5 Young Writers Competitions To Try This Year

Sometimes it’s hard to find writing inspiration in everyday schoolwork, and this is even more difficult during school breaks. Luckily, there are plenty of young writers’ competitions your child can get involved in, all year round.

These writing contests range from elementary all the way to high school levels and are a wonderful, innovative way to get your young author excited about writing. The young writers competitions we’re sharing with you today feature lots of different writing styles and genres, from short stories, to science fiction, to even poetry!

Here are five Young Writers Competitions to try this year with your child:

Night Zookeeper - Star Writing

Night Zookeeper is an award-winning writing program aimed at 6 to 12+ year-olds, and proudly hosts weekly writing competitions that your child can win to be published! Every Monday, several submissions are chosen and the winners’ work is then published on our website for others to read. Night Zookeeper also issues writing awards and prizes to first-place winners, ranging from in-program upgrades to physical books!

Each week, the writing genre is different, ranging from writing a short story about a new magical animal to poetry competitions. All Night Zookeeper’s Star Writing competitions have a distinct theme, and usually touches on current news, discoveries or international days to build their young writers’ cultural knowledge while enhancing their writing skills. It also helps writers with their time management as it teaches them how to work towards a deadline.

As a bonus, parents and students have access to offline printables that complement the week's writing contest and support offline learning.

Will your child be our next Star Writing winner?

EngineerGirl Writing Contest

Hosted by the National Academy of Engineering, this annual contest encourages students to combine creativity with STEM learning.

Each year introduces a different engineering-related prompt, allowing children to research real-world problems while developing persuasive and informative writing skills.

Discover more about the EngineerGirl Writing Contest

SPJ High School Essay Contest

The Society of Professional Journalists hosts an annual essay competition that encourages students to think critically about journalism, democracy, and current events. It's an excellent option for teens interested in nonfiction writing or journalism.

Discover more about the SPJ essay contest.

Young Writers

Young Writers USA and UK run several themed competitions throughout the year, encouraging students to experiment with poetry, stories, and creative writing.

Many entrants have the opportunity to see their work published in printed anthologies, making this a particularly exciting experience for first-time writers.

Discover more about the UK contests.

Discover more about the US contests.

Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

One of the most prestigious writing competitions for teenagers, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have helped launch the careers of many famous authors.

Students can submit work in categories including:

• Short Story
• Flash Fiction
• Poetry
• Personal Essay & Memoir
• Science Fiction & Fantasy
• Journalism
• Critical Essay
• Novel Writing

It's great as the winners can receive national recognition, scholarships and cash awards, and opportunities for publication.

Discover more about Scholastic Awards.

Conclusion

We hope this list of young writers competitions sparks your child's interest and love for writing. As always, please share your child's entries with us through our writing program.

If you have any questions or would like more information about our writing competitions or learning program, please reach out via email on [email protected] or through our social media channels: