsored by Hollins University, the Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest awards prizes for the best poems submitted by young women who are sophomores or juniors in high school or preparatory school. Prizes include cash and scholarships. Winners are chosen by students and faculty members in the creative writing program at Hollins.

Students may submit either one or two poems using the online form.

11.  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.

12. 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.

13. 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 five students for whom to submit up to four poems each on their behalf. The deadline is November 15.

14. 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.

15. YouthPlays New Voices

For students under 18, the YouthPlays one-act competition is designed for young writers to create new works 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. Entries open each year in January.

16. The Ocean Awareness Contest

The 2024 Ocean Awareness Contest, Tell Your Climate Story , encourages students to write their own unique climate story. They are asking for creative expressions of students’ personal experiences, insights, or perceptions about climate change. 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.

17. EngineerGirl Annual Essay 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 .

18. 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.

19. See Us, Support Us Art Contest

Children of incarcerated parents can submit artwork, poetry, photos, videos, and more. Submissions are free and the website has a great collection of past winners.

Students can submit their entries via social media or email by October 25.

20. The Adroit Prizes for Poetry & Prose

The Adroit Journal, an education-minded nonprofit publication, awards annual prizes for poetry and prose to exceptional high school and college students. Adroit charges an entry fee but also provides a form for financial assistance.

Sign up at the website for updates for the next round of submissions.

21. 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.

22. World Historian Student Essay Competition

The World Historian Student Essay Competition is an international contest open to students enrolled in grades K–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.

23. NSHSS Creative Writing Scholarship

The National Society of High School Scholars awards three $2,000 scholarships for both poetry and fiction. They accept poetry, short stories, and graphic novel writing.

Apply online by October 31.

Whether you let your students blog, start a podcast or video channel, or enter student writing contests, giving them an authentic audience for their work is always a powerful classroom choice.

If you like this list of student writing contests and want more articles like it, 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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Best 2024 Competitions for Students in Grades K-12

Competitions in STEM, ELA and the arts, and more! Continue Reading

Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. 5335 Gate Parkway, Jacksonville, FL 32256

The following pages contain information about our Essay Prizes run for Lower and Upper 6th Students internationally, including how to apply.

The Robson History Prize will not run in 2024 but we are expecting to run it again in 2025.

Gould Prize for Essays in English Literature

Languages and Cultures Essay Prize

Linguistics Essay Prize

Philosophy Essay Prize

R.A. Butler Politics Prize

Robert Walker Prize for Essays in Law

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The 18th National CLASS Essay Contest

OFFICIAL RULES

(Revised May  2021)

The contestant must be a student currently enrolled in a Mandarin Chinese program during the current school year at an elementary school, a middle school or a high school that is fully accredited by the regional Accreditation institutions like Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), or is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). 

The contestant’s teacher must be a current member of the Chinese Language Association of Secondary-Elementary Schools (CLASS). 

Essays must be written on the provided paper and hand written legibly. Any illegible writing will result in deducted points.  

Eligibility of Contest Entry: All entries must be student’s original independent work*. No contestant may use an essay by another contestant in previous years or resubmit an essay that was a previous submission. CLASS reserves** the right to disqualify contestants with identical essays.

It is the responsibility of the teacher to place the essay contest participants in the most appropriate category commensurate with the student’s background and training. CLASS reserves the right to disqualify a contestant who provides false background and training information.

Each CLASS member may submit up to ten essays in total. 

The length of the essay should be with the minimum of 100 characters, and the maximum of 540 characters (two writing sheets provided by the Essay Contest Committee). All punctuations should be marked in the grid of the writing sheet. 

Essay Contest results will be announced on/before January 31, 2022. Award certificates will be mailed to teachers after the results are finalized.

Each contestant must agree to compete in the assigned division and category as outlined below. Judge will evaluate the contestant’s writing in the division and category that has been registered by the teacher. 

     10. The topic for CLASS 2021 Essay Contest is:             You are going to write about life after the COVID-19 Pandemic. You may choose to write about what you want to do the most,  someone you want to visit the most, the impact the COVID-19 Pandemic had on you and your family/friends, or a story that has happened during the pandemic that you think it is worth writing about and worth sharing. Here are some suggested topics to consider including, but not limited to the following: 

疫情后我最想做的一件事

疫情后我最想见的一个人

疫情中最令我感动的一件事

疫情后我最想做的一件事 

疫情后我最想見的一個人 

疫情中最令我感動的一件事 

 11. Submission:  Please register your students by following this link . All submissions need to be in no later than Saturday, October 23, 2021.

All submissions will be online only this year. 

Copyright © 2024 CLASSK12 All Rights Reserved.

Essay Submission Deadline!

Download Your Certificate HERE!   |    Teacher >     Student >

Download Your Certificate HERE! |  Teacher >   Student >

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE TOP 10 WINNERS!

Many thanks to everyone who took part in the ELS English Language Ambassador Award 2022. If you have not yet downloaded your certificate, kindly reach out to our Support Team at 60178673340 to receive it.

Essay Writing Competition

Congratulations to the top 10 essay writing competition winners.

The time has come! After so many hurdles, mind-breaking wonders, courageous efforts and your undying support, the BIG announcement is HERE!

Click here to see the winners.

Thank you very much to all who have participated in the ELS English Language Ambassador Award 2022. You can now download your e-Certificate by clicking on the link below and login using your registered DELIMa account:

https://elsaward.els.edu.my/download-e-certificate/

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Home › Essay Competition 2024 › Writing Competitions For High School Students

Writing Competitions For High School Students

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Do you want to join a high school essay competition? But you’re struggling to find the right one for you? This list of 20 high school essay competitions is a wonderful way to boost your academic confidence.  

Essays exercise your communication and critical thinking skills, and a student’s essay reveals much about their confidence, brain power, social skills, and commitment. There’s a reason why universities require personal statements.

Suppose you want to sharpen your writing skills to outstanding university levels and get a chance to win academic scholarships to renowned institutions, cash prizes and recognition. Then, you need to join high school essay competitions!

Not convinced yet? Here are more reasons why entering (and potentially winning) essay competitions will make your university application more attractive. Universities will see that:

• You learned more about your chosen subject beyond what your teachers taught you in your high school curriculum.
• You’re committed and proactive because you went the extra mile.
• Since you have had to juggle researching and writing for this essay with your other academic and extracurricular commitments, you have superb time management skills.
• Research and writing are your strengths.
• You have the confidence to try even if you’re not sure you’ll win!

Afraid you won’t win the competition? Don’t worry! 

Even just entering the competition signals all the good qualities just mentioned. Remember, the effort of applying itself shows how proactive and confident you are. So including your essay writing competition experience in your personal statement and talking about it in your interviews will make you stand out. Your teachers can also write about it on your college application essay or, if you’re going to a UK university, in your UCAS reference. 

Now that you know why you should join high school essay competitions, check out the Top 20 Essay Competitions for high school students. 

1. Immerse Education Essay Competition

In 2012, Immerse Education was founded to provide 13-18-year-old students exceptional educational experiences at the University of Oxford, Cambridge University, University of Sydney, and University College London.

