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21 Summer Writing Programs for High School Students in 2024

What’s covered:, 21 summer writing programs for high school students, how impressive are summer programs in college admissions, other ways to spend your summer.

Summer programs offer high school students an excellent opportunity to explore subjects that interest them, build valuable skills, get a taste of college life, and meet like-minded peers. They also look awesome on a college application! If you’re interested in writing, you’ll want to check out these 20 summer writing programs for high school students. 

1. Princeton Summer Journalism Program 

Dates: Classes begin mid July, residential portion is July 26 – August 5

Location: Online and in Princeton, NJ

Application deadline: February 15

The Princeton Summer Journalism Program (PSJP) selects 40 high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds to participate in its revered program. In the PSJP, students explore current events, listen to lectures, and participate in workshops led by professional journalists and Princeton professors. The program culminates with the publication of a student-produced newspaper, the Princeton Summer Journal . To qualify for the PSJP you must: 

• Be a junior in high school
• Live in the United States and intend to attend college in the U.S.
• Have a minimum GPA of 3.5 
• Have an interest in journalism
• The combined income of custodial parent(s)/guardian(s) plus child support payments, if any, must not exceed $60,000
• Qualify for free or reduced-price lunch 
• Qualify for an SAT or ACT fee waiver

Dates: August 3 – 9

Location: Austin, Texas

Application deadline: March 1

JCamp is a free six-day program put on by the Asian American Journalist Association that brings together a culturally diverse group of students from across the U.S. Under the eye of veteran journalists and leading media executives, students take part in workshops to sharpen their journalistic skills and gain hands-on experience producing multi-platform news packages for the program’s website. JCamp is not limited to Asian American students; any student with an interest in journalism—like writing for a newspaper or magazine—is encouraged to apply. 

3. Iowa Young Writers’ Studio 2 Week Residential Program

• Session 1: June 16 – 29
• Session 2: July 14 – 27

Location: In-person in Iowa City, IA, or virtual

Application deadline: February 4

Cost: In-person: $2,500; virtual: $575

The Iowa Young Writers’ Studio provides high schoolers the incredible opportunity to have a residential experience and study with graduates of one of the most renowned writing programs in the nation: the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Participants in this program choose a focus—either poetry, fiction, creative writing, playwriting, or television writing—and share their work, practice their craft, and improve their writing while working alongside other high school writers from across the U.S. 

4. Sarah Lawerence Writers’ Week 

• Virtual: July 15 – 19
• In-person: August 5 – 9

Location: Virtual or Bronxville NY

Application deadline: TBD. Registration opens in February

Cost: Virtual: $1025; In-person: $1,550

During Sarah Lawerence Writers’ Week, participants (the program welcomes students entering the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades) explore the creative process led by esteemed Sarah Lawrence faculty and alumni. Sarah Lawerence Writing Week celebrates the risk and adventure of the creative process, fosters a non-competitive and non-judgmental environment, and keeps with the Sarah Lawrence tradition of individualized attention—groups are limited to 18 students with two faculty members per workshop. The program ends with a celebration that includes both faculty and student readings.  

5. California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA) Writing Program

Dates: July 6 – August 2

Location: Sacramento, CA

Application deadline: February 29

Cost: CA State Residents: $4,600; Out-of-state: $7,000

This summer program for high school students in California is a unique public-private partnership that was founded by the California State legislature in 1987. Approximately 70 students are selected to participate in this program led by professional writers and educators who guide them through work in fiction, poetry, non-fiction, and dramatic writing. The program prides itself on its creative environment and looks for young writers who love language, reading, and are ready to share their own stories. 

6. Juniper Young Writers Online Writing Lab 

• One-week program: July 29 – August 2
• Two-week program: July 29 – August 9

Location: Amherst, MA

Application deadline: March 7

Cost: $2,600 for one week; $4,950 for two weeks

Students in the Juniper Young Writers Online Writing Lab participate in writing sessions, share questions, and discuss their work and writing-related topics over the course of this program. Led by professional teachers, published authors, and graduate students at UMass Amherst, Writing Lab participants gain insight into the creative process, find inspiration for work, learn tips to improve their writing and develop relationships with other young writers. Students will be provided a written summary of their work, an evaluation toward writing goals, and future considerations for their writing.

7. Annenberg Youth Academy for Media and Civic Engagement (AYA) 

Dates: June 17 – July 19

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Application deadline: March 22

AYA is a free, immersive experience for talented high school students from the area surrounding USC. The program allows participants to explore USC Annenberg’s undergraduate programs, gain insight into careers in media and journalism, and meet the people advancing issues of race, gender, and ethnicity in communication and journalism. Over the course of this program, students build a variety of skills, including writing and critical thinking. 

8. Reynolds Young Writers Workshop 

Dates: June 22 – 29

Location: Granville, OH

Cost: $1,500

For more than a quarter of a century, Denison University has welcomed talented high school writers to its acclaimed Reynolds Young Writers Workshop. Led by Denison’s creative writing faculty and notable visiting writers, participants take part in small creative writing workshops and group sessions to explore a variety of writing techniques in an intimate and relaxed atmosphere.

9. Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication

Dates: June 23 – 28

Location: Phoenix, AZ

Application deadline: April 1

The Camp Cronkite program is a summer media enrichment camp allowing high schoolers to dive into the world of media. Led by Cronkite faculty, staff, and students, campers learn about digital journalism, broadcast journalism, or sports media. They will work on reporting, pitching, storytelling, and editing, and receive hands-on instruction in video editing, photography, reporting and writing, script development, and more. There are several scholarships available for students who demonstrate financial need. 

10. Alpha Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Workshop for Young Writers

Dates: July 24 – August 4

Location: Pittsburgh, PA

Application deadline: March 10

Over Alpha’s 12 days, students with an interest in science fiction, fantasy, or horror learn how to generate ideas, turn those ideas into drafts, critique each other’s work, make revisions, and submit their work to paying markets. The program also provides students with an introduction to college life and allows them to explore a career as a professional writer. 

11. 92Y Unterberg Poetry Center Young Writers Workshop

Dates: July 8 – 25

Location: New York, NY

Application deadline: May 28

Cost: $2,600

The Unterberg Poetry Center has been home to established and up-and-coming poets since it was founded in 1939. Students at its Young Writers Workshop receive coaching from some of New York’s best writing teachers and explore a variety of forms, styles, and voices in a warm and supportive environment. Participants learn to look critically at their own work and will leave the workshop with a clearer understanding of their goals as a writer and what it takes to make a career in the literary world. 

12. Shared Worlds

Dates: July 14 – 27

Location: Spartanburg, SC

Application deadline: Rolling

This fun writing program is for high school students with an interest in speculative fiction—for example, science fiction, fantasy, and steampunk. Shared Worlds is a residential program for rising 8th-12th grade students to work under the guidance of renowned fantasy and science fiction writers. Over the course of the workshop, students imagine, build, and write their own stories and have their enthusiasm for writing encouraged. 

13. Bard College at Simon’s Rock Young Writers Workshop

Dates: July 7 – 27

Location: Great Barrington, MA

Cost: $3,500

This program is modeled on the well-known Language and Thinking Workshop all students entering Bard College are required to take. Unlike other creative writing workshops, leaders of this young writers workshop encourage informal, playful, and expressive writing and lean on peer response to develop polished pieces of writing. Students will live, eat, and work on campus, gaining firsthand experience living and learning in a college atmosphere while producing pieces ranging from short stories and poems to brief dramatic works and experiments in creative nonfiction.

14. Kenyon Review Summer Residential Young Writers Workshops

• Session 1: June 23 – July 6

Location: Gambier, OH

Cost: $2,575

Every summer, talented writers from across the U.S. come to the picturesque campus of Kenyon College to participate in its Young Writers Workshop. In this multi-genre program, students experience what it’s like to be part of the literary community while bolstering their talents, discovering new strengths, and challenging themselves in the company of similarly interested peers. 

15. Kenyon Review Summer Online Young Writers Workshop

Dates: June 16 – 21

Location: Online

Application deadline: April 15

For students who can’t make it to Ohio for two weeks, the online workshop is a great alternative. With writing workshops for three and a half hours every day, it’s possible to take advantage of the program without relocating. In the evening, students will attend virtual open mics, social gatherings, and talks and readings by authors. 

16. BYU Young Authors Academy

Dates: July 8 – 13

Location: Provo, UT

At BYU’s Young Authors Academy, students speak with local and nationally-recognized authors, review each others’ writing, work with faculty in the BYU English department, stay in campus housing, take small-group writing courses, and meet other, like-minded peers. Students can choose from two electives over the program, including Creating Believable Tales and Villains, Flash Fiction, and Breaking News. 

17. Fir Acres Writing Workshop

Dates: June 23 – July 6

Location: Portland, OR

Application deadline: March 8

Cost: $3,700

Fir Acres writing program takes sixty rising 10th-12th graders from around the country and forms a community of enthusiastic writers on the campus of Lewis and Clark College. Students participate in daily workshops studying and writing under the guidance of Lewis and Clark’s faculty. They also meet and hear from visiting writers and work on their own poetry, fiction, and other writings. 

18. LMU’s Beginning Screenwriting Program 

Application deadline: March 15

Cost: $5,800 plus a $65 application fee

LMU’s School of Film and Television offers this program to students looking to enhance their writing skills and learn the elements of screenwriting. Students will work on structure, character development, dialogue, formatting, and genre while analyzing both classic and contemporary popular movies. They will learn from faculty members who are also professional screenwriters and leave the program with a short script. 

19. Carnegie Mellon Pre-College Writing and Culture Program 

Dates: June 22 – July 20

Cost: $6,800- $8,995

Over the weeks of the program, students at CMU will examine film, writing, design, art, and culture through various lenses. Learning will take place both on CMU’s campus and around the city of Pittsburgh. Students will produce a body of work perfect for a portfolio during the program under the tutelage of highly distinguished faculty members of the Department of English. Classes are held Monday through Friday, and students emerge with individualized feedback and guidance to enhance their creative pursuits. 

20. Boston University Summer Journalism Academy

• On Campus: June 24 – July 12
• Virtual Session 1: June 17 – 28
• Virtual Session 2: July 1 – 12
• Virtual Session 3: July 15 – 26

Application deadline: April 19 for in person; May 10 for remote

Location: Virtual or Boston, MA

Cost: $1500 to $6200

Taught by working journalists, BU’s Summer Journalism Academy gives high school students actual reporting assignments to give them a jump-start into the world of journalism. With both virtual and in-person options, there is something for everyone. There are scholarships and financial aid available for students demonstrating financial need. Students must be a rising 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grader in high school to attend. For applicants who get their materials in by March 8th, there is a $400 discount for in-person, and a $200 discount for virtual learning. 

21. The School of The New York Times’ Summer Academy

• Term 1: June 9 – 21
• Term 2: June 23 – July 5
• Term 3: July 7 – 19
• Term 4: July 21 – August 2

Location: New York City

Cost: $5,935 to $7,220

From DIY Filmmaking to A Million Lives in the Law and Pop Music as Art & Business, The School of the New York Times offers a wide range of fascinating classes to students interested in journalism. In the heart of New York City, students can spend several weeks learning from experienced journalists working in the field. Scholarship applications are only available until the end of February, so interested students should apply ASAP. 

Summer programs—and other extracurricular activities—can help set you apart, particularly at highly selective schools. CollegeVine’s free admissions calculator can tell you how colleges value your extracurricular activities and uses factors like grades and test scores (along with extracurriculars) to estimate your odds of acceptance at hundreds of schools across the country. It even provides insight into how you can improve your profile!

Though summer break provides you with the most time to explore your passions, it is not the only time. Colleges want to see that you are curious about the world around you and are constantly seeking new learning opportunities. 

Instead of participating in a program, you could create your own. Writing a book or mobilizing a team to solve an issue in your local community are examples of independent efforts that look impressive to colleges. 

You can show further initiative by taking on internships and paying jobs. Both demonstrate initiative, a career direction, and key life skills like time management and responsibility. Since most internships are reserved for college students and graduates, it can be a challenge to find opportunities for high school students. To help with the search, here is a list of summer internships for high school students. Looking for more summer programs? Take a look at this list of virtual opportunities for high school students.

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Great Summer Creative Writing Programs for High School Students

Immersive Summer Programs for Budding Writers

Summer is a terrific time for aspiring writers to focus on creative writing . Immersive programs give high schoolers the opportunity to develop writing skills, meet like-minded students, and gain an impressive line on their activities resumé. This list of excellent summer creative writing programs for high school students may offer just what the budding writers in your family need to make the most of their talents.

Emerson College Creative Writers Workshop

Emerson’s Creative Writers Workshop is a five-week program for rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors geared at developing their writing skills in a variety of media, including fiction, poetry, screenwriting, graphic novels, and magazine writing. Participants attend college-level writing classes exploring these genres in which they write and present their own work, create a final portfolio of their writing, contribute to the workshop’s anthology, and present a reading for family and friends. On-campus housing is available for the duration of the workshop.

Alfred University Creative Writing Camp

This summer writing program introduces rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors to many different genres, including poetry, short fiction, creative non-fiction, and drama. Students read and discuss the work of established authors and participate in writing-intensive exercises and workshop sessions led by Alfred University faculty members. Campers stay in university housing and enjoy a variety of recreational activities outside of classes and workshops such as movie nights, games, and social gatherings. The program runs annually for five days at the end of June.

Sarah Lawrence College Summer Writers Workshop for High School Students

This program is a one-week, non-residential summer workshop for rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors that explores the process of creative writing in a non-competitive, non-judgmental environment. Participants have the opportunity to attend small writing and theater workshops led by faculty and guest writers and theater artists, as well as attend and participate in readings. Classes are limited to 15 students with three faculty leaders per workshop to provide individual attention for each student.

Sewanee Young Writers Conference

This two-week residential program offered by The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, provides dedicated rising high school sophomore, junior, and senior creative writers an opportunity to develop and polish their writing skills. The conference includes workshops in playwriting, fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction led by celebrated professional writers as well as visiting writers whose works students analyze and discuss. Participants select one writing genre and spend their two weeks attending a small workshop dedicated to that genre, with opportunities for one-on-one contact with workshop leaders. Students also participate in lectures, readings, and discussions.

Emerging Writers Institute Creative Writing Camp

Allen Grove

Education Unlimited offers the Emerging Writers Institute creative writing camp each summer at Yale University , Stanford University , and UC Berkeley . This two-week residential program for rising 10th-12th graders includes daily workshops, evaluations, peer editing groups, and creative presentations designed to encourage students to challenge themselves as writers and hone their expressive writing process.

Each student chooses to major in the writing of either short stories, poetry, playwriting, or nonfiction. The bulk of their critical reading and writing exercises and workshopping is devoted to their selected major. Students may also attend afternoon workshops on nontraditional genres such as speechwriting, graphic novels, and advertising copy, as well as guest presentations by local authors and publishers.

Iowa Young Writers' Studio

The University of Iowa offers this two-week summer creative writing program for rising juniors, seniors, and college freshmen. Students choose one of three core courses in poetry, fiction, or creative writing (a more general course sampling from poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction). Within their course, they participate in seminar classes in which they read and analyze literary selections and workshops to create, share, and discuss their own writing. Also offered are large group writing exercises, inspirational outdoor writing excursions, and nightly readings by prominent published writers. Many of the program's teachers and counselors are graduates of the university's Iowa Writers' Workshop, one of the most prestigious creative writing graduate programs in the country.

