Competitions
Below is a list of annual competitions that are free to enter.
September
Explorers Against Extinction: Stories for Survival is a creative initiative that celebrates the power of storytelling to inspire awareness and action for conservation. Through compelling narratives, whether fiction or non-fiction, we aim to shine a light on the interconnectedness of people, wildlife, and the environment. By sharing your unique voice, you can contribute to a global conversation about the challenges our planet faces and the hope that lies in protecting its future.
In 2025 Stories for Survival is being run in association with PureTravel, a leading UK Travel Blog. Pure Travel has supported both conservation and travel writing since 2008. This year, the winning Stories for Survival author will be awarded a US$500 prize sponsored by Pure Travel, which they may like to put towards future travels.
Age Range: For All Ages
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Fiction, Nonfiction
History: None
Entries are due 15 September 2025
He(a)rd Magazine: Our submissions are open to all young writers ages 11-18 in Hong Kong. We are always looking for new pieces for our themed issues so if you have artwork, poetry, short stories, and creative nonfiction you want to see published in a zine, send them our way!
Theme: “Metamorphosis”
Like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, we have all transformed in our lives in one way or another. From the innocence of childhood to the flux of adolescence and the discoveries that we encountered while growing up, we wake up each day to a new version of ourselves.
The process is often messy and tedious, yet we persevere because beauty only manifests after.
What cocoon, did you break out of?
Please note that He(a)rd is an AI-free space! This mean that no AI can be used in any part of the process, from ideation to writing! Also, for copyright reasons, please do not include lyrics in your piece. Song titles are okay.
Age Range: For ages 11-18.
Location: Hong Kong
Genres: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Art, Poetry
History: 4 of our students have been published
Entries are due on 28 September 2026
Write the World: Short Story Competition: “In a lot of ways, I think that a novel is a nesting doll of short stories,” says author and former Guest Judge Rowana Miller. “Each paragraph is an extremely short story; each scene is a piece of flash fiction; each chapter is a classic short story.” Miller believes that no matter the length, fiction writing calls for the same crucial components: compelling characters, a rich sense of place, intentional pacing, and a clear narrative arc.
This month, dear writers, you have 1,000 words. If you participated in last month’s flash fiction competition, you practiced refinement and precision with short-form writing. Now you can apply those skills to an extended story, expanding on those central fiction techniques by adding more vivid descriptions, rounding out your characters, and answering any questions your readers might have had! (Note: While you are welcome to submit a longer version of the flash story you entered last month, this is NOT a requirement—you are equally welcome to submit a new story entirely).
Age Range: For ages 13-19.
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Narrative
History: None
Entries are due on 28 September 2026
October
Solarpunk Magazine: Solarpunk is a prefigurative, utopian artistic movement that envisions what the future might look like if humanity solved major modern challenges like climate change and created more sustainable and balanced societies. As a genre and cultural aesthetic, it encompasses literature, visual art, fashion, video games, architecture, and more. Solarpunk carries many aspects of punk ideologies such as counterculture, humanitarianism, egalitarianism, animal rights, decolonization, anti-racism, anti-sexism, anti-authoritarianism, anti-corporatism, and anti-consumerism. The greatest difference between solarpunk and its sister genre, cyberpunk, is that solarpunk observes harmony between nature and technology.
Not all solarpunk stories take place in idealistic utopias. Many tales are rife with compelling conflict among people and communities optimistically striving to reach that ideal while still struggling to solve some existing challenges. But most solarpunk stories do share commonalities: futuristic or near-futuristic settings; optimistic perspectives; equitable societies; and balance between community, ecology, and technology are inherent to solarpunk writing. In short, solarpunk stories are decidedly not dystopias.
Age Range: For all ages
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Nonfiction, Art
History: None
Entries are due 1-14 October 2026
New York Times Growing Up With A.I.: A Multimedia Challenge for Teenagers and Educators:
This fall, we invite students and educators to explore these questions, and then show — in words or images, audio or video — how this technology is affecting you and the teenagers you know.
We know we don’t have to explain to anyone in a classroom today just how profoundly generative A.I. has changed life in and out of school since ChatGPT was released in late 2022. Our goal, instead, is to learn from you, our core audience of middle and secondary students and teachers.
What is it like to grow up alongside A.I.? How, if at all, have you used it? What about it is surprising, interesting or exciting? What is concerning, perplexing, scary — or even boring? What do you wish more people understood? What can you show or tell from your unique point of view that might add nuance to the conversation? Up to 450 words.
Age Range: For Ages 13-19
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Microfiction, poetry, nonfiction, art, photos, scripts, graphs, videos
History: None
Entries are due 22 October 2025
Write the World: Creative Writing on Justice: What is “justice”? American Founding Father Thomas Jefferson wrote that “justice is the fundamental law of society.” On one hand, the term describes lofty ideals: to treat people impartially and fairly, to prevent harm, to uphold rights. But it is also used in other ways: Sometimes to advocate for social causes, other times to challenge a punishment.
Supreme Court of the United States Chief Justice John Roberts reminds us, in the quote above, that justice is a dynamic process that requires will and action. It is not a given. The systems that define and reinforce fairness, individual and communal rights, self-determination, access, freedom, and more—they are not promised. They can be fragile and are upheld, disrupted, or reinforced by each generation. Whether one finds themself in a democratic, autocratic, or “laissez faire” leadership system (see here for more on these terms), that system is defined or disrupted by the people who inherit and co-create it.
For this month’s competition, sponsored by the Supreme Court Historical Society, we invite you to explore the theme of justice through an original piece of creative writing (e.g. poem, fictional story, song, play, etc.). Consider justice at any scale, whether that be the “micro” level—school, home, work, sports practice—or the “macro” level, in our local, national, global, or digital communities. Each of these systems shapes and is shaped by our participation (or inaction).
Age Range: For ages 13-19.
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Poetry, Personal Narrative, Argumentative Essay
History: None
Entries are due on 28 October 2025
November
Bennington College Young Writers Award: Bennington College has given many of our nation’s foremost writers their start. They include twelve Pulitzer Prize winners, three U.S. poet laureates, four MacArthur Geniuses, and authors of countless New York Times bestsellers. In celebration of this legacy, Bennington launched the Young Writers Awards to promote outstanding writing achievement at the high school level. High school students worldwide are invited to enter.
Age Range: For Grades 9-12, entries can be submitted by a teacher.
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry
History: None
Entries are due 1 November 2026
Bennington College Young Artists Award: The Bennington College Young Artists Awards celebrate exceptional high school students in grades 9-12 whose work demonstrates creativity, personal voice, and synthesis of materials and ideas.
Open to students worldwide, these awards are free to enter and offer cash prizes up to $2,000, recognition, publication, or showcase opportunities, and scholarships for students who enroll at Bennington College.
All submissions to the Young Artists Awards will be reviewed for authenticity and originality. No Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used to brainstorm, create, draft, revise, or collaborate in any way. Submissions that utilize AI will be disqualified.
Age Range: For Grades 9-12, entries can be submitted by a teacher.
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Art
History: None
Entries are due 1 November 2026
Write the World: Environmental Writing:
Alaskan snow. Granite hills. Black-sand beaches. The desert at dawn. Around the world, we experience vast and varied forms of wilderness. As Guest Judge and Pulitzer-winning environmental journalist Ed Yong reminds us, there are many ways to immerse ourselves in its wonders.
Perhaps, for you, that means salmon-fishing on the banks of a rushing river or running through forest pine. Do you spend your nights mapping the constellations of a star-lit sky, or falling asleep to the din of traffic in an urban landscape? Do you engage with the environment through advocacy, marching for climate justice or writing letters to local policymakers in your pocket of the globe?
However you immerse yourself in your environment, this truth holds: Nature is reciprocal. It is something that we move in and, in turn, become moved by. For this month’s competition, sponsored by Patagonia, explore this symbiotic relationship—this dance between people and the places that surround them—through a piece of original environmental writing. You may write in any genre (e.g. personal essay, opinion piece, poem, song). As you do so, consider how your words can portray this cause and effect, this impact of nature on humans and vice versa.
Age Range: For Ages 13-19
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Creative Nonfiction, Poetry
History: None
Entries are due on 23 November 2026
i-Learner Writing Competition: Write a short, descriptive story with the title: My Day at the Beach.
For Grades 1-3.
Entries are due on 30 November 2024
i-Learner Writing Competition: Write a short story about one of the following prompts:
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a pair of siblings who make a discovery in a forest
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Write a story with the opening line 'I had always wondered what was behind the door at the end of the hallway.'
For Grades 4-6.
Entries are due on 30 November 2024
December
One Teen Story: One Teen Story publishes 3 stories a year and accepts submissions from teen writers ages 13-19.
For our One Teen Story contest, we ask writers to enter their original, unpublished fiction. We are interested in great short stories of any genre about the teen experience—literary, fantasy, sci-fi, love stories, horror, etc. What’s in a great short story? Interesting teen characters, strong writing, and a beginning, middle, and end.
Prize
The winning stories will be published in forthcoming issues of One Teen Story, which will reach over ten thousand readers. The contest winners will receive $500 upon publication and 25 copies of the magazine featuring their work. The contest winners will also have the opportunity to work with a One Teen Story editor prior to publication. Honorable mentions will be chosen in three age categories: 13-15, 16-17, and 18-19, and each will be announced on our website, by email announcement, and on social media.
Age Range: For ages 13-19.
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Fiction
History: None
Entries are due 2 December 2025
New York Times Tiny Memoir Contest: Can you tell a meaningful and interesting true story from your life in just 100 words? That’s the challenge we pose to teenagers with our 100-Word Personal Narrative Contest, a storytelling form popularized by Modern Love’s Tiny Love Stories series.
After running this contest for three years, receiving a total of more than 37,000 entries, and honoring dozens of excellent miniature teen-written memoirs, we have discovered the answer is a resounding yes.
So, we challenge you to try it yourself.
Age Range: For Ages 13-19
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Microfiction
History: None
Entries are due 3 December 2025
Gotham Writers: Leave Your Mark: Write about a scar. Physical or invisible. This could be a scar you have, or one for a character you make up. You can do this in any form you like: story, song, script, or poem, as long as it's 250 words or fewer.
The writer of the most compelling story will receive a $400 Gotham credit, a $50 gift certificate to Bookshop, and publication on our website. Plus bragging rights—you'll be the first winner of Gotham's inaugural teen writing contest. Two finalists will each receive a free Gotham class of their choosing and publication on our website.
Age Range: For Ages 13-18
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Microfiction
History: None
Entries are due 15 December 2025
Write the World: People's Choice Awards 2025: This month marks our fourth annual People’s Choice Award! As always, the ball is in your court as YOU will decide the winner, dear writers. After sharing your own response to the prompt and exploring your peers’ work, you’ll have the opportunity to nominate and vote for the winning piece—and, for the first time since we launched People's Choice Award, we'll also be recognizing the best piece of feedback given through a peer review.
Word Limits: 1-1000
Competition Opens: 2 December
Final Entries Due: 22 December
Age Range: For ages 13-19.
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry
History: None
Entries are due on 22 December 2025
January
Solarpunk Magazine: Solarpunk is a prefigurative, utopian artistic movement that envisions what the future might look like if humanity solved major modern challenges like climate change and created more sustainable and balanced societies. As a genre and cultural aesthetic, it encompasses literature, visual art, fashion, video games, architecture, and more. Solarpunk carries many aspects of punk ideologies such as counterculture, humanitarianism, egalitarianism, animal rights, decolonization, anti-racism, anti-sexism, anti-authoritarianism, anti-corporatism, and anti-consumerism. The greatest difference between solarpunk and its sister genre, cyberpunk, is that solarpunk observes harmony between nature and technology.
Not all solarpunk stories take place in idealistic utopias. Many tales are rife with compelling conflict among people and communities optimistically striving to reach that ideal while still struggling to solve some existing challenges. But most solarpunk stories do share commonalities: futuristic or near-futuristic settings; optimistic perspectives; equitable societies; and balance between community, ecology, and technology are inherent to solarpunk writing. In short, solarpunk stories are decidedly not dystopias.
Age Range: For all ages
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Nonfiction, Art
History: None
Entries are due 1-14 January 2027
Hong Kong Young Writers Award: The HKYWA is an annual competition for aspiring writers to showcase their talents and creativity in fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and cover art. The competition’s main aim is to foster excellence in creativity by providing students with the opportunity to develop their expressive talents and expand their horizons. At HKYWA we know writing is not only fun, but an incredibly powerful method that can help children develop critical thinking skills, creativity and enhance their imaginations, as well as improving their reading comprehension, spelling, grammar and punctuation, and communication skills. The awards encourage and recognise excellence in English writing and artwork among students, aged from 5-18, of various age groups, diverse backgrounds and different learning abilities. Since its inception in 2010, the competition has been a resounding success, with more than 1900+ innovative entries coming in from 400+ participating teachers across Hong Kong, Macau and China in 2025.
All entries should be based on the theme for 2026, New Tales of China’s Silk Road. One winner will be chosen in each of the groups, and one lucky student will be named The Hong Kong Young Writer of 2026.
Age Range: For Hong Kong students in Grades 1-3, 4-6, 7-9, 10-11, and 12. All entries must be submitted by a teacher.
Location: Hong Kong
Genres: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry
History: Three of our members have been short-listed
Entries are due on 16 January 2025
Hong Kong International Literacy Festival Poetry Competition: This year's theme is 'Generations'.
Age Range: For Ages 8-15 and 16+.
Location: Hong Kong
Genres: Poetry
History: One of our members has won!
Entries are due on 11 January 2025
Write the World: Open Journalism:
Sharing an opinion in the age of the internet, social media, and AI can sometimes feel like shouting into the void. But what happens if we take a deep breath, slow down, ask good questions, embrace the process, and humbly bring the reader along with us as we try to figure things out?
Using clear, convincing language, solid evidence, and empathy for your “naysayer” (or those with counterarguments), how can you, dear writer, shift the tone or direction of an important conversation? Through your own opinion essay, or Op-Ed, make an argument about an issue that matters to you.
Age Range: For ages 13-19.
