Rider University High School Writing Contest

Rider University HIgh School Writing Contest37th Annual High School Writing Contest

Prizes in Each Category

  • 1st-$100
  • 2nd-$50
  • 3rd-$25

All Finalists of this high school writing contest will receive a Certificate of Honorable Mention. All Winners will be considered for publication in Venture, Rider’s literary magazine.

Categories

  • ESSAY: Write a personal essay, labeled ESSAY, on a topic of your choice of no more than five double-spaced, typed pages.
  • FICTION: Write a short story, labeled FICTION, of no more than five double-spaced, typed pages.
  • POETRY: Write a poem of no more than 50 lines.

Rules

  1. Type on the entry:
    Your Name and address
    Grade
    Teacher’s Name
    School Name and address
  2. Include a letter from a teacher stating that the work is original and by you.
  3. Entries must be typed.  Handwritten entries will not be read.  Stories and essays must be double-spaced.  Single-spaced prose will not be read.  Please give your story, essay and or poem a title.
  4. Only one entry per category will be considered.  Choose your best writing and send only one.
  5. Mail your entry postmarked no later than December 11, 2016 to:
    Dr. Roberta Clipper
    English Department
    Rider University
    2083 Lawrenceville Road
    Lawrenceville, NJ  08648

Entries cannot be returned.  Winners will be announced by May 2017. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope if you wish to receive a list of winners.

GOOD LUCK!

Kenyon Review Poetry Prize

The Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers

Patrica Grodd ContestThe Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers recognizes outstanding young poets and is open to high school sophomores and juniors throughout the world. The contest winner receives a full scholarship to the Kenyon Review Young Writers workshop. In addition, the winning poem and the poems of the two runners-up will be published in The Kenyon Review, one of the country’s most widely read literary magazines.

yw-groupThe contest is named in honor of Patricia Grodd in recognition of her generous support of The Kenyon Review and its programs, as well as her passionate commitment to education and deep love for poetry. The final judge of the contest is KR Editor at Large Natalie Shapero.

Every year, submissions are accepted electronically November 1 through November 30.

It’s Simple to Enter

    • Limit of one, previously unpublished poem per entrant (please do not simultaneously submit your contest entry to another magazine or contest.)
    • You must be a high school sophomore or junior to enter
    • Make sure your file is in ONE of the following formats:

-.PDF (Adobe Acrobat)
-.DOC or .DOCX (Microsoft Word)
-.RTF (Rich Text Format)
-.TXT (Microsoft Wordpad and Notepad, Apple TextEdit)

  • Submit your poem between November 1 and November 30, 2016 by pressing the “Submit Here” button on the website and uploading your file.
  • No entry fee; it’s 100% free!

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)

NaNoWriMoNational Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to creative writing. 

On November 1, participants begin working towards the goal of writing a 50,000-word novel by 11:59 PM on November 30.

Valuing enthusiasm, determination, and a deadline, NaNoWriMo is for anyone who has ever thought about writing a novel.

NaNoWriMo Facts

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) believes stories matter. The event began in 1999, and in 2005, National Novel Writing Month became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. NaNoWriMo’s programs now include National Novel Writing Month in November, Camp NaNoWriMo, the Young Writers Program, Come Write In, and the “Now What?” Months.

See more information about NaNoWriMo’s Young Writers Program.

In 2015:

  • 431,626 participants, including 80,137 students and educators in the Young Writers Program, started the month as auto mechanics, out-of-work actors, and middle school English teachers. They walked away novelists.
  • 1,012 libraries, bookstores, and community centers opened their doors to novelists through the Come Write In program.
  • 57,402 Campers tackled a writing project—novel or not—at Camp NaNoWriMo.

Over 250 NaNoWriMo novels have been traditionally published. They include Sara Gruen’s Water for Elephants, Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus, Hugh Howey’s Wool, Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl, Jason Hough’s The Darwin Elevator, and Marissa Meyer’s Cinder. See a full list of our published authors.

Each year, authors offer mentorship to our participants through pep talks. Past author mentors have included Gene Luen Yang, John Green, N. K. Jemisin, and Veronica Roth.

Bennington Young Writers Awards

Bennington Young Writers AwardsThe Bennington Young Writers Awards are offered annually by Bennington College—whose literary legacy includes seven Pulitzer Prize winners, three U.S. poet laureates, the youngest Man Booker Prize winner, a MacArthur “Genius,” countless New York Times bestsellers, and one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people.

WHO CAN SUBMIT: Students in the 10th, 11th, and 12th grades.

WHAT TO SUBMIT: Students may enter in ONE of the following categories: poetry (a group of three poems), fiction (a short story or one-act play), or nonfiction (a personal or academic essay). All entries must be original work and sponsored by a high school teacher. Short stories and nonfiction must be fewer than 1500 words.

JUDGES: Judges include Bennington College faculty and students.

AWARDS: First-place winners in each category are awarded a prize of $500; second-place winners receive $250. The annual competition runs from early September to November 1 with winning entries posted after April 15.

HOW TO SUBMIT: You may submit online or by mail (mailed entries must be accompanied by a submission form, available from your English teacher or by downloading here.) We welcome entries from international students—in order to submit online, please enter N/A in place of the CEEB code for your high school if it doesn’t have one.

DEADLINE: Submission deadline: November 1.

Last year, more than 2,300 students submitted poetry, fiction, and nonfiction to the Young Writers Awards competition. We congratulate all entrants on their extraordinary submissions, and are pleased to share past winning entries.

MORE INFORMATION: For more information about the Young Writers and other programs at Bennington College, please contact us by email at admissions@bennington.edu or phone at 800-833-6845. Visit the website to see past winners.

Glimmer Train Short Story Award for New Writers

SHORT STORY AWARD FOR NEW WRITERS

National YoungArts Writing Awards

YoungArts WritingNational YoungArts Writing & Other Awards:

  • Up to $10,000 monetary award (total awarded each year is over $500,000)
  • Exclusive eligibility for recognition as a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts
  • Master classes with world-renowned artists
  • Access to scholarships, career opportunities and professional contacts

The National YoungArts Foundation identifies and nurtures the most accomplished young artists in the visual, literary, design and performing arts and assists them at critical junctures in their educational and professional development. YoungArts aspires to create a community of alumni that provides a lifetime of encouragement, opportunity and support.

The National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts) was established in 1981 by Lin and Ted Arison. YoungArts’ signature program is an application-based award for emerging artists ages 15–18 or in grades 10–12 from across the United States. Selected from a pool of more than an average of 11,000 applications (in 2015, the organization received a record-breaking number of more than 12,000 applications), YoungArts Winners receive valuable support, including financial awards of up to $10,000, professional development and educational experiences working with renowned mentors—such as Mikhail Baryshnikov, Sarah Brightman, Plácido Domingo, Frank Gehry, Jeff Koons, Wynton Marsalis, Rebecca Walker and Carrie Mae Weems—and performance and exhibition opportunities at some of the nation’s leading cultural institutions.

PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLAR NOMINATIONS: Additionally, YoungArts Winners are eligible for nomination as a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts, one of the nation’s highest honors for high school students who exemplify academic and artistic excellence. U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts receive a Presidential Medal at the White House and perform and exhibit at the Kennedy Center and the Smithsonian.

YoungArts ALUMNI: YoungArts alumni who have gone on to become leaders in their fields include actresses Viola Davis, Anna Gunn, Zuzanna Szadkowski and Kerry Washington; Broadway stars Raúl Esparza, Billy Porter, Andrew Rannells and Tony Yazbeck; recording artists Josh Groban, Judith Hill and Chris Young; Metropolitan Opera star Eric Owens; musicians Terence Blanchard, Gerald Clayton and Jennifer Koh; choreographers Camille A. Brown and Desmond Richardson; visual artists Daniel Arsham and Hernan Bas; internationally acclaimed multimedia artist Doug Aitken; television writer, producer, and director Jenji Kohan; New York Times bestselling author Sam Lipsyte; and Academy Award-winning filmmaker Doug Blush

Who can Submit: Students age 15-18 (grades 10-12)

What to Submit: Categories include: fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, playwriting, scriptwriting, novel excerpts, film, dance, design, jazz, music, photography, theater, visual arts and voice.

How to Submit:On-line application and submission of an audition or portfolio. NO references or academic transcripts are required. There is a $35 (non-refundable) application fee per category. Fee waivers are available. Applicants may submit in more than one discipline or category within a discipline. Please refer to the discipline and category guidelines for details.

Deadline: October 14, 2016 at 11:59pm EST (Eastern Standard Time). There will be NO grace period for uploading materials.

Dodge Poetry Festival Student Day 2016

Dodge Poetry High School Day

For the fourth time, the largest poetry event in North America comes to New Jersey’s largest city when the 30th Anniversary Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival return to Newark from Thursday October 20th through Sunday October 23rd, 2016. For four days Newark’s vibrant downtown Arts District will be transformed into a poetry village featuring some of our most celebrated, diverse and vibrant poets and spoken word artists. The  Dodge Poetry Festival Student Day is October 21, 2016.

PROGRAM INCLUDES:

High School Student Day: October 21, 2016, will include readings from the National Student Poets and NJCTE Poetry Medalists.