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25 Best High School Summer Writing Programs in 2024

Reviewed by:

Former Admissions Committee Member, Columbia University

Reviewed: 4/26/24

Do you love reading and writing? If you are a creative with a love for reading books and have a passion for creative writing, playwriting, or journalism, check out these summer writing programs for high school students.

Every summer, several schools host writing programs for high school students. While some of these programs focus on the basics of writing, others are much more immersive. They teach various writing fields, including creative writing, research writing, scriptwriting, and poetry.

Whether you become the next Poet Laureate or the top-rated journalist, you can begin by attending a writing program this summer. Participating in these programs will build your skills and boost your college applications. Of the many writing programs, we bring to you the best writing programs for high schoolers. 

1. Princeton Summer Journalism Program at Princeton University 

Location : Princeton, NJ 

Program Length: 10 days

Eligibility: Grade 11-12 students

Start Date: July 26, 2024

Application Deadline: February 15, 2024

The Princeton Summer Journalism Program (PSJP) offers a free, year-long journalism program for high school juniors from limited-income backgrounds . Students must go through a hybrid intensive period during the summer after their junior year, after which they work one-on-one with a personal college counselor during their senior year.

It is open to students with enthusiasm for journalism. You gain new writing and essential skills, including communication and work ethics. Other young creatives from around the world come together to learn and discuss topics ranging from culture, history, social issues, politics, and current events. You need no prior experience in journalism before joining this program.

2. YAWP Summer Teen Writing Fellowship at GrubStreet Center for Creative Writing in Seaport

Location : Boston, MA 

Program Length : Three weeks

Cost : Free

Eligibility : Grade 9-12 students

Start Date : July 8, 2024

Application Deadline : March 18, 2024

YAWP ( Young Artists and Writers Project ) is a highly sought-after creative summer writing program for high school students. Within three weeks, you collaborate with published authors and meet with literary agents and editors. There are also trips to inspirational locales like the ICA and libraries. 

Students without writing experience can be a part of this program. However, it is open only to applicants who attend school in Suffolk, Norfolk, Middlesex, Essex, or Plymouth counties, prioritizing Boston residents. Only 20 applicants are selected for this program.

Students will learn techniques in genres, including but not limited to fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and screenwriting. You also discover how to relate as a student in the literary world. Each student will receive a stipend of $625 at the end of the program.

3. The School of New York Times Summer Academy at The School of New York Times

Location : New York City, NY 

Program Length : Two weeks

Cost : $7,220 for Residents and $5,935 for Day students 

Eligibility : Grade 10-12 students

Start Date : June 3, 2024

Application Deadline : April 1, 2024

The School of the New York Times offers various summer writing programs, covering topics like Writing on Tech, Opinion writing in journalism, commentary writing, creative writing, film writing, and other writing genres. Each topic is a different course on its own.

The instructors at this summer academy are industry experts, including award-winning journalists working at the New York Times. Students also explore New York City on field trips and unique visits. They also form connections with peers and students participating in graduate programs.

4. JCamp by Asian American Journalist Association

Location : Austin, TX 

Program Length : One week

Cost : Free 

Start Date : August 3, 2024

Application Deadline : March 1, 2024

JCamp is a national journalism workshop for high school students. It runs for six days, during which students from diverse cultures come to learn from veteran journalists and leading media executives. 

Expect hands-on training, including multiplatform news packages for the program’s news site, JCamp Live, interactive workshops, and field trips. A requirement to be selected is an apparent keen interest in broadcasting, magazines, newspapers, photojournalism, or online media. 

5. Juniper Young Writers Writing Lab at the University of Massachusetts 

Location : Amherst, MA 

Program Length : Two weeks 

Cost : $2,500 

Start Date : July 29, 2024

Application Deadline: March 7, 2024

The University of Massachusetts offers a two-week residential summer writing program at the Juniper Institute for Young Writers . During this program, students learn about writing concepts through lectures, fiction workshops, and writing prompts. They will participate in writing labs, craft sessions, writer’s life talks, readings, and write-alongs.

In addition, students will visit destinations associated with the writers, poets, and activists who made Western Mass their home. Seasoned instructors are available to answer your questions about creative writing. A bonus is the first-hand look at college life during this residential program on the University of Massachusetts campus.

6. Smith College Creative Writing Workshop at Smith College

Location : Northampton, MA 

Cost : $4,745

Start Date : July 6, 2024

Application Deadline : May 2024

Smith’s Creative Writing Workshop creates an avenue to explore writing in a creative and supportive environment. If you are passionate about creative writing, this program will enhance your love of writing. 

The classes employ a multi-draft writing model that embraces the unpredictability that occurs when we stop trying to control our writing. You learn a flexible writing approach that eliminates writer’s block and gives you access to your full creativity.

You also learn how to edit your work and others’ work. At the end of the program, you will have a budding online writing portfolio, an anthology with writing samples from all students, and professional contacts in the literary world.

7. Reynolds Young Writer’s Workshop at Denison University

Location : Granville, OH 

Cost : $1,500

Eligibility : Grade 11-12 students

Start Date : June 22, 2024

Application Deadline :  March 1, 2024

Denison University hosts a writer's workshop every year where core faculty members teach each student. The training begins with an introduction to the fundamentals and the depths of creative writing across the genres. Classes include writing exercises, short reading assignments, and craft discussions. 

Aside from writing workshops, you can meet with faculty members to discuss your work, aspirations, and writing goals. Not only the faculty members, you also get to meet and connect with acclaimed poets and writers.

During leisure, you can participate in cultural and recreational opportunities in Granville and Columbus. These include excursions to the Columbus Museum of Art, hiking in Denison’s 350-acre bio-reserve, movies, swimming, volleyball, bowling, and more.

8. The Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Workshop for Young Writers by the Alpha Group 

Location : Greensburg, PA 

Cost: $1,500

Start Date : July 24, 2024

Application Deadline : April 15, 2024

The Alpha workshop for high school students teaches students how to write stories in the sci-fi, horror, and fantasy genres. You learn how to generate and convert ideas into a draft. You also learn how to submit to professionals, attack revisions, and build a career in writing.

Alpha selects 20 students with significant experience in writing. Although the workshop is held at the University of Pittsburgh Greensburg, the university has no affiliation with Alpha Workshop For Young Writers Inc.

9. Liberal Arts Intensive at Barnard College

Location : Broadway, NY 

Program Length : Seven weeks

Cost : $13,724 for residents and $9,434 for commuters.

Application Deadline : March 10, 2024

The liberal arts intensive summer program covers several writing courses, including the Art of the Essay, reading, and writing workshops. The Art of Essay course includes discussions about cogent subject matters. 

Students get to write three types of essays that center on personal experience as valuable evidence of more significant phenomena or patterns. All activities aim to hone your observing, questioning, describing, analyzing, and persuading skills. 

High school females can also benefit from the course that teaches feminist life writing and women's fairy tales. In the end, you earn three college credits. You can use the credits at Barnard or transfer them to any college or university that accepts credit transfers.

10. Pre-College Experience at Emory University

Location : Atlanta, GA 

Cost : $4,803 for residents and $3,435 for commuters.

Start Date : June 16, 2024

Application Deadline : May 17, 2024

Emory University hosts high school students for different courses, including creative writing, during the summer. 

It is an introductory poetry course that analyzes a wide range of contemporary poems to develop the skills necessary for generating original poems. This summer school course includes poetry reading and a class chapbook production featuring every student's work. 

11. Pre-College Creative Writers Workshop at Emerson College

Program Length : Four weeks

Cost : $4,310

Application Deadline : March 15, 2024

Emerson College’s Creative Writers Workshop is one of the best creative summer programs for high school students. This workshop helps develop writing skills through intensive coursework that offers fiction, comedy, prose, scriptwriting, and performance poetry courses. 

You will write, revise, and compile a portfolio of your work, which is an addition to your college application. It comprises a series of faculty readings, literary hangouts, and open mic nights, all in a bid to learn how to collaborate with other writers. 