What does “exceptional educational experiences” mean exactly? It means you’ll have the opportunity to learn from world-leading Oxbridge, Cambridge, and Ivy League Tutors. Are you planning to take Architecture at the university? Then taking the Architecture Residential Programme or Online Insights course at Immerse Education will introduce you to topics such as Foundations of Architecture and Architectural Styles through Time. You’ll then present your work on Theoretical Design.

Not only will you have the much-needed exposure to understand university-level architecture, but you’ll also gain like-minded friends for life.

You can choose from over 20 subjects. From architecture and engineering to medicine and law!

Participating in Immerse Education courses will give you a tremendous advantage over your competition. Listing Immerse in your personal essay application will instantly make you stand out. Not to mention the high-level academic writing skills you will have developed at this point.

Now that you know what Immerse is about, why should you apply for the Immerse Education essay competition? 

Because winning will give you a 100% scholarship! 

Over 10 winners will be chosen to receive such a fantastic prize. Runners-up will receive partial scholarships up to 70%.

Who are eligible to join? 13-18-year-old students of all nationalities! You’ve got nothing to lose and lots to gain from joining this essay competition. So don’t let the opportunity pass you by!

Website: https://immerse.education/essay-competition/  

Open For Entries: March 16, 2022

Essay Competition Deadline: August 31, 2022

Entry Fee: None

Award Amount: 10x 100% scholarships and up to 70% scholarships for runner ups

2. Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Essay Competition

The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers has been supporting the future of creativity for 99 years through the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. So what is the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers? It’s a nonprofit organisation aiming to present the creative work of exceptional young talents. In doing so, they give talented students in grades 7-12 opportunities to earn scholarships, exhibitions, and publications.

They have various scholarship awards to offer. For instance, National Medalists are entitled to scholarships amounting to $10,000. For those who wish to explore personal grief and loss through writing, six students can win the National New York Life Award and receive $1,000 scholarships. Then there is the Civic Expression Award offering $1,000 scholarships to six winners whose works spread awareness on social or political issues. 

What about the Exhibitions? Writings from each year’s National Medalists will be displayed in several institutions. Including the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, Arnot Art Museum, and the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. 

Winners also enjoy being featured in several publications, such as Best Teen Writing , Healing Through Creativity, and the yearbook. 

Who are the eligible high school students? Those who live in the US and Canada. Public, private, and home-schooled high schoolers are qualified. How about international students? Those who attend American schools in other countries are also allowed to join. You may want to know that the qualifications may differ per region. So it’s best to check in with your specific address. 

What are the categories for the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Essay Competition? The categories include humour, dramatic scripts, flash fiction, novel writing, and poetry.

Website: https://www.artandwriting.org/

Scope: US and Canada

Open For Entries: September

Essay Competition Deadline: Deadlines vary between December and January, depending on your region

Entry Fee: $7 per individual entry and $25 per portfolio.

Award Amount:   $1,000 to $10,000 scholarships

3. National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Essay Competition

What is the purpose of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Essay Competition? To inspire high school juniors to express themselves through writing. As well as to openly recognise the best student writing. 

How can students join the NCTE essay competition? Via nomination by English Teachers in Canada, the United States, the Virgin Islands, and American Schools abroad. Chosen participants will have to submit two types of essays: best writing and themed writing. 

The NCTE shows the themed writing prompts on their website to encourage discussions among teachers and students. The contestants can write their theme write-up in any genre, such as Science & Technical, History, and Social Studies. Any writing format is also acceptable. Think personal essay, scientific report, news article, graphic novel, and more. All entries are submitted electronically in a PDF format. 

Your writing needs to reflect independent thinking to increase your chances of winning. Respond to the prompt with a sense of purpose and completeness. Ensure each sentence builds upon the other to cumulate in a thought-provoking piece. 

Website: https://ncte.org/awards/achievement-awards-in-writing/  

Scope: US, Canada, Virgin Islands, American Schools abroad

Open For Entries: Until November 15

Essay Competition Deadline: February 15

Award Amount:   None. Instead, the winner will receive the Superior Writing certificate. All nominated contestants will receive a Recognition certificate. 

4. The Adroit Prizes for Poetry & Prose Essay Competition

High school students worldwide are eligible to compete in The Adroit Prizes. The two genres you can write in are Poetry and Prose. Do you want to submit your writing in prose? You can give up to 3 writings at a time, with a 9,000 word limit across the pieces. For poetry, you can submit 6 at a time, with no word count limit. 

Winning entries will be featured in the Adroit Journal. And their authors will receive a cash prize of $200. So what is the Adroit Journal all about? Founded by poet Peter LaBerge in November 2010, it strives to showcase the future of prose, poetry, and art. 

The Adroit Journal has been featured in notable publications such as The Paris Review, New York Times, Teen Vogue, and Best American Poetry. Do you know it has been the #1 Poetry Market for the past two years? It has had the Most Submission Responses Reported within that period. 

It has heralded brilliant voices through the years, including Rita Dove, Ned Vizzini, Ocean Vuong, and Terrance Hayes. Yours could be next!

Website: https://theadroitjournal.org/adroit-prizes/  

Scope: Worldwide

Open For Entries: Yet to be announced (must subscribe to the email list to stay updated)

Essay Competition Deadline: Yet to be announced (must subscribe to the email list to keep updated)

Award Amount: $200

5. National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS) Creative Writing Scholarship Essay Competition

One of the co-founders of National Society of High School Scholars came from the family who instituted the Nobel Prizes. His name? Claes Nobel. Together with James Lewis, Claes established the NSHSS in 2022. To honour academic excellence in top-calibre high school students. 

How? By providing them with the network and resources they need to become the leaders of tomorrow. Of course, that means helping them succeed in college and in their future careers. What are these resources, you ask? College fairs, scholarships, partner discounts, career opportunities and more. NSHSS has a vast network. Connecting promising students with valuable partnerships is key to their future. 

A great example of NSHSS’ initiative is the ​​NSHSS Creative Writing Scholarship. Aspiring high school students who are set to graduate between 2022-2025 are eligible to join. They can submit entries in two categories: Poetry and Fiction. 

If you want to try out Poetry, you’re free to write it according to your personal preference. Whether it be formal verse, free verse, or experimental. Please format it according to how you want it to appear in the publication.

Want to submit Fiction instead? Great! The word limit is 5,000 words in any genre and not single-spaced. You can pass submissions for both entries if you like. Just limit to one per category. If you win, you get $2,000 scholarships, and your work will be published on the NSHSS website!

Website: https://www.nshss.org/scholarships/s/nshss-creative-writing-scholarship/

Scope: Worldwide 

Open For Entries: May 13, 2022

Essay Competition Deadline: October 31, 2022

Award Amount: $2,000 

6. Young Writers Awards Essay Competition

Bennington College created the Young Writers Awards to celebrate its outstanding literary legacy. It raised 3 U.S. poet laureates, 12 Pulitzer Prize winners, and countless New York Times bestsellers throughout its teaching. 

What better way to continue the legacy than by promoting writing excellence at the high school level? Bennington encourages 9th-12th grade students (US and International) to submit their best work in one of the three categories. Poetry, Fiction, and Nonfiction. 

If you choose to go for Poetry, you’ll need to provide a group of three poems. Going for Fiction instead? You can submit a short story not longer than 1,500 words. A one-act play that runs less than 30 minutes is also welcome. But what if you prefer to write Nonfiction? Awesome! Give an academic or personal essay amounting to 1,500 words or less. 

Bennington will choose 3 winners in each category to fill the positions of first, second, and third place. First-place winners garner a prize of $1,000. For second-place winners? $500. While third-place winners secure $250. 

That’s not all. Should finalists and winners study at Bennington, they’ll have the pleasure of undergraduate scholarship assistance! Finalists gain a $10,000 scholarship yearly, for a total of $40,000 for 4 years of study. What about the winners? They’ll gain a yearly $15,000 scholarship for four years. Adding up to $60,000. 

Website: https://www.bennington.edu/events/young-writers-awards  

Scope: US and International

Open For Entries: September 1

Essay Competition Deadline: November 1

Award Amount:   $1,000 for First-place winners, $500 for second-place winners, $250 for third-place winners; Plus $40,000 worth of scholarships at Bennington for finalists and $60,000 for winners

7. Young Arts Essay Competition

Pursuing arts can be a long, difficult road for young artists without financial and social support. That’s what YoungArts aim to relieve. It’s one of the few US organisations that support artists in all 10 disciplines, including dance, classical music, theatre, and writing. 

Who are eligible to apply? US citizens, permanent residents, or green card holders in high school grades 10-12. Six genres are open to aspiring young writers: Creative Nonfiction, Novel, Poetry, Play or Script, Short Story, and Spoken Word. If you make it to the Finals, you’ll be invited to the National YoungArts Week. Here you’ll meet with the judges and compete with fellow finalists. 

What are the perks of winning in YoungArts? For starters, award winners can receive cash prizes anywhere from $100 to $10,000. 

But it doesn’t stop there. Because once you win YoungArts, they’ll take you under their wing and help you navigate and succeed in your career as an artist. You’ll be part of a robust community of distinguished artists. With mentors who will give you the guidance you’ll need to excel in your field. 

Plus, you’ll have a lifetime of creative opportunities and professional support at every stage of your artistic development. And do you know that you’ll have the chance of getting nominated for the US Presidential Scholar in the Arts? It’s one of the highest honours any high school student can achieve. Exemplifying what it means to be academically and artistically excellent. 

Website: https://youngarts.org  

Open For Entries: June 7, 2022

Essay Competition Deadline: October 14, 2022

Entry Fee: $35

Award Amount: $100 to $10,000

8. Ocean Awareness Essay Competition

Linda Cabot launched Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs in 2011. It’s a nonprofit organisation established in Massachusetts, USA. Do you know where the name “Bow Seat” came from? It’s from a documentary entitled From the Bow Seat that Linda and her daughters filmed. 

The documentary discusses the environmental issues wrecking the Gulf of Maine. It was in this undertaking that Linda discovered the undeniable power of art. How it can move hearts in a way that textbooks and lectures by themselves could not. And so, Bow Seat hopes to inspire the younger generation to use their artistic talent in calling attention and awareness to care for the world’s oceans. 

Who are qualified to join this international contest? Middle and high school students who are 11-18 years old. You can submit pieces in Creative Writing or Poetry. 

For Creative Writing, you can submit both fiction and nonfiction. Short stories are perfect for fiction. For nonfiction? You can write blog posts, journal articles, or personal narratives. 

Do you want to try out Poetry? Spoken word, free, or formal verse are all accepted. Your writing should reflect the theme for the given year (since they change it yearly.) 

Winners receive cash prizes ranging from $100-$1,500 depending on your division (junior or senior) and position (gold, silver, bronze, pearl, or honourable mention).

Website: https://bowseat.org/programs/ocean-awareness-contest/contest-overview/  

Open For Entries: September 2022

Essay Competition Deadline: June 2023

Award Amount: $100-$1,500

For The Junior Division

• Gold Award – $1,000
• Silver Award – $750
• Bronze Award – $250
• Pearl Award – $150
• Honourable Mention – $100

For The Senior Division

• Gold Award – $1,500
• Silver Award – $1,000
• Bronze Award – $500
• Pearl Award – $300
• Honourable Mention – $250

9. Ayn Rand Essay Competition

The Ayn Rand Essay Competition increases awareness of Ayn Rand’s philosophy and novels. She has over 37 million books sold; among her most notable works are Anthem , The Fountainhead, and Atlas Shrugged . 

Her death in 1982 only increased her presence. You can see her in a US postage stamp, university courses, and an Oscar-nominated documentary. What keeps her voice prevalent? Her philosophy. 

You see, Ayn Rand believes that philosophy is what drives men to shape their individual lives and, ultimately, human history. She calls her particular brand of philosophy “Objectivism.” Or less formally, “a philosophy for living on earth.”

Two categories for the global Essay Competition are available for high school students: Anthem and The Fountainhead . In addition, contestants must discuss specific essay topics in their 600-1,200 word essays. It changes each year, and you can check what they are when the competition begins. 

Cash prizes are available for 5 positions: 1st place (1 winner), 2nd place (3 winners), 3rd place (5 winners), finalist (25 winners), and semi-finalist (50 winners.) 

Who can join the Anthem category? 8th-12th graders. What are the cash prizes for the winners? It ranges from $25 to $2,000. 

What about The Fountainhead? For this category, 11-12th graders can join. The cash prizes for winners range from $25 to $5,000. 

How do the judges choose the winning essays? Depending on how well the student justifies their point of view regarding Anthem’s/The Fountainhead’s philosophy. It doesn’t matter whether the Institute agrees with it or not. What’s essential is how clear, logical, and persuasive the writing is. 

Website: https://aynrand.org/students/essay-contests/#tab-3-anthem-overview  

Open For Entries: Yet to be announced

Essay Competition Deadline: Yet to be announced

Award Amount:   $25 – $5,000

• 1st Place – $2,000
• 2nd Place – $500
• 3rd Place – $100
• Finalist – $50
• Semi-Finalist – $25

The Fountainhead

• 1st Place – $5,000
• 2nd Place – $1,250
• 3rd Place – $250
• Finalist – $100
• Semi-Finalist -$25

10. River of Words® (ROW) Essay Competition

Saint Mary’s College of California’s Center for Environmental Literacy organised the international River of Words® contest. For what purpose? To inspire students to express their environmental observation through art. ROW has been encouraging students and teachers alike to savour watersheds. 

“Wait, what? Watersheds?” You may ask in wonder. Yes! The theme of the River of Words contest is all about watersheds. What are watersheds, and why are they so important?

A watershed is a land area that receives water via precipitation (rainfall and snowmelt.) The water then drains into the same body of water. Hence, every living and nonliving thing you see is part of your watershed! 

It’s vital to care for watersheds because wherever it is located, the water eventually drains somewhere . And they all create an interconnected system where each affects the other. So a problem in one watershed can have a massive effect on another! Do you want to care for the environment? Start with your own watershed. 

Who are qualified to join the ROW contest? Students who aren’t in college yet. Basically 5-19-year-old children. Raise the banner, high schoolers! 