Poets on Poetry: Festival Poets read and discuss some of the poems and poets that have mattered to them.

Poetry Samplers feature over two dozen poets giving brief readings introduce a wide range of the poets appearing at the Festival.

Conversations: Intimate groups of Festival Poets discuss enduring themes, topical issues and emerging questions evoked by poetry.

Festival Poet Readings feature a dynamic and diverse group of regional and national poets.

Evening Main Stage Readings feature some of the most celebrated poets writing and performing today.

Poetry and music explorations and collaborations featuring poets, musicians and dancers from a wide range of genres.

Special events focusing on themed readings, like “Another Kind of Courage,” a reading by war veterans and their families.

TICKETS

PROGRAM

EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

FESTIVAL DATES: Thursday October 20th through Sunday October 23rd, 2016.

Winter Tangerine Internship Program

Winter Tangerine InternshipApplications are open for the Winter Tangerine Internship Program.

ABOUT:

Founded in 2013, Winter Tangerine is a literary & arts magazine dedicated to the electric. We aim to disrupt the status quo. To amplify the unheard. To account for the unaccounted. To publish the unconventional, confront the uncomfortable, marvel in the mundane.  We crave bitter honey and expired sweets. We believe in the power of art. We won’t apologize.  We want lightning. So go ahead: ignite.

WHO SHOULD APPLY:

We are looking for ambitious, innovative, and dedicated individuals to work with us. You’ll be an active member of the WT community – depending on your track, you’ll be able to read and discuss submissions alongside our staff, develop and curate columns, create engaging social media campaigns, work with fantastic art to make gorgeous posters and designs, come up with features like Reshaping the Bell Jar and Hands Up Don’t Shoot – and maybe even run your own! No matter what track you choose, you will be immersed in a community that values creativity and new ways of thinking.

We’re expanding, and want to do more for both the artists we feature and the audience that reads their work. Winter Tangerine is constantly evolving – we are always moving beyond the traditional. We’re looking for passion, innovation, creativity, and ambition; we’re looking for people ready to create and curate electric work.

HOW TO APPLY:

Applications are open indefinitely. Internships are four-month programs individually designed for each intern. You may start at any time in the year. The entire internship will be run entirely online. We look forward to your application!

For more info & to apply, go to APPLICATION

NJ Youth Poet Laureate Competition

NJ Youth Poet Laureate Contest

New Poetry Contest:

The Writers Theatre of New Jersey is launching a brand-new NJ Youth Poet Laureate program! High school students from all over the state can enter by submitting five poems via our online form, found here, under the “Prepare the Submission” tab.

What To Submit:

Four of the poems can be on any subject at all, but the fifth poem must be a “poem of place;” a poem of place is a poem that describes, whether literally or metaphorically, where the poet lives. The poems can be in any style of poetry, including rap or spoken word (though they must be submitted in written form), and can be new works created just for the contest or existing poems the poet has written. Prizes include a Governor’s Award, opportunities for the poets to read their work throughout the state, and the publication of the poems in an anthology, so reach out to the high school poets in your life and make sure they get their poems in before that deadline. Only a few weeks to go!

How to Submit:

For more information on the program, go to the NJYPL page here:  Deadline: October 24, 2016 . Extended to December 1, 2016.

Cicada Magazine “Flux” Poetry Contest

Creative Endeavors Poetry Contest

cicada magazine poetry contestCicada Magazine challenges writers ages 14-23 to answer their Call for Creative Endeavors Contest with poems on the theme of “flux.” Entries accepted via Submittable. Deadline: 9/30/16.

FLUX: More often than we’d like, we find ourselves in one of those in-between spots in which nothing is certain, everything is uncomfortable and weird, and just when you get used to one thing, it changes again. In poetry or art, talk about the frustration (inspiration?) that comes with being in a state of flux. Visit cicadamag.com/submitwork for more info.

CICADA is a YA lit/comics magazine fascinated with the lyric and strange and committed to work that speaks to teens’ truths. We publish poetry, realistic and genre fiction, essay, and comics by adults and teens. (We are also inordinately fond of Viking jokes.) Our readers are smart and curious; submissions are invited but not required to engage young adult themes.  We especially welcome: works by people of color, people with disabilities, LGBTQAI+ folks, genderqueer folks, and other marginalized peoples. Not welcome:
cultural appropriation.

Favorite writers, YA and otherwise: Sarah McCarry, Nnedi Okorafor, Sherman Alexie, David Levithan, Daniel Jose Older, Holly Black, Kelly Link, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Ntozake Shange, Anne Carson, Jacqueline Woodson, ZZ Packer, Angela Nissel, Sofia Samatar, Malory Ortberg, Saeed Jones, Octavia Butler, Andrea Gibson.