12. Hoya Summer Sessions at Georgetown University

Location : Washington, DC 

Cost : $6,159

Application Deadline: May 15, 2024

Hoya Summer Session is an intensive writing and culture course that accepts 15 students. These students will learn how to use writing as a tool for inquiry. Their training will teach them to read critically, focusing on language, context, and form. 

Students will understand how to write for different rhetorical situations, taking note of the genre, context, and technology. Also, you learn the intricacies of language use, including grammar, punctuation, syntax, and semantics. 

You learn to research, evaluate, and synthesize appropriate evidence to build effective analyses and arguments. The training also entails navigating new forms of communication, for example, the social media platforms that spring up regularly.

13. Sewanee Young Writers' Conference at Education Unlimited 

Location : Sewanee, TN 

Program Length: Two weeks

Cost : $2575 

Start Date : June 30, 2024

Application Deadline : February 16, 2024

The SYWC is a summer conference for high schoolers passionate about creative writing. Within two weeks, you will read, cultivate your writing, and form a community with other young writers worldwide. 

The courses cover the following genres: fiction, poetry, literary nonfiction, songwriting, fantasy, and science fiction. When students are not reading, they are in book discussions or optional craft classes. 

Outside writing activities, students take guided hikes on Sewanee's 13,000-acre domain, sing karaoke, participate in talent shows, play board games, or hang out with friends in the dorm.

14. Emerging Writers Institute Creative Writing Camp

Location : Berkeley, CA 

Cost : $995 

Start Date : June 10, 2024

Application Deadline : April 29, 2024

The Emerging Writers Institute creative writing camp provides an experience for students to develop and support their imaginative writing across literary genres. The genres include fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. 

Students undergo intensive workshops, literary outings, one-on-one instructor evaluations, group editing sessions, and creative work presentations.

Experienced authors and instructors are on the ground to help young writers hone their craft in a collaborative environment. Also, young writers worldwide will form and sustain literary friendships that can last a lifetime. 

15. Iowa Young Writers’ Studio at the University of Iowa

Location : Iowa City, IA 

Application Deadline : February 4, 2024

Students in the Summer Residential Program take an immersive course within two weeks. These courses are taught by graduates of the renowned Iowa Writers' Workshop . 

You can choose from fiction writing, poetry writing, creative writing (which includes some combination of poetry, fiction, and personal essays), TV writing, and playwriting. Students will participate in writing exercises, receiving constructive criticism from teachers and peers. 

They’ll also conduct craft workshops, engage in discussions on writing-adjacent subjects (such as literary translation, film, and mental health), organize readings by existing published writers, and facilitate collaborative projects among students.

16. Pre-College Writing and Culture Program at Carnegie Mellon University

Location : Pittsburgh, PA 

Cost : $8,995 for residents and $6,800 for commuters 

Start Date: June 22, 2024

At CMU , high school students explore writing, culture, and film through traditional, historical, and contemporary lenses. You will learn critical and creative thinking, which will cause you to write effectively for college and beyond. You also gain a toolkit that helps you interpret written and visual stories from different viewpoints.

Upon completion, you will produce a body of works containing short-form writing, film development and production, and preparatory materials to help you set a strong foundation in the humanities. This program adds individualized feedback and guidance, increasing your strengths and interests. 

17. Beginning Screenwriting Program at Loyola Marymount University

Location : Los Angeles, CA 

Cost : $5,800

Start Date : June 23, 2024

In the heart of the entertainment capital, the Beginning Screenwriting program stands out as one of the best summer writing programs for high school students in the U.S. The teachers are experienced screenwriters.

These instructors teach the basic elements of screenwriting and broaden their writing skills. The training explores structure, character development, dialogue, descriptive action, and formatting in a supportive workshop environment. 

18. Pre-College Summer School Program at Harvard University

Location : Cambridge, MA 

Cost : $5,550

Application Deadline : April 10, 2024

The Harvard Pre-College Summer School Program is a two-week summer program offering high school students a Speech, Writing, and Literature course. If you seek to pursue a career in writing, you should take this course. 

This course covers creative writing, English, expository writing, journalism, and speech. Students can expect to build valuable academic skills and learn to live independently on a college campus.

19. The Multicultural Journalism Program (MJP) at the University of Alabama

Location : Tuscaloosa, AL 

Start Date : TBA

Application: Deadline: April 1, 2024

While students are still in high school, the University of Alabama selects 10 to 15 students to attend an intensive workshop in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The workshop emphasizes writing, editing, graphics, multimedia reporting, and basic communication skills. 

The workshop begins from day one under the direction of the faculty and visiting professionals. At the end of the program, participants showcase their work via an MJP Journal, a newspaper, and a website. 

The tutors are journalists from around the state and are paired with each student. Many tutors contact their assigned youngsters throughout the year and into their careers. 

20. Tisch’s Future Dramatic Writers Workshop at New York University 

Eligibility : Grade 9-11 students

Start Date : July 4, 2024

Application Deadline : February 1, 2024

The Dramatic Writers Workshop gives students a glimpse of what it means to study and write drama. It is a free, highly focused academic and professional writing program for students with the talent and the will to write for theatre, film, and television. 

The schedule includes professional training in Dance, Drama, Production and design, Dramatic Writing, and Filmmaking. The Tisch Summer High School Program is tuition-based, and students earn about four to six college credits.

21. Yale Young Writers’ Workshop at Yale University 

Location : Online 

Cost : $950 

Start Date : July 7, 2024

Yale Young Writers' work is yet another one of the creative writing summer programs for high school students to look out for. A group of bookish wordsmiths come together to generate and share their work in an intimate, non-competitive, online community. 

There are three genres (fiction, nonfiction, or poetry) to choose from, each with twelve writers. Participants attend talks, open mics, and student readings and learn about careers in writing. 

Participants will read one assigned book from a visiting writer at the start of the workshop to investigate writing techniques. The faculty has gifted teachers and published writers who will challenge students to produce their best work.

22. Young Writer’s Summer Residential Workshop at Kenyon College

Location : Gambier, OH 

Start Date : July 23, 2024

At Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshops , 12 to 14 passionate high school students come together to stretch their talents, discover new strengths, and challenge themselves. This program combines individual conferences with peer-led group discussions and exercises.

The aim is to help students recognize and work on their writing skills. You will also be able to participate in a genre session where one genre or element of writing will be explored in-depth. 

23. Young Writers Workshop at Bard College

Location : Great Barrington, MA 

Program Length : 3 weeks

Cost : $3,500

Instead of focusing only on the writing style, this three-week writers workshop at Bard College focuses on enhancing language and thinking skills, which are key skills for effective writing. You will engage in reading and writing activities within small groups of 12. 

In the workshop, you will read various challenging texts to examine form, content, and evolving ideas in our world. Evening revising and journal writing assignments complement the daily readings and writing activities. 

You build a portfolio in the end. But much more than that, You will learn how to find your writing voice and style. 

24. Creative Writing Studio at Auburn University

Location : Auburn, AL 

Cost : $880

Application Deadline : April 2024

Creative Writing Studio at Auburn University is dedicated to feeding the passionate muse and sharpening your writing skills in three genres – fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. 

You will participate in workshops and writing craft classes to help you create original fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. Also, you will read some established work pieces daily, with an eye toward the architecture of how they are made. 

They offer a tour of how a literary journal, the acclaimed Southern Humanities Review, works. Expect to experience campus life in Auburn's resident dormitories while you enjoy evening social and recreational activities.

25. Screenwriting Institute at Wake Forest University 

Location : Winston-Salem, NC 

Cost : $2,800

The Wake Forest Summer Immersion Screenwriting Institute is an unforgettable experience for students interested in screenwriting and storytelling. It is a week-long program designed to teach the art and craft of writing screenplays for film, television, and/or video games. You will learn how to write your screenplay and create two short original screenplays by the end of the week.