What types of writing does ROW accept? Poetry not longer than 32 lines. There are several recognitions given to worthy poems. There’s the Monkey’s Raincoat Prize for outstanding haiku poems. And the One Square Block prize for poems that discusses the interaction between the natural world and manmade creations. 

All winning entries will be showcased in the River of Words anthology.

Website: https://www.stmarys-ca.edu/center-for-environmental-literacy/river-of-words  

Essay Competition Deadline: December 1 (except Georgia and Arizona)

Award Amount:   None

11. American Foreign Services Association (AFSA) Essay Competition

The American Foreign Services Association (AFSA) is the sole representative of the US Foreign Service, established in 1924. It serves to protect the well-being and interests of AFSA members. One of the ways to achieve this is to increase awareness among the American populace about AFSA’s vital role in supporting American leadership worldwide.

And so, it established the yearly High School Essay Contest. To help the younger generation become more acquainted with AFSA and its mission for America.

Who are eligible to participate? Students in grades 9-12 in any of the 50 states, US territories, the District of Columbia, and US citizens studying abroad. The winner will receive $2,500 and a scholarship to participate in Semester at Sea. Plus, an all-expense paid trip to Washington DC from anywhere in the US. For the winner and their parents.

The runner-up will get $1,250 and a scholarship for the National Student Leadership Conference’s International Diplomacy Program.

Here’s a glimpse of what the essay looks like. It has to be between 1,000 to 1,250 words. Each year, the AFSA hands out prompts in three questions about national security and US foreign policy.

Website: https://afsa.org/rules-and-guidelines   

Essay Competition Deadline: April (Usually)

Award Amount:   $2,500

12. John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Contest Essay Competition

The John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Contest is an initiative of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. The library and museum pay tribute to John Kennedy by keeping his memory alive. Scholars and students go here when they need to research the service and political life of the late president. In touring the place, you’ll witness his life, leadership and legacy through historical materials. 

The contest inspires the younger generation to get to know more about the political figures who demonstrated acts of courage and service. Who can join the essay competition? United States high school students grades 9-12.

The theme for the essay is political courage. Choose an elected official who served when John F. Kennedy was born (1917) or after. What service did they do to merit the honour of being described as “courageous?”

Talk about the issue they faced, whether it be of local, state, or national significance, in a 700-1,000 word essay. The winners will receive cash prizes ranging from $100 to $10,000.

Website: https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/education/profile-in-courage-essay-contest/eligibility-and-requirements  

Open For Entries: September 1, 2022

Essay Competition Deadline: January 13, 2023

Award Amount:   First-place: $10,000 , Second-place: $3,000 , 5 Finalists: $1,000 each, 8 Semi-finalists: $100 each

13. Lewis Center for the Arts Essay Competition

Princeton University offers several programs in the Arts, such as Creative Writing, Visual Arts, and Theater, through its Lewis Center for the Arts. It’s an initiative to expand creative opportunities at Princeton.

Why is it named “Lewis,” you asked? To honour Mr Lewis, who donated an extraordinary $101 million gift to herald in a new age of the arts. What better way to cultivate participation and enrichment for the arts than by sponsoring scholarships and contests?

One such contest is the writing competition. Princeton hosts two contests for 11th-grade high school students: Ten-Minute Play and Poetry. For the Ten-Minute play, participants can only submit one entry with a maximum of 10 pages. That is, one page is equal to 1 minute.

Website: https://arts.princeton.edu/about/opportunities/high-school-contests/  

Scope: US and International 

Award Amount:   $500 for First-place, $250 for Second-place, and $100 for Third-place

14. SPJ/JEA (Journalism Education Association) High School Essay Competition

The Journalism Education Association (JEA) is a nonprofit, scholastic journalism organisation. It serves to educate teachers and advisers on how best to educate students. To achieve this goal, they organise workshops and provide online resources.

One of the excellent ways to promote journalism is by conducting High School Essay competitions. It’s open to US 9th-12th graders.

Each year, JEA gives a writing prompt. The spring 2022 topic revolves around using social media for free speech within ethical bounds. The word limit for the essay is between 300 and 500 words.

What are the prizes for the winners? Scholarships ranging from $300 to $1,000 – funded by the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation. 

Website: http://jea.org/wp/home/awards-honors/high-school-essay-contest/  

Entry Fee: $5

Award Amount: $1,000 scholarship for First-place, $500 scholarship for Second-place, and $300 for Third-place

15. Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA) Essay Competition

What is the Jane Austen Society of North America? It’s a non-profit organisation dedicated to garnering as many readers as possible who will appreciate and study Jane Austen’s works and her life. Joan Austen-Leigh, Henry G. Burke, and J. David Grey founded JASNA in 1979. It has grown to become the largest society dedicated to Jane Austen, with over 5,000 members.

JASNA believes that literature is powerful in changing and enriching lives. Especially the writings of great authors, such as Jane Austen herself. To cultivate the new generations’ study and appreciation of Jane Austen’s works, JASNA arranges a Student Essay Contest every year.

Who are qualified to join? High school students from anywhere in the world! College and Graduate students are also invited.

What rewards will the winners enjoy? Scholarships ranging from $250-$1,000. The winners will also receive Norton Critical Editions of Jane Austen’s novels. Plus, one-year JASNA memberships.

Will the winning essays enjoy exposure on the JASNA website? Yes!

Website: https://jasna.org/programs/essay-contest/  

Open For Entries: February 2023

Essay Competition Deadline: date

Award Amount:   $1,000 scholarship for First-place, $500 scholarship for Second-place, and $250 scholarship for Third-place

16. World Historian Student Essay Competition

The primary mission of the World History Association (WHA) is to promote world history. How? By encouraging its publication, research, and teaching. And so, the association engages with teachers, students, and scholars of world history all over the globe. Keeping the conversation and enthusiasm for world history alive. 

To further encourage appreciation of world history, it carries out the World Historian Student Essay Competition. What is it? It’s an international writing competition open to grades K-12 students (take home the bacon high schoolers!) The issue you need to address in the essay is: “In what way has the study of world history affected my understanding of the world in which I live?”

What will the winner receive? $500! Plus a 1-year WHA membership. 

Website: https://www.thewha.org/awards/student-essay-competition/  

Scope: International 

Open For Entries: Before May 1

Essay Competition Deadline: May 1

Award Amount: $500

17. Nancy Thorp Essay Competition

For young sophomore and junior women in high school or preparatory school, the Nancy Thorp Essay Competition is created just for you by Hollins University. Nancy Thorp has been providing prizes, scholarships, and recognition to the best women poets for almost 60 years.

Who is Nancy Thorp? She was a young poet and a part of the 1960 Hollins class. Her family instituted the Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest after her death in 1962. To motivate and recognise promising young poets.

What will the winners receive? The first-place winner will receive a $350 cash prize and a renewable $5,000 scholarship at Hollins University if they choose to enrol. For the second-place winner? A renewable $1,000 scholarship at Hollins University.

Website: https://www.hollins.edu/academics/majors-minors/english-creative-writing-major/nancy-thorp-poetry-contest/  

Award Amount:   First-place: $350 cash prize and renewable $5,000 scholarship at Hollins University; Second Place: renewable $1,000 scholarship at Hollins University

18. We The Students Essay Competition

We The Students Scholarship Essay Contest is run by the Bill of Rights Institute (BRI.) Do you know that the BRI is a massive network of over 50,000 civics and history educators? It’s a nonprofit organisation focused on educating civics, teachers, and students on how to live the ideals of a just and free society.

How does it achieve its mission? By developing teaching programmes and educational resources on American government and history. Also, by sponsoring the student essay contest.

Who are eligible to join the We The Students writing competition?14-19-year-old students enrolled in any US school, including any of its territories and districts.

What will the essay be about? Every time the competition opens for new entries, they’ll display an essay prompt on their website. The 2022 essay prompt, for instance, centred on the importance of understanding one’s natural rights to building a free society. Essays should have between 500-800 words.

What will the winners receive? Cash prizes ranging from $500 to $7,500. The First-place winner will receive an additional reward – a scholarship to the Constitutional Academy.

Website: https://billofrightsinstitute.org/we-the-students-essay-contest  

Open For Entries: December 15

Essay Competition Deadline: April 15

Award Amount:   One First-Place Winner – $7,500; 5 Runners Up – $1,500 each; 10 Honourable Mentions – $500 each

19. Voice of Democracy Essay Competition

The US Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFA) established the Voice of Democracy audio-essay competition in 1947. Over 25,000 high school students from all over the country participate in the competition. A total of $2 million worth of educational scholarships and prizes will be divided among the winners.

Who are the VFA? The VFA is a US nonprofit organisation committed to serving veterans. How? By ensuring that the veterans receive the respect and entitlement that they deserve. The members of the VFA are mostly military service members and veterans.

VFA’s Voice of Democracy essay competition furthers this end by helping raise patriotism and appreciation of veterans among the new generations. There’s a different theme for each year. What was the theme for the 2022-2023 entries? It’s about “Why is the Veteran Important?”

Who are eligible to join? American middle school and high school students from grades 9-12. What will the high school winner earn? A $30,000 college scholarship!

Since it’s an audio-essay competition, the participant must submit an audio recording of their essay. The delivery has the same points as the content (35 points.) So speaking in a clear and authoritative voice is paramount!

Website: https://www.vfw.org/PatriotsPen/  

Open For Entries: Before October 31

Essay Competition Deadline: October 31

Award Amount: $30,000 college scholarship

20. John Locke Essay Competition

Who is behind the John Locke essay competition? The John Locke Institute. What does it hope to achieve? To embolden the young to nurture within them the characteristics that transform good students into brilliant writers! These characteristics include critical analysis, independent thinking, a love of knowledge, and clear reasoning.

To fully appreciate this mission, you’ll need to know who John Locke is. John Locke was an Oxford Philosopher in the 17th century. His philosophy of education zeroed in on raising a student to love and esteem knowledge. Not so much with teaching all that is knowable.

And so, entering the John Locke Essay competition is one way of building upon one’s love of knowledge and refining one’s argumentation skills. There are seven categories open for essay writers: History, Economics, Theology, Psychology, Philosophy, Politics, and Law.  

Who are eligible to join? Global students younger than 18 years old (e.g. high school students). There are several questions listed under each category. However, the candidate must answer only one question from their chosen subject.

A category winner will gain a $2,000 scholarship for any John Locke programme. How about the overall best essay winner? They’ll receive a $10,000 scholarship for any of the John Locke gap year courses and/or summer schools.

Website: https://www.johnlockeinstitute.com/essay-competition  

Scope: Global

Award Amount:  $2,000-$10,000 scholarship for John Locke programmes

There you have it! Did you enjoy the round-up of the Top 20 Essay Competitions for high school students? We sure hope you did! 

If you’re unsure what competition to try, you may want to get your feet wet with our essay competition . Thousands of students apply every year to attend our life-changing summer course and Immerse’s essay contest is free to enter. You’ve got nothing to lose and a potential 100% scholarship to gain!

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Paul Simon Essay Contest winner speaks on mental health

Editor's note: This story mentions a suicide attempt. If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the  988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline  by dialing 9-8-8, or the  Crisis Text Line  by texting HOME to 741741.

  A Princeton student recently won the Paul Simon Essay Contest. This essay highlights Illinois community colleges. The student shares how her college embraced her after she returned following a not-so-great start.

Lauren Frost is a student at Illinois Valley Community College in Oglesby, Illinois. The contest is sponsored by the Illinois Community College Trustees Association and offers a five-hundred-dollar scholarship. The student must describe, “How My Community College Has Changed My Life.” Frost said she loves writing, but essay writing wasn't a part of her repertoire.

“I'm somebody who likes to use a lot of words, and there was the 500-word limit, and I was like, oh my goodness, I don't know how to like put this all into just 500 words.”

She said she is used to creative writing and has done this since she was a child. The other thing Frost loved to do was play the Trumpet. She said she wasn’t a great player and the other kids often made fun of her.

“And so, I decided, well, I'll go into elementary education just because it was something that, you know, I knew people did. I knew it was a job option,” she said. “And so, I was like, well, I'll go into that. Um, and that didn't work out very well. I didn’t really like the classes that I had, and I didn't have a very big passion for it either. So, um, and along with that, my mental health was definitely declining. I was very depressed.”

She ended that semester with a 0.429 GPA. That was in 2021. She decided to take a break. Frost said things came to a head in May of 2022. At the age of 18, she said she tried to take her life and ended up in the hospital. Frost said after that, she went to therapy to get help.

“I ended up finding out that I had, ADHD, depression, and then, schizotypal personality disorder,” she continued, “dependent personality disorder, and borderline personality disorder, which was quite the diagnosis.”

Frost said she originally noticed something wasn’t right with her mental health when she was in seventh grade. Back then she talked to her friends and parents about her concerns.

“And they'd kind of just chalk it up to being, you know, just like going through puberty,” she said.

Frost said in the fall of 2022 she decided to enroll in IVCC again. This time she took her passion for music and mixed it with something she felt helped her maneuver through life – taking care of her mental health. Her intent was to major in social work. But one of her first classes was music appreciation. She said it set the tone for her and helped her with her anxiety. This led her to pursue an education in music therapy.

“There's always the connection that you make with people when you play music with them, of course. I mentioned that before, but even then, listening to music is like an underrated tool to help,” she explained.

Frost said her mom was the one who told her to submit an essay for the contest. Those paragraphs detailed her journey to wellness and how the college helped with that.

“And to this day, nobody ever comments on, you know, how badly my first semester there went,” she said. “And it’s always just kind of been talking about the future and what happens next.”

Frost said mental health is not talked about the way it should be. She encourages open discussions about mental health and says it is important to speak with a therapist.

Frost is scheduled to read her winning essay at the college’s commencement ceremony on May 18 th .

Monegasque Language Competition 2024

Monegasque – spoken by around 5,000 people – is a precious aspect of Monaco’s heritage and is compulsory from primary school up to secondary school year 10 (US grade 9).

Students enrolled in Year 12 (Grade 9/10) class will take the written exams on Monday 13 May from 2 pm to 3 pm.

The exam for CM2 students (primary year 6, US grade 5) will follow on Wednesday 15 May between 8.45 and 9.30 am

Can Monegasques still speak Monegasque?

Then comes the second part of the competition, with the best students from the written exam undergoing the oral test, which will take place in the new council chambers at the Town Hall over the week of 3 June 2024.

A total of 1919 students will participate in the competition this year (compared to 1886 last year). In 2023, 61 students from Monegasque schools received awards for their participation in the Monegasque Language Contest .

The traditional Monegasque Language Competition prizegiving ceremony will take place in the Cour d’Honneur at the Town Hall on Monday evening, June 20.

The best books for learning the Monegasque language

Find anything you save across the site in your account

In the campus protests over the war in Gaza, language and rhetoric are—as they have always been when it comes to Israel and Palestine—weapons of mass destruction.

By Zadie Smith

A philosophy without a politics is common enough. Aesthetes, ethicists, novelists—all may be easily critiqued and found wanting on this basis. But there is also the danger of a politics without a philosophy. A politics unmoored, unprincipled, which holds as its most fundamental commitment its own perpetuation. A Realpolitik that believes itself too subtle—or too pragmatic—to deal with such ethical platitudes as thou shalt not kill. Or: rape is a crime, everywhere and always. But sometimes ethical philosophy reënters the arena, as is happening right now on college campuses all over America. I understand the ethics underpinning the protests to be based on two widely recognized principles:

There is an ethical duty to express solidarity with the weak in any situation that involves oppressive power.

If the machinery of oppressive power is to be trained on the weak, then there is a duty to stop the gears by any means necessary.

The first principle sometimes takes the “weak” to mean “whoever has the least power,” and sometimes “whoever suffers most,” but most often a combination of both. The second principle, meanwhile, may be used to defend revolutionary violence, although this interpretation has just as often been repudiated by pacifistic radicals, among whom two of the most famous are, of course, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr . In the pacifist’s interpretation, the body that we must place between the gears is not that of our enemy but our own. In doing this, we may pay the ultimate price with our actual bodies, in the non-metaphorical sense. More usually, the risk is to our livelihoods, our reputations, our futures. Before these most recent campus protests began, we had an example of this kind of action in the climate movement. For several years now, many people have been protesting the economic and political machinery that perpetuates climate change, by blocking roads, throwing paint, interrupting plays, and committing many other arrestable offenses that can appear ridiculous to skeptics (or, at the very least, performative), but which in truth represent a level of personal sacrifice unimaginable to many of us.

I experienced this not long ago while participating in an XR climate rally in London. When it came to the point in the proceedings where I was asked by my fellow-protesters whether I’d be willing to commit an arrestable offense—one that would likely lead to a conviction and thus make travelling to the United States difficult or even impossible—I’m ashamed to say that I declined that offer. Turns out, I could not give up my relationship with New York City for the future of the planet. I’d just about managed to stop buying plastic bottles (except when very thirsty) and was trying to fly less. But never to see New York again? What pitiful ethical creatures we are (I am)! Falling at the first hurdle! Anyone who finds themselves rolling their eyes at any young person willing to put their own future into jeopardy for an ethical principle should ask themselves where the limits of their own commitments lie—also whether they’ve bought a plastic bottle or booked a flight recently. A humbling inquiry.

It is difficult to look at the recent Columbia University protests in particular without being reminded of the campus protests of the nineteen-sixties and seventies, some of which happened on the very same lawns. At that time, a cynical political class was forced to observe the spectacle of its own privileged youth standing in solidarity with the weakest historical actors of the moment, a group that included, but was not restricted to, African Americans and the Vietnamese. By placing such people within their ethical zone of interest, young Americans risked both their own academic and personal futures and—in the infamous case of Kent State—their lives. I imagine that the students at Columbia—and protesters on other campuses—fully intend this echo, and, in their unequivocal demand for both a ceasefire and financial divestment from this terrible war, to a certain extent they have achieved it.

But, when I open newspapers and see students dismissing the idea that some of their fellow-students feel, at this particular moment, unsafe on campus, or arguing that such a feeling is simply not worth attending to, given the magnitude of what is occurring in Gaza, I find such sentiments cynical and unworthy of this movement. For it may well be—within the ethical zone of interest that is a campus, which was not so long ago defined as a safe space, delineated by the boundary of a generation’s ethical ideas— it may well be that a Jewish student walking past the tents, who finds herself referred to as a Zionist, and then is warned to keep her distance, is, in that moment, the weakest participant in the zone. If the concept of safety is foundational to these students’ ethical philosophy (as I take it to be), and, if the protests are committed to reinserting ethical principles into a cynical and corrupt politics, it is not right to divest from these same ethics at the very moment they come into conflict with other imperatives. The point of a foundational ethics is that it is not contingent but foundational. That is precisely its challenge to a corrupt politics.

Practicing our ethics in the real world involves a constant testing of them, a recognition that our zones of ethical interest have no fixed boundaries and may need to widen and shrink moment by moment as the situation demands. (Those brave students who—in supporting the ethical necessity of a ceasefire—find themselves at painful odds with family, friends, faith, or community have already made this calculation.) This flexibility can also have the positive long-term political effect of allowing us to comprehend that, although our duty to the weakest is permanent, the role of “the weakest” is not an existential matter independent of time and space but, rather, a contingent situation, continually subject to change. By contrast, there is a dangerous rigidity to be found in the idea that concern for the dreadful situation of the hostages is somehow in opposition to, or incompatible with, the demand for a ceasefire. Surely a ceasefire—as well as being an ethical necessity—is also in the immediate absolute interest of the hostages, a fact that cannot be erased by tearing their posters off walls.

Part of the significance of a student protest is the ways in which it gives young people the opportunity to insist upon an ethical principle while still being, comparatively speaking, a more rational force than the supposed adults in the room, against whose crazed magical thinking they have been forced to define themselves. The equality of all human life was never a self-evident truth in racially segregated America. There was no way to “win” in Vietnam. Hamas will not be “eliminated.” The more than seven million Jewish human beings who live in the gap between the river and the sea will not simply vanish because you think that they should. All of that is just rhetoric. Words. Cathartic to chant, perhaps, but essentially meaningless. A ceasefire, meanwhile, is both a potential reality and an ethical necessity. The monstrous and brutal mass murder of more than eleven hundred people, the majority of them civilians, dozens of them children, on October 7th, has been followed by the monstrous and brutal mass murder (at the time of writing) of a reported fourteen thousand five hundred children. And many more human beings besides, but it’s impossible not to notice that the sort of people who take at face value phrases like “surgical strikes” and “controlled military operation” sometimes need to look at and/or think about dead children specifically in order to refocus their minds on reality.

To send the police in to arrest young people peacefully insisting upon a ceasefire represents a moral injury to us all. To do it with violence is a scandal. How could they do less than protest, in this moment? They are putting their own bodies into the machine. They deserve our support and praise. As to which postwar political arrangement any of these students may favor, and on what basis they favor it—that is all an argument for the day after a ceasefire. One state, two states, river to the sea—in my view, their views have no real weight in this particular moment, or very little weight next to the significance of their collective action, which (if I understand it correctly) is focussed on stopping the flow of money that is funding bloody murder, and calling for a ceasefire, the political euphemism that we use to mark the end of bloody murder. After a ceasefire, the criminal events of the past seven months should be tried and judged, and the infinitely difficult business of creating just, humane, and habitable political structures in the region must begin anew. Right now: ceasefire. And, as we make this demand, we might remind ourselves that a ceasefire is not, primarily, a political demand. Primarily, it is an ethical one.

But it is in the nature of the political that we cannot even attend to such ethical imperatives unless we first know the political position of whoever is speaking. (“Where do you stand on Israel/Palestine?”) In these constructed narratives, there are always a series of shibboleths, that is, phrases that can’t be said, or, conversely, phrases that must be said. Once these words or phrases have been spoken ( river to the sea, existential threat, right to defend, one state, two states, Zionist, colonialist, imperialist, terrorist ) and one’s positionality established, then and only then will the ethics of the question be attended to (or absolutely ignored). The objection may be raised at this point that I am behaving like a novelist, expressing a philosophy without a politics, or making some rarefied point about language and rhetoric while people commit bloody murder. This would normally be my own view, but, in the case of Israel/Palestine, language and rhetoric are and always have been weapons of mass destruction.

It is in fact perhaps the most acute example in the world of the use of words to justify bloody murder, to flatten and erase unbelievably labyrinthine histories, and to deliver the atavistic pleasure of violent simplicity to the many people who seem to believe that merely by saying something they make it so. It is no doubt a great relief to say the word “Hamas” as if it purely and solely described a terrorist entity. A great relief to say “There is no such thing as the Palestinian people” as they stand in front of you. A great relief to say “Zionist colonialist state” and accept those three words as a full and unimpeachable definition of the state of Israel, not only under the disastrous leadership of Benjamin Netanyahu but at every stage of its long and complex history, and also to hear them as a perfectly sufficient description of every man, woman, and child who has ever lived in Israel or happened to find themselves born within it. It is perhaps because we know these simplifications to be impossible that we insist upon them so passionately. They are shibboleths; they describe a people, by defining them against other people—but the people being described are ourselves. The person who says “We must eliminate Hamas” says this not necessarily because she thinks this is a possible outcome on this earth but because this sentence is the shibboleth that marks her membership in the community that says that. The person who uses the word “Zionist” as if that word were an unchanged and unchangeable monolith, meaning exactly the same thing in 2024 and 1948 as it meant in 1890 or 1901 or 1920—that person does not so much bring definitive clarity to the entangled history of Jews and Palestinians as they successfully and soothingly draw a line to mark their own zone of interest and where it ends. And while we all talk, carefully curating our shibboleths, presenting them to others and waiting for them to reveal themselves as with us or against us—while we do all that, bloody murder.

And now here we are, almost at the end of this little stream of words. We’ve arrived at the point at which I must state clearly “where I stand on the issue,” that is, which particular political settlement should, in my own, personal view, occur on the other side of a ceasefire. This is the point wherein—by my stating of a position—you are at once liberated into the simple pleasure of placing me firmly on one side or the other, putting me over there with those who lisp or those who don’t, with the Ephraimites, or with the people of Gilead. Yes, this is the point at which I stake my rhetorical flag in that fantastical, linguistical, conceptual, unreal place—built with words—where rapes are minimized as needs be, and the definition of genocide quibbled over, where the killing of babies is denied, and the precision of drones glorified, where histories are reconsidered or rewritten or analogized or simply ignored, and “Jew” and “colonialist” are synonymous, and “Palestinian” and “terrorist” are synonymous, and language is your accomplice and alibi in all of it. Language euphemized, instrumentalized, and abused, put to work for your cause and only for your cause, so that it does exactly and only what you want it to do. Let me make it easy for you. Put me wherever you want: misguided socialist, toothless humanist, naïve novelist, useful idiot, apologist, denier, ally, contrarian, collaborator, traitor, inexcusable coward. It is my view that my personal views have no more weight than an ear of corn in this particular essay. The only thing that has any weight in this particular essay is the dead. ♦

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Guest Essay

Trump Knows Dominance Wins. Someone Tell Democrats.

By M. Steven Fish

Mr. Fish is the author of “Comeback: Routing Trumpism, Reclaiming the Nation, and Restoring Democracy’s Edge.”

Donald Trump once called Bill Barr, his former attorney general, “Weak, Slow Moving, Lethargic, Gutless, and Lazy.” When Mr. Barr recently endorsed Mr. Trump, rather than express gratitude or graciousness, the former president said , “Based on the fact that I greatly appreciate his wholehearted Endorsement, I am removing the word ‘Lethargic’ from my statement. Thank you Bill. MAGA2024!”

This is the sort of thing Mr. Trump is known for, even with people who came around and bent the knee . It is a critical part of his politics — and it’s an area that pollsters aren’t fully measuring and Democratic strategists rarely take into consideration.

Politics is a dominance competition, and Mr. Trump is an avid and ruthless practitioner of it . He offers a striking contrast with most Democrats, who are more likely to fret over focus-group data and issue ever more solemn pledges to control prescription drug prices .

What these Democrats seem to have forgotten is that they have their own liberal tradition of dominance politics — and if they embrace it, they would improve their chances of defeating Trumpism. But unlike Mr. Trump, whose lies and conduct after the 2020 election were damaging to democracy, leaders like Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. exerted dominance in liberal ways and to prodemocratic ends. They obeyed the law, told the truth, and honored liberal values.

Psychologists have noted the effectiveness of dominance in elections and governing . My recent research also finds that what I call Mr. Trump’s “high-dominance strategy” is far and away his most formidable asset.

High-dominance leaders shape reality. They embrace conflict, chafe at playing defense and exhibit self-assurance even in pursuit of unpopular goals . By contrast, low-dominance leaders accept reality as it is and shun conflict. They tell people what they think they want to hear and prefer mollification to confrontation.

Today’s Republicans are all about dominance. They embrace us-versus-them framing, double down on controversial statements and take risks . Today’s Democrats often recoil from “othering” opponents and back down after ruffling feathers . They have grown obsessively risk-averse , poll-driven , allergic to engaging on hot-button issues (except perhaps abortion) — and more than a little boring.

Polling even dictates whether Democrats proclaim their own good news. Republicans never quit crowing about the economy on their watch. Democrats tend to fear doing so unless surveys show that everyone is already feeling the benefits. So in defiance of much of the evidence , voters think Mr. Trump’s economy was better than Barack Obama’s and Mr. Biden’s.

Politicians’ language reflects their dominance orientations. Mr. Trump uses entertaining and provocative parlance and calls opponents — and even allies — weak , gutless and pathetic . Still, neuroscientists monitoring listeners’ brain activity while they watched televised debates found that audiences — not just Mr. Trump’s followers — delighted in the belittling nicknames he uses for his opponents. His boldness and provocations held audience attention at a much higher level than his opponents’ play-it-safe recitations of their policy stances and résumés.

Mr. Trump is also often crude and regularly injects falsehoods into his comments. But these are not in and of themselves signs of dominance; it’s just that the Democrats’ inability to effectively respond makes them appear weak by comparison.