@cicadamagazine / cicadamagazine.tumblr.com

Teen Ink College Essay Call for Submissions

teen ink college essay writing contestCollege Essay Submissions Wanted: In preparation for their College Issue, the national print and online magazine Teen Ink is looking for articles about the whole process. Reviews, college essays, advice articles for upcoming juniors and seniors, or reflections on watching a sibling leave for college – the editors will consider all of the above for their upcoming special issue. http://www.teenink.com/submit

Real Simple Magazine Essay Contest

Real SimpleMaybe you had to move cross-country after being relocated for a job. Or maybe you needed to leave an apartment before you expected to. How did that situation influence the rest of your life? If one unavoidable shift changed your world—for good and bad—in enduring ways, write it down and share it with Real Simple. A prize of $3,000 and publication in Real Simple is given annually for an essay on a theme. A second-place prize of $750 and a third-place prize of $500 are also given. The theme this year is “What was the most dramatic change you ever had to make?” The editors will judge. Submit an essay of up to 1,500 words by September 19. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines: http://www.realsimple.com/lifelessonscontest

Glimmer Train Fiction Contests

glimmer train fiction contestsOne of the most respected short-story journals in print, Glimmer Train continues to actively champion emerging writers through various fiction contests. The magazine is represented in recent editions of the Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses, New Stories from the Midwest, the O. Henry Prize Stories, New Stories from the South, Best of the West, New Stories from the Southwest, Best American Short Stories, and The Best American Nonrequired Reading.

Very Short Fiction (1st place – $2,000): We invite any length stories from 300 to 3,000 words. Deadline: August 31.

Fiction Open (1st place – $3,000): Open to all subjects and themes. Most entries run from 3,000 to 6,000 words, but we invite stories from 3,000 to 20,000 words. Deadline: August 31.

Gulf Coast Prize for Short Prose

Gulf Coast PrizeThe Barthelme Prize for Short Prose is open to pieces of prose poetry, flash fiction, and micro-essays of 500 words or fewer. Established in 2008, the contest awards its winner $1,000 and publication in the journal. The Gulf Coast Prize will offer two honorable mentions of $250, and all entries will be considered for paid publication on our website as Online Exclusives. To view last year’s winner and honorable mentions, you can purchase issue 28.2 here.  Contest judge Jim Shepard has written seven novels, including The Book of Aron, published in 2015, which won the Sophie Brody Medal for Excellence in Jewish Literature and the PEN/New England Award for Fiction. Deadline: August 31, 2016 at 11:59 CST.

Indiana Review Prize

Indiana Review Prize
Final Judge: Aimee Nezhukumatathil

An Indiana Review Prize, aka  the “1/2 K” prize of $1,000 and publication in Indiana Review is given annually for a poem or a work of flash fiction or nonfiction of up to 500 words. Aimee Nezhukumatathil will judge. Submit up to three poems or pieces of fiction or nonfiction of up to 500 words each with a $20 entry fee, which includes a subscription to Indiana Review, by August 15. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines: https://indianareview.org/contests/.

PEN Center Emerging Voices Fellowship

pen-center-usa-emerging-voices-fellowship-2015The Emerging Voices Fellowship is a literary mentorship that aims to provide new writers who are isolated from the literary establishment with the tools, skills, and knowledge they need to launch a professional writing career.

LITERARY MENTORSHIP BENEFITS

By the end of the Emerging Voices Fellowship, a writer will leave with:

  • Seven months of guidance from a professional mentor and written notes on their current writing project.
  • An author photo and bio.
  • A logline—the short summation of the project in progress.
  • A clear action plan for finishing this project.
  • Writing life, and craft tips, from notable visiting authors.
  • An editing guide from a professional copy editor.
  • Insider knowledge of publishing from agents, editors, etc.
  • An individualized submission guide for literary journals, agents, residencies, and fellowships.
  • Improved reading technique from a professional voice coach.
  • Public reading experience for a variety of audiences.
  • An understanding of how to be an effective workshop member.
  • Lifetime membership in PEN Center USA.
  • An introduction to the Los Angeles literary community.

Age 21 and over. Entry fee: $10. DEADLINE: August 1, 2016

Foyle Young Poets Contest

The Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award

Foyle-poster-wolvesSponsored by the Poetry Society, the Foyle Young Poets Award is the UK’s largest poetry competition for students age 11 – 17 throughout the world. This international competition is free to enter. Individuals may submit more than one poem, however the contest judges strongly advise that you concentrate on drafting and redrafting your poems and send only a small selection of your very best (no more than 6-8 maximum). Remember, quality is more important than quantity! See Full Rules. Deadline: July 31, 2016.