FAQs: 25 Best High School Summer Writing Programs in 2024

Summer writing programs are great investments for high school students. Here are answers to some other questions you may have. 

1. How Do Summer Writing Programs Benefit High School Students?

Summer writing programs offer numerous benefits to high school students. Firstly, they allow students to enhance their writing skills in a focused and immersive environment. These programs expose students to different styles of writing, literary works, and discussions about the craft of writing. It offers them a platform to improve their writing skills and build a supportive community of fellow writers.

2. Are There Specific Eligibility Criteria for High School Students to Join Summer Writing Programs?

Yes. Eligibility criteria for summer writing programs vary depending on the specific program. Most programs have age restrictions or grade-level requirements. It’s important to carefully review the eligibility criteria outlined by each program and ensure you meet any specified requirements before applying. 

3. How Can Participating in a Summer Writing Program Enhance a High School Student's College Applications?

Joining a summer writing program boosts college applications, showing your love for literature and creativity. It's great for English, creative writing, or journalism interests. You'll create a portfolio, proving your skills for admissions committees.

Final Thoughts

Summer programs set you apart in college application, particularly at highly selective schools. Now that you have a list of the top summer writing programs for high school students, start preparing your application materials. 

Materials include transcripts, application essays, letters of recommendation, or sample writing materials. If you need financial aid, ensure that you apply before the application deadline. While at it, check out this list of internship opportunities for high school students.

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The Best Writing Summer Programs for High School Students

Writing may be a lonely craft, but it is certainly not something that is learned in isolation. 

The best way to improve a student’s writing is to become part of a writing community where constructive feedback and encouragement can help them be the best writer they can be. 

Thankfully, many institutions and universities offer the opportunity to be part of a writing community through their summer programs. 

Many summer programs not only have students work with gifted university faculty, but they also bring students face to face with some of their favorite authors. 

The following list of programs are among the best for a number of different reasons. Some are the best value, and others because of the unique program focuses they offer. But each brings a unique take on training young people in the craft of writing. 

Regardless of why they are the best, each of these writing summer programs offers students a wide range of experience, opportunities, and support in becoming writers of the future. 

BYU’s Young Authors Academy (Provo, UT)

BYU is known for its close association with the LDS church, which brings its commitment to service and community to the university in all areas of academic life. 

As a result, the university has a thriving Young Authors Academy program that middle and high school students can take advantage of during the summer. 

This week-long program allows students to live on the BYU campus, get training from BYU professors, and even meet and speak directly to guest authors. 

Though students don’t have to stay on campus, it can be an enriching experience to live like a BYU student for a week. 

Parents may feel hesitant about their child living like a college student. BYU’s code of conduct makes the Young Authors Academy program one that parents can trust to promote a wholesome and age-appropriate environment. 

Lewis and Clark Fir Acres Writing Workshop (Portland, OR)

Lewis and Clarks’ Fir Acres Writing Workshop takes this spirit of adventure into the realm of writing and guides high school students through a two-week community writing experience. 

Students will strengthen their reading and writing skills with the help of expert faculty while communing with the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. 

In addition to living on the beautiful campus, students will get a chance to wander the creative downtown of Portland. 

As students walk the city streets, they will be walking in the footsteps of authors who made Portland home like Ursula Le Guin, Beverly Cleary, and Chuck Palahniuk. 

Lastly, a visit to Portland would be incomplete without a trip to one of the famous Portland spots – Powell’s Bookstore! 

With trips to the city, writing workshops, and wandering the campus, students will have a summer adventure they will think about for years to come at the Fir Acres Writing Workshop. 

LMU’s Pre-College Beginning Screenwriting (Los Angeles, CA)

Loyola Marymount University is known for being one of the top film schools in the US, which is little surprise with it being located in the heart of the entertainment capital. 

Students attending LMU will be in good company with alumni like X-Files co-writer James Wong and James Bond franchise producer Barbara Broccoli.

With this film school backdrop, LMU offers a unique opportunity to young writers who have a passion for the movies – Beginning Screenwriting. 

Students will spend two weeks working closely with faculty screenwriters who have written award-winning movies and tv series. 

By the end of the workshop, students will have developed their storytelling skills, learned to write in a collaborative environment, and have produced a short screenplay of their own making. 

In addition to learning how to write screenplays, students will also have the opportunity to explore the behind-the-scenes process of filmmaking by visiting a local tv or film studio. At LMU, students learn to become writers who can create the magic of movies and tv. 

Iowa Young Writers’ Studio (Iowa City, IA)

The University of Iowa knows a thing or two about excellence, particularly in writing. Out of this excellent writing program is the Young Writers’ Studio. 

High school students will attend the studio for two weeks, focusing on a core writing genre. Through the two weeks, students will be able to work collaboratively with their peers, listen to published authors discuss the craft, and explore areas of writing they haven’t before. 

Iowa has drawn writers since the university’s Writers’ Workshop was established in the 1930s and has a long and successful history of training aspiring authors. 

As a result, Iowa City is known for being the place to be if you are a writer. High school students who want to join the writer’s life will be following a long tradition of writing excellence by joining Iowa’s Young Writers’ Studio . 

Wharton Center’s Young Playwrights Festival (East Lansing, MI)

Though this opportunity is limited to Michigan students, it deserves recognition on the list because of the fantastic opportunity it provides aspiring playwrights. 

The Young Playwrights Festival is hosted by the Wharton Center, which hosts a wide range of live entertainment from plays to concerts. 

The Wharton Center and the MSU theater department work together to hold the annual Young Playwrights Festival, a unique competition connecting students with mentors. 

This event calls on young playwrights to submit their best script with the expectation that if they win, they will be able to work with MSU playwrights to polish and further develop their script. 

But this opportunity isn’t just about improving a student’s writing – it also results in the student being able to see their work come to life. The festival’s winner will have their polished play performed by the MSU theater department on the Wharton Center stage! 

Georgetown’s Creative Writing Academy (Washington, DC)

Georgetown in D.C has a rich pre-college program for high school students looking to prepare themselves for higher education and a career. The university offers students the option to choose from over 20 possible “academies” to attend over 1-3 week periods of time during the summer. 

For writers, the 1-week Creative Writing Academy offers high schoolers the chance to not only polish their skills, but also to learn what it takes to be a professional writer. 

Students will get the chance to work with advisors to find publishing areas for their writing, gain advice on what higher education programs to pursue, and discover how to find funding for writing projects. 

By the end of the program, students will even get the opportunity to publish their work. Georgetown’s literary magazine, Three Stars, features student work annually. A credential like this will look great on a student’s growing portfolio and resume. 

UF’s Summer Media Institute (Gainsville, FL)

Ranked number 5 for being a “Top Public School” in the US by US News and Word Report, and known for being one of the most extensive journalism and communications programs in the US, the University of Florida has a special opportunity to offer students who want to pursue writing in media. 

The Summer Media Institute is a 6-day workshop that draws students from all over. This program is different from the others on this list because it doesn’t require an application process. 

Instead, the program is based on a first-come, first-serve registration process that closes once the student limit is reached. 

Students attending the Summer Media Institute will learn the many different elements of storytelling in the real world. From getting to experience a newsroom to learning to build a story out of data, at UF students will learn that the writing process goes far beyond just writing words on a page.

Sewanee Young Writers’ Conference (Sewanee, TN)

The University of The South, as Sewanee is called, is one of the more picturesque locations on the list. 

Located on 13,000 acres that the university calls the Domain, students who live at and attend the university have the beauty of Tennessee right outside their door. 

This is an integral part of student life, as high schoolers will discover when they come to participate in the Sewanee’s Young Writers’ Conference. 

In addition to writing, reading, discussing, and meeting guest authors, part of the experience is also getting to experience the beauty of the Domain. 

Students who are taking a break from coursework can be found hiking the surrounding trails or going for a swim in nearby Fiery Gizzard. 

One unique feature of this program is a reading list students will need to finish before coming. 