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Stories
History: None
Entries are due on 25 January 2027
February
Holocaust Art & Writing Contest - Every person caught in the net of the Holocaust carried with them something of personal value whether it was carried in one’s hand or one’s heart. What each person chose tells us something about them as individuals, about what mattered to them, and perhaps about what they thought might be a source of strength for survival. Their choices also challenge us to think about who we are and about what matters to us.
Age Range: Grades 6-8 and 9-12.
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Art, Film, Poetry, Prose
History: None
Entries are due on 2 February 2026
The Wharf Hong Kong Secondary School Art Competition: This year's Competition is themed “Urban Oasis” and features a special award, while participants are also free to create based on any theme. All entries are subject to the themes covered by sub-clause 2(ii) in the Terms and Conditions .
Age Range: Grades 7-12.
Location: Hong Kong
Genres: Painting, Digital Art
History: None
Entries are due on 9 February 2026
Elmridge Literary Competition: Whether winding through the great cities of the world, or meandering across quiet country landscapes, Rivers have always fascinated writers and poets. To commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Death of RC Sherriff and the Anniversary of the publication of ‘Three Men In A Boat’, The 20th Elmbridge Literary Competition is looking for short stories and poems on the theme of ‘The River’.
Rivers flow through literature, whether as tributaries representing the journey through life, or as passage to the Underworld. They have served as home to Mr Toad and friends, the lair of goat-eating trolls and have been there to mess about on, as Huckleberry Finn or the three men in Jerome K Jerome’s classic story can attest. Today they are at the heart of the environmental debate. RC Sherriff, the author of ‘Journey’s End’, spent many hours on the river. A memorial to his passion for rowing, The Rowing Eight, still stands on the banks of The River Thames.
Age Range: For ages 5-7, 8-11, 11-13, 14-18, and adults.
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Poetry, Fiction
History: None
Entries are due on 24 February 2025 No announcements for 2026 yet
Write the World: YA Romance:
What is one of the most popular genres sold across bookstores, even among those who do not otherwise read for fun? If you answered Young Adult Romance, you’re spot on. Though the genre might seem lighthearted—set in high school gymnasiums, summer camps, prom—it often invites readers to think about much deeper aspects of coming-of-age: identity, self-expression, advocacy, boundaries, diversity, conflict, futurity, and so much more.
So, while this month invites you to pen original prose in the YA Romance genre, consider how your story can transcend first crushes to dive more deeply into culture, geography, personal development, and more. What do we learn about ourselves through love? What happens when we seek it or reject it? In what ways are our broader worlds—our families, histories, communities, and belief systmes—embedded in our relationships with others? Use techniques like dialogue, setting, and internal and external conflict to help these themes emerge in your work.
Age Range: For ages 13-19.
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Stories
History: None
Entries are due on 22 February 2027
The Classical Association Poetry Competition: We are delighted to be working in collaboration with Sir John Soane’s Museum to open entries for our 2026 Competition, which is free for everyone to enter, of any age, across the world. Explore the fascinating classical objects in the Sir John Soane collection and be creatively inspired to submit your poems and spoken word pieces!
Age Range: For ages 6-11, 12-18, and 19+.
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Poetry
History: None
Entries are due on 27 February 2026
The Canterbury Tales Writing Competition:
The Chaucer Heritage Trust is very pleased to launch its ninth annual writing competition for schools and home educated students inspired by the works of Geoffrey Chaucer, considered by many England’s greatest medieval poet.
The special theme of the competition is ‘Happily ever after?’
Choose ONE of the following:
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Write a poem or story that ends happily
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Write a poem or story that ends happily, but not for everyone
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Write a description (in verse or prose) of a character who comes to a bad end
Age Range: For ages 5-10, 11-14, and 15-18.
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Poetry, Fiction
History: None
Entries are due on 28 February 2026
A Long Winter's Night: From dark until dawn can be a long, long way, especially through the dreary nights of winter. Tell us the story of a long winter’s night, true or made up, but make it short: fifty words or less.
Age Range: For all ages
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Microfiction
History: None
Entries are due on 28 February 2026
How Does War Affect People's Lives?: We want to learn from you about the individuals and communities affected by war. What’s a story that needs to be told? Is there a certain person that has inspired you? What are some of the impacts of war that people might not consider? Share your thoughts using poetry, art, speech and song! You can enter each category once! Cash and voucher prizes, and the winning school will be awarded with an online author's visit.
Age Range: Ages 9-18, students under 15 years old must be submitted by an adult.
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Poetry, Art, Speech, and Song
History: None
Entries are due on 27 February 2026
March
Hong Kong Budding Poets Award: This year's categories are mountain, river, and wind.
Age Range: Grades 1-6 and 7-12. entries are submitted by a teacher.
Location: Hong Kong
Genres: Poetry
History: 10 students have been published
Entries are due on 6 March 2026
He(a)rd Magazine: Music has always shaped lives and culture, impacting each and every one of us. As a companion, it can enhance our best and worst memories, and define our relationships with others. How does music affect your life, and how does it reflect your identity?