For their own part, Democrats typically refrain from transgressive language and often present themselves as vulnerable and menaced . When Kamala Harris was asked in January if she was scared of a second Trump term, she said , “I am scared as heck!” and added that “we should all be scared.”

To voters, that fear smells like weakness. In a 2022 CBS News survey on parties’ traits, the most frequently cited description of the Democratic Party was “weak.” In a recent Gallup poll , 38 percent regarded Mr. Biden as “a strong and decisive leader,” compared with 57 percent for Mr. Trump.

A reputation for weakness may be a singularly damaging liability. In a 2016 exit poll , more than twice as many voters said they wanted a “strong leader” than one who “shares my values” or “cares about people like me.” In another poll, Mr. Trump was regarded as the “ stronger leader .”

The American National Elections Studies has polled voters on presidential candidates’ traits since the 1980s, and the candidate who rated higher on “strong leadership” has never lost. The one who more people agree “really cares about people like you” loses about half the time.

High-dominance messaging necessitates unfailingly asserting your side’s moral superiority. But the psychologists John Jost and Orsolya Hunyady find that liberals feel compelled to give equal credence to conservative intuitions. They struggle to adopt the us-versus-them framing that is crucial to rousing supporters and confronting opponents who decidedly do not honor the legitimacy of liberals’ opinions — or even necessarily the results of free elections. Psychologists have also shown that Democrats are conflicted about the appropriate use of aggression.

Such crippling qualms are recent problems. Roosevelt, Kennedy, Johnson and King owned the Republicans. Their high-dominance styles enabled the creation of every progressive program their low-dominance successors are struggling to salvage today.

On the eve of his first re-election, Roosevelt thundered : “I should like to have it said of my first administration that in it the forces of selfishness and of lust for power met their match. I should like to have it said of my second administration that in it these forces met their master.” Kennedy hammered home that the Republicans’ limp social welfare policies and tepid approach to civil rights failed to show the world what America was made of , and he never hesitated to aggressively trumpet triumphs .

Johnson mixed bigot-busting rhetoric with ferocious arm-twisting to muscle voting rights , colorblind immigration policy and Medicare into law. He did enjoy Democratic congressional majorities, but he also faced the necessity of bringing around the segregationist wing of his party, and his high-dominance style was key to his legislative victories.

Few were less solicitous of prevailing opinion than King. With reference to the 1964 Republican presidential nominee, Barry Goldwater, King said that he could “go halfway with Brother Goldwater” on the idea that legislation couldn’t solve racism. With tongue planted firmly in cheek, he then smoothly eviscerated Goldwater’s stance: “It may be true that the law can’t make a man love me, but it can restrain him from lynching me.” King’s reference to “Brother Goldwater,” who opposed all manner of civil rights legislation, bore no hint of sarcasm. But he also knew that he was owning his opponent by wielding what he always called “the weapon of love” and using language that expressed self-assurance and faith in the nation to establish moral superiority.

There are contemporary Democrats with a high-dominance style. Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky stands up for trans and abortion rights , proclaimed June Pride Month in the state, and chided the unvaccinated during the pandemic. When a Republican lawmaker displayed a photo of Mr. Beshear with drag queens at a gay rights rally and accused him of corrupting kids, the governor shot back that the participants “are as much Kentuckians as anybody else.”

The Republican tucked his tail between his legs, whimpering: “My problem is not with the gay movement. I didn’t say anything about the ‘Pride Celebration.’” Mr. Beshear won re-election by five points in a state Mr. Trump carried by 26 points in 2020.

Mr. Biden’s Republican-owning 2024 State of the Union address and the briny language he uses to describe Mr. Trump in private delighted the Democrats — and won rare kudos from Republican strategists. But these are just flashes of dominance — and flashes aren’t nearly enough.

A dominance advantage is no guarantee of victory, as Mr. Trump’s 2020 loss to Mr. Biden showed. What’s more, Mr. Trump may sometimes pay a price for his extreme dominance style, whether it’s by turning off some voters or incurring the wrath of impatient judges in his seemingly endless court cases.

Still, Mr. Trump’s high-dominance style remains the most formidable tool in his arsenal. Taking on Mr. Trump’s party in its area of greatest strength would leave it beatable in national elections.

Mr. Biden could even counter the perception that his age has rendered him feeble by taking a page from his higher-dominance predecessors, the mighty leaders who mobilized dominance to promote freedom, equality and progress.

M. Steven Fish, a political scientist at the University of California, Berkeley, is the author of “Comeback: Routing Trumpism, Reclaiming the Nation, and Restoring Democracy’s Edge.”

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

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Samarkand to stage FIFA Futsal World Cup draw

The draw for this year's FIFA Futsal World Cup will be held in Samarkand’s historic Registan Square on 26 May.

Draw for first FIFA tournament in Central Asia to take place on 26 May

24-team draw to be held in Samarkand’s historic Registan Square

Tashkent, Andijan and Bukhara will host games from 14 September to 6 October

The draw for the FIFA Futsal World Cup Uzbekistan 2024™ will be made on 26 May, as the build-up continues to the first FIFA tournament to be hosted in Central Asia. The tenth edition of the FIFA Futsal World Cup™ will be contested from 14 September to 6 October across three Host Cities: the capital, Tashkent; Andijan, which is located in the Fergana Valley, and the ancient Silk Road trading centre of Bukhara. The 24 qualified teams will feature in the draw, which will be staged in Samarkand’s historic and spectacular Registan Square – a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2001. One of the most striking settings on the Silk Road, the square boasts stunning azure mosaics, set in an expansive plaza, and sits as the centrepiece of the ancient city of Samarkand.

The draw will include holders Portugal and record five-time champions Brazil, as well as four tournament debutants: Afghanistan, France, New Zealand and Tajikistan. A result of their strong showings at last month’s AFC Futsal Asian Cup, the qualification of Afghanistan and Tajikistan means that this landmark edition of the FIFA Futsal World Cup for Central Asia will feature four teams from the region for the first time. Tajikistan will take part in their first senior FIFA global showpiece, while the Afghan team will compete in their nation’s maiden FIFA tournament. This year’s competition will be Kazakhstan’s third straight appearance at the tournament. Uzbekistan will become the fourth AFC member association to host the FIFA Futsal World Cup, after Hong Kong (1992), Chinese Taipei (2004) and Thailand (2012). Futsal has grown greatly in Uzbekistan over the last decade. The national team participated in the FIFA Futsal World Cup for the first time in 2016 and reached the knockout stage at the 2021 edition, when they were edged out in the last 16 following a 9-8 defeat to IR Iran in one of the most memorable matches in the tournament’s history. The White Wolves have finished as runners-up at the AFC Futsal Asian Cup on four occasions and have graced the podium in the continental competition’s last five editions, finishing third at this year’s instalment. The 24-team line-up for the FIFA Futsal World Cup Uzbekistan 2024 is as follows: Afghanistan, Angola, Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, France, Guatemala, IR Iran, Kazakhstan, Libya, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Panama, Paraguay, Portugal, Spain, Tajikistan, Thailand, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Venezuela. Fans interested in attending the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2024™ can register to receive ticketing updates here .