Your prose, poem or art could, for example, explore what music means to you/your characters at an important moment or junction in their lives. Or it could capture the way music and sound inspires us.
We want your ideas on “soundtrack” far and wide. For artwork, please take this metaphorically.
Age Range: For ages 11-18.
Location: Hong Kong
Genres: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Art, Poetry
History: 4 of our students have been published in this magazine
Entries are due on 13 March 2026
Write the World: Songwriting:
“A song can distill a feeling into a melody and lyrics that make the experience feel immediate,” says songwriter, former Guest Judge (and former WtW competition winner!) Katherine Lynn-Rose. “That’s what makes songwriting such a powerful medium for storytelling.” Music and song are incredibly resonant to the human experience, tracing back to the beginning of time as the oral tradition that kept stories alive before written language. Whether through a catchy chorus, thoughtful stanzas, meaningful narrative, or a dance-worthy rhythm, songwriting has the power to affect people deeply.
This month, dear writers, tell us a story through song. Write the words, and record a version if you are inclined, as we’ll be selecting winners for both best lyrics and best performance.
Age Range: For ages 13-19.
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Stories
History: None
Entries are due on 22 March 2027
Student Story Slam: We are thrilled to confirm the 6th edition of our storytelling competition for secondary school students in Hong Kong.
This competition offers students a public speaking experience to build their presentation skills and boost creativity.
The event will be held in English, but students will be judged on their story not their English proficiency. Read about the experience of the 2024 winners in the SCMP Young Post.
This year's theme is Snapshots.
You're free to interpret the theme creatively. Search your memories for stories that show us a snapshot of you.
Let yourself get inspired by moments you wish to relive, a place or a friendship dear to you, or even embarrassing moments unwittingly snapshotted in your memories.
Age Range: For Grades 7-12.
Location: Hong Kong
Genres: Personal Narrative
History: None
Entries are due on 29 March 2025
Parsec Short Story Contest: The 2026 Contest theme is “Metamorphosis“
Send us your stories of complete transformations, inside and out. Of inevitable moments of sudden, irrevocable change. Of destruction that leads to unexpected growth.
Age Range: Grades 7-12.
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror
History: None
Entries are due on 31 March 2025
April
Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest: Now in its 24th year, this contest seeks today's best humor poems. No fee to enter. Submit published or unpublished work. $3,750 in prizes.
Age Range: For all ages.
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Poetry
History: None
Entries are due on 1 April 2026
Solarpunk Magazine: Solarpunk is a prefigurative, utopian artistic movement that envisions what the future might look like if humanity solved major modern challenges like climate change and created more sustainable and balanced societies. As a genre and cultural aesthetic, it encompasses literature, visual art, fashion, video games, architecture, and more. Solarpunk carries many aspects of punk ideologies such as counterculture, humanitarianism, egalitarianism, animal rights, decolonization, anti-racism, anti-sexism, anti-authoritarianism, anti-corporatism, and anti-consumerism. The greatest difference between solarpunk and its sister genre, cyberpunk, is that solarpunk observes harmony between nature and technology.
Not all solarpunk stories take place in idealistic utopias. Many tales are rife with compelling conflict among people and communities optimistically striving to reach that ideal while still struggling to solve some existing challenges. But most solarpunk stories do share commonalities: futuristic or near-futuristic settings; optimistic perspectives; equitable societies; and balance between community, ecology, and technology are inherent to solarpunk writing. In short, solarpunk stories are decidedly not dystopias.
Age Range: For all ages
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Nonfiction, Art
History: None
Entries are due 1-14 April 2026
Mythology Competition 2026: Students are invited to submit a piece of Creative Writing, Art or an animation in response to all or a part of:
Key Stage 2 – The Monster in the Maze: Theseus and the Minotaur
Key Stage 3 – The Spinner of Webs: Arachne and Athena
We would suggest students familiarise themselves with the myth through any anthology, and perhaps also listen to the myth being read.
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Creative writing, art, animation
History: None
Entries are due on 17 April 2026
Create a Picture Book: The competition categories include Young Creators (4-7 years); Primary (7-11 years); and Secondary (11+ years). Prizes include £200 of books for each of the winning schools, plus a book bundle for the individual creators. The overall winner will receive a free online author event for their school.
Age Range: For ages 4-7, 7-11, and 11-18.
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Picture Books
History: None
Entries are due on 19 April 2024 - No announcements for 2025 yet
Author of Tomorrow: Dare, Dream, Write: The Author of Tomorrow Award is designed to find the adventure writers of the future. Part of the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize, it is an annual competition open to young people across the world who have completed a short piece of adventure writing in English.
Age Range: For ages 6-21.
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Adventure
History: None
Entries are due on 19 April 2026
Write the World: Nature Poetry:
“I want to know the names of everything I plant: aster, wax mallow, and the difference between bee balm and bee blossom,” says poet and former Guest Judge Aimee Nezhukumatathil. “Knowing names correctly is everything; it’s a key to connection and tenderness and a turn to kindness.”
Nature poetry is a precise art. To know something and be connected to it requires slowness and attention, and to communicate it well to other people calls for specificity and rich detail. This month, dear writers, name the world around you. How can you use meter, rhythm, and figurative language to turn your readers toward reflection and appreciation for the natural world?
Age Range: For ages 13-19.
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Poetry
History: None
Entries are due on 26 April 2027
Website
May
Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Good People Good Deeds: The Competition provides young writers with a platform to explore the world of writing, to stretch their imagination; and most importantly, to infuse positive energy into society, thus fostering social cohesion and promoting care, mutual help and solidarity in the local community. Students may write how a person can make a difference simply by showing love, appreciation and kindness to people around them.
Age Range: Grades 4-6, 7-9, 10-12.
Location: Hong Kong
Genres: Personal Narrative
History: None
Entries are due on 15 May 2026
Write the World: Personal Narrative on Mental Health: Placeholder
Age Range: For ages 13-19.
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Creative Nonfiction
History: None
Entries are due 24 May 2027.
Website
John Locke Institute 2025 Global Essay Prize: The John Locke Institute encourages young people to cultivate the characteristics that turn good students into great writers: independent thought, depth of knowledge, clear reasoning, critical analysis and persuasive style. Our Essay Competition invites students to explore a wide range of challenging and interesting questions beyond the confines of the school curriculum.
Entering an essay in our competition will build knowledge, and refine skills of argumentation. It also gives students the chance to have their work assessed by experts. All of our essay prizes are judged by a panel of senior academics drawn from leading universities including Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Princeton, and Stanford, under the leadership of the Chairman of Examiners, Prof. Terence Kealey.
The judges will select the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prizewinners from each of the ten subject categories - Economics, History, International Relations, Law, Philosophy, Politics, Psychology, Public Policy, Science & Technology, and Theology - and then select the winner of the Grand Prize for the best entry in any subject.
Junior contestants may answer any question from any category, and will be judged separately, against their age peers, within each category.
Age Range: For ages 10-14 and 15-20
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Nonfiction Essay
History: None
Entries are due 31 May 2026
June
A Very Short Story Contest: It may be apocryphal, but the story goes that Ernest Hemingway won a bet by writing a short story that ran fewer than ten words. One version of the story places the bet at the famed Algonquin “round table.” Whether true or not, there is an actual bet-winning short story attributed to Hemingway:
For sale. Baby shoes. Never worn.
Pretty good, right? There’s a whole world of background and emotion lurking beneath those words.
We would like to make a similar bet with you. 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.
Age Range: All Ages
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Microfiction
History: None
Entries are due 1 June 2026
John Estay Student Writing Competition:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…”
—Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of Independence
Written 250 years ago, the Declaration of Independence formally severed ties between the United States and Great Britain. In it, the American colonists listed the crown’s offenses against them, which included unfair taxation, military oppression, and depriving citizens of fair trials. Written by Thomas Jefferson and edited by a committee of the Continental Congress including Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, the Declaration set out principles in writing that the new nation would strive to achieve for the following 250 years and beyond.
This prompt is a quote from the Declaration of Independence and can be used as a first line, a last line, a jumping-off point, an inspiration for your students’ work. They can use the entire quote or portions of it to write a fiction or nonfiction story, poem, song, scene, short monologue or other form of writing. Submissions should be 1,000 words or less regardless of format.
To help your students understand the prompt better, we put together a blog post with a brief history and examples of other writers who used the Declaration as inspiration. Read more at “The Declaration of Independence: 250 Years and Counting.” The National Archives also has a number of resources, including this in-depth history of the writing of the document.
Age Range: For Grades 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12, entries are submitted by a teacher.
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Song, Scene, or Monologue
History: None
Entries are due 3 June 2026
2026 Ocean Awareness Contest: The 2026 Ocean Awareness Contest – Your Story, Our Ocean – encourages you to explore the many ways our ocean sustains, protects, and inspires us. We invite you to think about your personal connection to the ocean – whether you’re coastal or landlocked – through the value it brings to your life. The benefits of the ocean are widespread and multifaceted, from food production to climate regulation to artistic inspiration. Go through the sub-themes and explore the topics that resonate with you. Share how the ocean has shaped your story through art, writing, performance, film, or multimedia. How does the ocean sustain, protect, and inspire you?
Age Range: For ages 11-14 and 15-18.
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Visual Art: Handcrafted, Visual Art: Digital, Poetry & Spoken Word, Creative Writing, Film, Performing Arts: Music & Dance, Interactive & Multimedia
History: One student has had a piece of art published here
Entries are due 8 June 2026
Write the World: Poetry & Spoken Word:
“Poetry and the arts are the most accessible forms of democracy for the youth. It has given me power. It can give everyone else power,” says National Youth Poet Laureate and former Guest Judge Evan Wang. “Not only are young people the rising caretakers of the world, we currently carry the most ambitious, affected, and outspoken voices.”
This month, dear writers, harness the power of poetry and spoken word to speak truth into the world. As the ascendant generation, what do you want others to hear?
Age Range: For ages 11-14, 15-18.
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Personal Narrative
History: None
Entries are due 28 June 2027
Grist: Imagine 2200 Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors: Grist is excited to open submissions for the fourth year of our Imagine 2200: Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors short story contest.
Imagine 2200 is an invitation to writers from all over the globe to imagine a future in which solutions to the climate crisis flourish and help bring about radical improvements to our world. We dare you to dream anew. [Get Imagine updates: Sign up for our email list]
Imagine 2200 celebrates stories that envision the next decades to centuries of equitable climate progress, imagining futures of abundance, adaptation, reform, and hope. We are looking for stories that are rooted in creative climate solutions and community-centered resilience, showing what can happen as solutions take root, and stories that offer gripping plots with rich characters and settings, making that future come alive.
In 2,500 to 5,000 words, show us the world you dream of building.
Your story should be set sometime between the near future and roughly the year 2200.
A great Imagine story is not afraid to explore the challenges ahead — the path to climate progress will involve struggle and adaptation, and we invite you to show that — but ultimately offers hope that we can work together to build a more sustainable and just world. We want to see stories that incorporate real world climate solutions and climate science, as well as cultural authenticity (a deep sense of place, customs, cuisine, and more) and characters with fully-fledged identities. We especially want to read — and share — stories that center solutions and voices from the communities most impacted by the climate crisis.
If you’re newer to climate, below this prompt we’ve included some resources to get you started in finding inspiration from existing solutions. Feel free to use these as a jumping off point, or to bring in any climate and justice solutions you find inspiring.
Your story can bring these principles into any genre — we love seeing climate themes show up in love stories, mysteries, adventure, comedy, and more. Climate connects to every part of life, and all sorts of stories can be climate stories, so dream big — envision a world where climate solutions have flourished, and where we prioritize our well-being, work to mend our communities, and lead lives that celebrate our humanity. We can’t wait to read what you come up with.
Age Range: For all ages.
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Fiction
History: None
Entries are due 24 June 2024 - No announcements for 2025 yet
July
Ethos Writing Competition 2025:
I. Medical narratives/Humanities (A):
Choose one of the quotes provided below for your narrative or fictional piece, ensuring that the theme of your story aligns with the essence of the quote, and includes the quote verbatim.
A1: "The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven." (John Milton, English poet)
A2: "Our suffering can make us callous to the suffering of another." (Paul Kalanithi, When Breath Becomes Air)
II. Non-Fictional / Ethical Inquiry (B):
Choose one of the provided questions from one of the themes. Craft an essay that showcases your understanding, argumentation skills, and creativity.
B1: Is the growing trend of mental health content on social media (from self-diagnosis to therapeutic advice) creating a more empathetic generation or a more pathological one?
B2: Is loneliness in the modern city a design flaw?
Age Range: For Grades 10-12
Location: Hong Kong
Genres: Nonfiction Essays
History: None
Entries are due 12 July 2026
H. G. Wells Short Story Competition: The annual HG Wells Fiction Short Story Competition offers a £500 Senior and £1,000 Junior prize and free publication of all shortlisted entries in a quality, professionally published paperback anthology.
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Theme: The Cheat
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Entries must be in English.
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The length is 1,500 to 5,000 words.
Age Range: For ages 11-21
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Fiction
History: None
Entries are due 7 July 2026
Solarpunk Magazine: Solarpunk is a prefigurative, utopian artistic movement that envisions what the future might look like if humanity solved major modern challenges like climate change and created more sustainable and balanced societies. As a genre and cultural aesthetic, it encompasses literature, visual art, fashion, video games, architecture, and more. Solarpunk carries many aspects of punk ideologies such as counterculture, humanitarianism, egalitarianism, animal rights, decolonization, anti-racism, anti-sexism, anti-authoritarianism, anti-corporatism, and anti-consumerism. The greatest difference between solarpunk and its sister genre, cyberpunk, is that solarpunk observes harmony between nature and technology.
Not all solarpunk stories take place in idealistic utopias. Many tales are rife with compelling conflict among people and communities optimistically striving to reach that ideal while still struggling to solve some existing challenges. But most solarpunk stories do share commonalities: futuristic or near-futuristic settings; optimistic perspectives; equitable societies; and balance between community, ecology, and technology are inherent to solarpunk writing. In short, solarpunk stories are decidedly not dystopias.
Age Range: For all ages
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Nonfiction, Art (Horror Edition)
History: None
Entries are due 1-14 July 2026
Stance: Introducing STANCE by SCMP Learn – a brand new English storytelling competition for secondary school students across Hong Kong and Asia!🌏✨
In an evolving world where opinions shape outcomes, taking a STANCE is a powerful tool for driving change and progress.
SCMP Learn proudly presents STANCE, a first-of-its-kind storytelling competition empowering secondary school students in Hong Kong and Asia to explore global issues and become changemakers by articulating their perspectives through compelling narratives and impactful live presentations!
Ready to harness the power of storytelling? Submissions are officially open now!
Why join STANCE?
- Make your voice heard, win trophies and up to HK$5,000 in cash prizes🏆
- Get featured in Hong Kong’s own iconic Young Post and inspire others 📰
- Unlock exclusive learning and mentorship opportunities🎓
- Take the stage at our live grand finale showcase and connect with a community of young thinkers
Age Range: For Grades 7-9 and 10-11
Location: Asia
Genres: Nonfiction
History: None
Entries are due 15 July 2025
Earth 4 All: What could our future look like?
We hear about climate change, inequality, and injustice every day, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But the future isn’t fixed. It’s shaped by what we do next.
That’s where you come in.
We’re inviting young people around the world to imagine new stories about the future – and share them in a creative challenge. When we tell better stories, we create space for change.
Word Limits: 50-1000 words
Age Range: For ages 8-15, 16-18, 19-21
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Fiction, Nonfiction, Drawing, Painting, Film
History: None
Entries are due 19 July 2026
Patricia Eschen Prize for Poetry: The Morrab Library has partnered with the Dennis Myner Trust for the second Patricia Eschen Prize for Poetry. The children’s competition is open to entries from young writers all over the world and has two age categories – aged 4 to 11 and 12 to 17. It is free to enter and does not have a theme, to allow you to express your creativity freely and let your imagination run wild! We hope you will enjoy writing poetry this summer!
Age Range: For ages 4-11 and 12-17.
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Poetry
History: None
Entries are due 19 July 2024 - No announcements for 2025 yet
Write the World: Sci-Fi & Fantasy Competition: This month, you have the extraordinary and exciting task of opening the door to a new world. Perhaps this means revealing a fantastical element hidden within our “reality”—the wardrobe in The Chronicles of Narnia, for example. Perhaps you will dream up an entirely invented world, as in Children of Blood and Bone. Or perhaps you will take readers to the future, dreaming up a reality dramatically changed by technology, the environment, or a new social order. In a fantasy or sci-fi short story, take your readers on a journey into a world of your imagination.
Word Limits: 400-1000 words
Submit for Expert Review (**NOTE: cap of 50 submissions**):
Competition Opens: July 7
Age Range: For ages 13-19.
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Fiction
History: None
Entries are due 28 July 2025
Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award: The Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award is one of the biggest and most prestigious poetry competitions for 11-17 year olds in the world. Every year, 15 top winners and 85 commended poets are chosen; together, they represent some of the most exciting new voices writing today.
This year’s judges are the fantastic Colette Bryce and Will Harris, and they can’t wait to read your poems! Find out what the judges are looking for here.
If you’re aged 11-17, send in your poems for the chance to be among the 100 winners and kick-start your writing career. Poems can be on any theme and in any style but must be no longer than forty lines. You can submit as many as you like.
Winners of the award receive a fantastic range of prizes to help develop their writing. The top 15 poets receive a mentoring package with opportunities to receive support and feedback on their writing; and all 100 winners receive a year’s youth membership of The Poetry Society and a bag full of books donated by generous publishers. The Poetry Society continues to support winners throughout their careers providing publication, performance and development opportunities, and access to a paid internship programme.
Age Range: For ages 11-17.
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Fiction
History: None
Entries are due 31 July 2026
Briefly Write Poetry Prize: It’s back… and bigger than ever before!
Briefly Write Poetry Prize celebrates and rewards bold, succinct writing.
We want well-crafted poems up to 10 lines. We want innovative language, strong imagery and a subtle, focused composition. Send us your best brief writing.
This year, the minimum prize fund is £80. We are committed to accessibility and, as such, entry is free. If you can, we would appreciate any support to help us meet the costs and boost the prize fund.
Please read the full competition guidelines before submitting your poem.
Age Range: For all ages
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Poetry
History: None
Entries are due 31 July 2025
August
Write the World: Flash Fiction Competition 2026: Stories of the micro variety distill the essence of fiction into small but powerful bursts. “There was more room to think,” wrote novelist David Gaffney on becoming a flash fiction convert, “more space for the original idea to resonate, fewer unnecessary words to wade through.”
This month, dear writers, celebrate the art of concision by writing a story in 100 words or less. And remember: “the length needs to not just satisfy the form but elevate it,” writes former Guest Judge Samantha Stone. What story of yours lends itself to a miniature form?
Age Range: For ages 13-19.
Location: Worldwide
Genres: Fiction
History: None
Entries are due 24 August 2026
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