A good writer is a reader, so students who are accepted will get to read the books of that summer’s guest authors. 

This reading will come in handy later when students hear the guest author discuss their work and offer advice for students in their own writing process. 

Being a writer means finding a workspace that inspires and reduces distractions. Students will discover that Sewanee offers both.

Princeton Summer Journalism Program (Princeton, NJ)

Princeton’s reputation reaches far and wide, making its Journalism Program the envy of Summer Programs. 

It is no wonder that students are shocked to find out that the program is free. Even better, the program is free for those who wouldn’t traditionally be able to afford a summer program, let alone an ivy league program. 

Princeton offers students from under-resourced backgrounds a full-ride opportunity to attend their 10-day Summer Journalism Program . Students whose families meet the income requirements and who are in good academic standing at their high school are eligible to go through the application process. 

The program’s goal to create more opportunities in newsrooms for those who wouldn’t usually be able to afford the training includes helping students understand the college application process. 

After a student leaves the program, they will be assigned a Princeton counselor that will assist them through all parts of the college application process no matter where they choose to attend. 

This opportunity is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of situation. Students who meet the criteria will thank themselves for investing the time and effort to attend this life-changing program. 

Susquehanna’s Writers’ Workshop (Selinsgrove, PA)

Susquehanna University is known for its commitment to being a green campus, an affordable private university, and producing students who excel. In the last nine years alone, the school has had 12 Fulbright winners and, more recently, has been awarded the STARS Silver accolade for its environmental efforts. 

The university is also known for its Writers’ Workshop . Students who attend the week-long workshop will work with talented faculty like Hasanthika Sirisena , who has won the Juniper Literary Prize for her fiction. Students will also be able to work with Monica Prince , whose “choreopoems” are studied around the US. 

The Writers’ Workshop allows students to immerse themselves in their writing craft to produce works they can take with them. 

But before they leave with their work, students will get the chance to showcase their hard work in two different ways. Students will be able to perform their pieces for their friends and family at the end of the workshop and then publish their compositions in the SWW Anthology . 

Talented faculty, an environmentally friendly campus, and talented peers – these are the makings of a great summer writing program experience. 

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10 Best Creative Writing Programs for High School Students

Creative writing has a wide range of applications and benefits. It not only helps you structure and write in different ways but also makes you a better reader and communicator!

In this post, we have compiled a list of great creative writing programs for high school students. We’ve also thrown in some journalism programs for good measure!

10 Great Creative Writing Programs

1. iowa young writers’ studio – residential program.

Location: Online and in-person versions available

Fee/stipend: $575 for the online version, $2,500 for the in-person version

Financial assistance: Several full tuition and partial tuition grants are available.

Application deadline: February 5, 2023

Program dates: Session 1 from June 11, 2023, to June 24, 2023, Session 2 from July 9, 2023, to July 22, 2023

Eligibility: 10th, 11th and 12th graders are eligible to apply

The Iowa Young Writers’ Studio is one of the most prestigious writing programs in the country, with an estimated acceptance rate between 15-20%. You get to choose one course from poetry, fiction, creative writing, playwriting, or TV writing. The course structure contains a mix of seminars and workshops. The mentors are graduates of the University of Iowa, which holds the most prestigious creative writing program in the country (strange but true)! This is a great program if you’re looking for an immersive experience in a single style of writing.

2. Princeton’s Summer Journalism Program

Location: Online and in-person versions available throughout the year culminating in a 10-day residential program at the end of July

Fee/stipend: Free

Financial assistance: NA

Application deadline: February 27, 2023

Program dates: Year-long

Eligibility: Students must be in the 11th grade, have a minimum GPA of 3.5, and must qualify for one of these socioeconomic conditions .

You will get a taste of life as a journalist in this year-long course. You will participate in a range of activities, including attending online workshops and lectures with renowned journalists from all over the country.

Apart from the usual workshops and lectures, you will have access to a number of exciting opportunities such as visiting newsrooms, making a documentary, and working on the Princeton Summer Journal which is published at the end of the program. Fair warning - this is a highly selective program including a three-round application process and a final cohort of up to 40 students .

3. NYU Tisch’s Future Dramatic Writers Workshop

Location: Commuter program at NYU's New York City campus

Application deadline: Closed for 2023

Program dates: February 4, 2023 - May 13, 2023

Program Selectivity: Highly selective

Eligibility: Open to 9th, 10th and 11th graders

If accepted to this program, you get the opportunity to study and practice writing for theatre, film, and television. The program takes place every Saturday for 14 weeks , where you will be spending 8 hours in lectures and workshops. It culminates in a yearly showcase where students can present what they’ve worked on. It is an intensive course equivalent to Tisch’s undergraduate curriculum . This has an in-person component, so it may be easiest if you are in New York City.

4. Telluride Association Summer Seminars

Location: Cornell University, University of Maryland, and University of Michigan

Program dates: June 25, 2023 – August 5, 2023

Eligibility: 10th and 11th graders

Primarily rooted in humanities and social studies, TASS looks at systems of power and oppression. While its main agenda is to exercise students’ critical thinking skills , reading and writing essays is a crucial part of the curriculum. You will find the opportunity to hone your writing skills in fields such as history, politics, culture, and more . This is a highly selective program with an estimated acceptance rate of 3-5% . While this may not fit the bill for traditional ‘creative writing’, the way in which it weaves a connection between critical thinking and impeccable writing is likely to enhance your creative writing projects.

5. Yale Young Writers’ Workshop

Location: Online

Fee/stipend: $900

Application deadline: April 3, 2023

Program dates: July 9, 2023 – July 14, 2023

Eligibility: Open to 10th, 11th and 12th graders

Yale Young Writers’ Workshop will give you an in-depth look at one of the following genres — fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or graphic storytelling. With only 12 students per workshop, the highly selective, one-week program ensures each person gets an immersive experience in developing the craft of writing, experimenting with their work, and finding their own voice .

6. Asian American Journalists Association’s JCAMP

Location: On campus at American University, Washington D.C.

Application deadline: March 17, 2023

Program dates: July 15, 2023 – July 21, 2023

Known for its multicultural diversity and unique hands-on training, this renowned program aims to prepare you for a career in journalism. Not only will you get workshops with veteran industry leaders and go on field trips, but you’ll also have the chance to produce news packages for the program’s news site ! You will also have some published work to your credit. This is a highly selective program with about 30 students chosen from hundreds of applicants.

7. Kenyon Review Young Writer’s Summer Residential Workshop

Location: On campus at Kenyon College

Fee/stipend: $2,575

Financial assistance: Need-based financial aid is available.

Application deadline: March 1, 2023

Program dates: Session 1 from June 25, 2023, to July 8, 2023, Session 2 from July 16, 2023, to July 29, 2023

Eligibility: Open to 16–18-year-old students

This program offers a combination of individual conferences with your instructor and peer-led group discussion and exercises. The coursework is ungraded and focuses on students recognizing and working on their writing skills. You will also have the opportunity to sign up for a genre session where one genre or element of writing will be explored in-depth . This is highly selective with 12-14 students per workshop.

8. Bard College at Simon’s Rock Young Writers Workshop

Location: On campus

Fee/stipend: $3,500

Financial assistance: Moderate

Application deadline: None. Applicants are reviewed until the program is full, usually in mid-April or May

Program dates: July 9, 2023 – July 29, 2023

Eligibility: Open to students from grades 9-11

Instead of focusing only on the writing style, this three-week workshop focuses on enhancing language and thinking skills that are key for effective writing. The program consists of three 90-minute sessions every day with each having a different area of research. You will engage in writing activities and reading discussions within small groups of 12, so every student gets individual attention. Writings are shared by the workshop leaders as well as peers. While building a portfolio, you will be encouraged to focus on the process and finding your voice rather than the end product. This program is a good fit if you’re looking for informal coursework with a heavy emphasis on critical thinking.

9. Sarah Lawrence Writer’s Week – A Creative Writing and Performance Art Workshop

Location: Commuter program

Fee/stipend: $1,125

Financial assistance: Limited scholarships available to Yonkers Public School students

Application deadline: Registrations open in February.

Program dates: Virtual program from July 10, 2023 – July 14, 2023, On campus program from August 7, 2023 – August 11, 2023

Eligibility: Students must be 14 years of age or older

Writing (workshops and collaborative discussions) and theatre (workshops on improvisation, solo performance, character comedy, and the like) come together in this program with students learning components of each as well as their relation to each other. While this is a highly selective program, once in, you’ll find yourself in an interactive and supportive environment in a class of 18 students.

10. The Adroit Journal’s Summer Mentorship Program

Fee/stipend: $450

Financial assistance: Available

Application deadline: March 12, 2023

Program dates: June 19, 2023 – July 31, 2023

Eligibility: Open to students from the 9th to 12th grades

Hosted by a literary and art non-profit organization, this program pairs budding writers with established ones , making this a highly individualized program. While peer activities are also offered, you will get personalized support and guidance from your mentor. You can choose from poetry, fiction and non-fiction/memoir writing. However, the program’s acceptance rate has been approximately 8-9% in the past so keep in mind that it is highly selective.

If you’re interested in going beyond creative writing and want to explore research in fields you’re interested in (e.g., research in literature!) , consider applying to the Lumiere Research Scholar Program , a selective online high school program for students that I founded with researchers at Harvard and Oxford. Last year, we had over 2100 students apply for 500 spots in the program! You can find the application form here.

Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a PhD student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.

When it comes to writing essays, it can be difficult to know where to start write an essay for you https://essayshark.com . That's why I turned to a website that offered essay writing services. Their team of writers provided me with essays that were well-structured and easy to follow, making it easier for me to achieve my academic goals.

Congratulations!!! The essay really deserves a scholarship! Writing an essay can be a daunting task for some, and for me right now, it's important to start working on my nursing essay as early as possible. Luckily, there are several resources online, nursing essay help is just what I need. And I have already reached out to professionals who specialize in essay writing and will help me in creating an effective and inspiring essay.

25 Best Writing Competitions for High School Students – 2024

April 12, 2024

Over the past several years, the number of college applicants has been steadily rising. [i] As college admissions become more competitive, there are many steps a student can take to achieve high school success and become an outstanding candidate for college admissions: earning high SAT scores, securing strong letters of recommendation , and participating in various competitions will all boost your admissions prospects. [ii] In particular, writing competitions for high school students are a popular way to win scholarships and prize money, receive feedback on writing, build a portfolio of public work, and add to college application credentials!

Below, we’ve selected twenty-five writing competitions for high school students and sorted them by three general topics: 1) language, literature and arts, 2) STEM, environment and sustainability, and 3) politics, history and philosophy. It’s never too soon to begin thinking about your future college prospects, and even if you are a freshman, many of these writing competitions for high schoolers will be open to you! [iii]

Writing Competitions for High School Students in Language, Literature, and Arts

1) adroit prizes for poetry and prose.

This prestigious creative writing award offers high school students the opportunity to showcase their work in Adroit Journal . Judges are acclaimed writers in their respective genres.

• Eligibility: All high school students (including international students) are eligible to apply. Poetry contestants may submit up to five poems. Prose contestants may submit up to three pieces of fiction or nonfiction writing (for a combined total of 3,500 words – excerpts accepted).
• Prize: Winners will receive $200 and their writing will be published in Adroit Journal . All submitted entries will be considered for publication!
• Deadline: May 1st (specific deadline may vary by year).

2)  Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest

This unique essay competition allows writers the chance to explore and respond to Ayn Rand’s fascinating and polemic 1957 novel Atlas Shrugged . Specific essay topics are posted every three months; prizes are granted seasonally with a grand prize winner announced every year.

• Prize: Annual grand prize is $25,000.
• Deadline: Deadlines occur every season, for each seasonal prompt.
• Eligibility: Essays must be written in English and be 800-1,600 words in length.

Writing Competitions for High School Students (Continued)

3)  the bennington young writers awards.

Through Bennington College, this high school writing competition offers three prizes in three different genre categories: poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Winners and finalists who decide to attend Bennington College will ultimately receive a substantial scholarship prize.

• Eligibility: U.S. and international students in grades 9 through 12 may apply.
• Prize: First place winners receive $1,000; second place wins $500; third place winners receive $250. YWA winners who apply, are admitted, and enroll at Bennington receive a $15,000 scholarship per year (for a total of $60,000). YWA finalists who apply, are admitted, and enroll at Bennington will receive a $10,000 scholarship per year (for a total of $40,000).
• Deadline: The competition runs annually from September 1st to November 1st.

4)  Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA) Student Essay Contest

Do you love Jane Austen? If so, this is the high school writing competition for you! With the JASNA Student Essay Contest, high school students have the opportunity to write a six to eight-page essay about Jane Austen’s works, focused on a specific, designated topic for the competition year.

• Eligibility: Any high school student (homeschooled students also eligible) enrolled during the contest year may submit an essay.
• Prize: First place winner receives a $1,000 scholarship and two nights’ lodging for the upcoming annual JASNA meeting. Second place wins a $500 scholarship and third place wins a $250 scholarship. All winners will additionally receive a year membership in JASNA, the online publication of their article, and a set of Norton Critical Editions of Jane Austen’s novels.
• Deadline: Submission accepted from February-June 1st (specific dates may vary by year).

5)  The Kennedy Center VSA Playwright Discovery Program

Young aspiring writers with disabilities are encouraged to apply to this unique program. Students are asked to submit a ten-minute play script that explores any topic, including the student’s own disability experience.

• Eligibility: U.S. and international high school students with disabilities ages 14-19 may apply.
• Prize: Multiple winners will receive exclusive access to professional development and networking opportunities at The Kennedy Center.
• Deadline: January (specific deadline date may vary by year).

6)  Leonard M. Milburg ’53 High School Poetry Prize

Through Princeton’s Lewis Center for the Arts, this prestigious writing competition for high school students recognizes outstanding poetry writing and is judged by creative writing faculty at Princeton University.

• Eligibility: U.S. or international students in the eleventh grade may apply. Applicants may submit up to three poems.
• Prize: First place wins $1,500; second place wins $750; third place wins $500.
• Deadline: November (specific deadline date may vary by year).

7)  Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest

Nancy Thorp was a student at Hollins University who showed great promise as a poet. After her death, her family established this scholarship to support budding young poets.

• Eligibility: Female high school sophomores and juniors are eligible to apply. Applicants must be U.S. citizens.
• Prize: First place wins $350 and publication in Cargoes literary magazine, along with a $5,000 renewable scholarship (up to $20,000 over four years) if the student enrolls in Hollins University, and free tuition and housing for Hollins University’s summer creative writing program (grades 9-12). Second place wins publication in Cargoes, along with a $1,000 renewable scholarship ($4,000 over four years) if the student enrolls at Hollins and $500 to apply toward Hollins’ summer creative writing program.
• Deadline: October (specific deadline date may vary by year).

8)  National Council of Teachers of English Achievement Awards in Writing

Students may be nominated by their English teachers to win this prestigious writing award. Winners “exhibit the power to inform and move an audience through language” and prompts and genres may vary by competition year.

• Prize: A certificate will be awarded to students who are judged to have exceptional writing skills. Student names will be displayed on the NCTE website.
• Eligibility: U.S. high school sophomores and juniors are eligible for nomination.
• Deadline: February (specific dates may vary by year). Contest prompts released in August.

9)  National Scholastic Art and Writing Awards

At Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, numerous opportunities for scholarships and awards await those who submit writing in various genres: literary criticism, drama, poetry, and fiction. In all, there are 28 generic categories of art and writing to choose from!

• Eligibility: Teens in grades 7-12 (ages 13 and up) may apply.
• Prize: Various types of recognition and scholarships (up to $12,500) are offered for these award winners.
• Deadline: Scholastic Awards opens for entries in September; deadlines range from December to January.

10)  National Society of High School Scholars Creative Writing Scholarship

In this creative writing competition for high schoolers, students have the opportunity to submit a piece poetry or fiction (or both – one in each category!) for the opportunity to be published on the NSHSS website and win a monetary prize.

• Eligibility: Rising high school students graduating in 2024, 2025, 2026 and 2027 may apply.
• Prize: There will be three $2,000 awards for the fiction category and three $2,000 awards for the poetry category.
• Deadline: Submissions Accepted from May to October (specific dates may vary by year).

11)  National Writing Award: The Humanities and a Freer Tomorrow

This writing competition allows high school students the chance to be nominated by a teacher for a piece of writing in response to Ruth J. Simmons’ “Facing History to Find a Better Future.” Specific prompt topics may vary by year.

• Eligibility: Nominating teachers can submit work from 11th and 12th graders in one category (fiction, poetry, prose, or essay).
• Prize: One top prize of $1,000. Four additional prizes of $500 each. Winners will have the opportunity to have their work published by NCTE.
• Deadline: Applications are open September to October (specific dates may vary by year).

12)  New York Public Library Young Lions Fiction Award

Although this prestigious award isn’t exclusively for high schoolers (anyone younger than 35 may submit a work of fiction), if you’ve written a collection of short stories or even a novel, you should certainly consider applying!

• Eligibility: Any writer below the age of 35 may submit a novel or collection of short stories to participate in this competition.
• Prize: $10,000 award.
• Deadline: September (specific date may vary by year).

13)  Princeton University Ten-Minute Play Contest

This writing competition for high school students awards three annual top prizes for the best ten-minute play. Play submissions are judged each year by an acclaimed guest playwright.

• Eligibility: U.S. or international students in the eleventh grade may apply. Students may submit one play entry; entries must be ten pages or less. Plays must be written in English.
• Prize: First place prize is $500; second place is $250; third place is $100.
• Deadline: Varies by year. However, students are recommended to submit before the deadline date – the submission portal will close when a maximum of 250 applicants have applied.

14)  YouthPLAYS New Voices One-Act Competition for Young Playwrights

In this exciting writing competition, students have the chance to submit an original play script for a play of around 10-40 minutes in length. An excellent competition choice for any student considering a future in the theatre!

• Eligibility: Prospective authors ages 19 and under may submit a script for consideration in the competition. See specific writing guidelines here .
• Prize: First prize wins $250 and publication with YouthPLAYS; second prize wins $100.
• Deadline: Submissions run from January 1st to May 1st.

STEM, Environment, and Sustainability High School Writing Competitions

15)  engineergirl essay contest.

This wonderful essay contest invites students to explore topics related to engineering and science. Each year a new, specific prompt will be chosen for young writers who wish to compete.

• Eligibility: High school students are eligible to apply. Previous winners and close family members of employees of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine are not eligible.
• Prize: First place winners receive $1,000; second place receives $750; third place receives $500.
• Deadline: Competition opens in September and submissions are due February 1st of the following year. Winners are announced in the summer.

16)  Ocean Awareness Contest

The Ocean Awareness Contest is an opportunity for students to create written and artistic projects that explore sustainability, environmentalism, and positive change. High school freshmen (up to age 14) may apply to the Junior Division. Students ages 15-18 may enter the Senior Division.

• Eligibility: Students ages 11-18 may apply (international students included).
• Prize: Monetary prizes ranging from $100-$1000 will be awarded each year. Additionally, $500 will be awarded to ten students who identify as Black, Indigenous, or Latino via the We All Rise Prize program.
• Deadline: June 10, 2024 (specific deadline may vary by year).

17)  Rachel Carson Intergenerational Sense of Wonder / Sense of Wild Contest

If you are interested in issues of sustainability, environment, biology and the natural world, this is one of the high school writing competitions that is just for you! Essay prompts explore the natural world and our place within it and may include poetry, essays, and photography.

• Eligibility: Students must pair with an adult from a different generation (e.g. parent, grandparent or teacher – contestants need not be related). Entries must be submitted as a team.
• Prize: Winners will receive a certificate from RCLA; their first names, ages, and entry titles will be posted on the RCLA website.
• Deadline: November 16th, 2024 (specific deadline may vary by year).

18)  River of Words Competition

This writing competition for high school students is another top choice for those thinking of pursuing majors or careers in biology, environment, and sustainability; this specific contest hopes to promote positive education in sustainability by “promoting environmental literacy through the arts and cultural exchange.”

• Eligibility: Any U.S. or international student from kindergarten through 12th grade may apply.
• Prize: Winners will be published in the River of Words
• Deadline: January (specific deadline may vary by year).

Writing Competitions for High School Students in Politics, History and Philosophy

19)  american foreign service association essay contest.

With this writing competition for high school students, entrants may submit essays ranging from 1,000-1,500 words about diplomacy, history, and international politics (specific prompts vary by year).

• Eligibility: Students in grades nine through twelve may apply. Students whose parents are in the Foreign Service Association are not eligible.
• Prize: The first-place winner will receive $2,500, an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. for the winner and the winner’s parents, and an all-expense paid voyage via Semester at Sea. The second-place winner receives $1,250 and full tuition for a summer session at the National Student Leadership Conference’s International Diplomacy program.
• Deadline: Early spring (specific deadline may vary by year).

20)  Bill of Rights Institute We the Students Essay Contest

In this writing competition for high school students, civic-minded U.S. high schoolers may explore the principles and virtues of the Bill of Rights Institute. Interested applicants should review the specific submission guidelines .

• Eligibility: Any high school student aged 13 to 19 may apply.
• Prize: Prizes range from $1,500 to $10,000.
• Deadline: Submissions for 2024 due May 19th (specific deadline may vary by year).

21)  JFK Presidential Library and Museum Profile in Courage Essay Contest

For students interested in history and political science, this competition offers the chance to write about U.S. elected officials who have demonstrated political courage.

• Eligibility: U.S. high school students from grades 9-12 may apply.
• Prize: First prize is $10,000; second prize receives $3,000; five finalists receive $1,000 each; ten semifinalists receive $100 each; eight students receive honorable mention.
• Deadline: Submissions accepted from September to January (specific deadline may vary by year).
• Sample Essays: 2000-2023 Contest Winner Essays

22)  John Locke Institute Essay Competition

This essay competition is for students who would like to write about and cultivate “independent thought, depth of knowledge, clear reasoning, critical analysis and persuasive style” from one of seven intellectual categories: philosophy, politics, economics, history, psychology, theology or law.

• Eligibility: Students from any country may submit an essay.
• Prize: $2,000 for each subject category winner toward a John Locke Institute program; winning essays will be published on the Institute’s website.
• Deadline: Registration must be completed by May 31st, 2024; essay submission due June 30th, 2024 (specific deadline may vary by year).

23)  Society of Professional Journalists and the Journalism Education Association Essay Contest

This exciting writing competition for high schoolers allows students to explore topics related to journalism, democracy and media literacy. Specific prompts will be provided for contestants each year.

• Eligibility: All U.S. students from grades 9-12 may submit original writing to participate in this contest.
• Prize: First-place winners will receive $1,000; second place is awarded $500; third place receives $300.
• Deadline: February (specific deadline may vary by year).

24)  Veterans of Foreign Wars Voice of Democracy Youth Scholarship Essay

This audio essay allows high school students the opportunity to “express themselves in regards to a democratic and patriot-themed recorded essay.” One winner will be granted a $35,000 scholarship to be paid toward their university, college, or vocational school of choice. Smaller prizes range from $1,000-$21,000, and the first-place winner in each VFW state wins $1,000.

• Prize: College scholarships range from $1,000-$35,000
• Eligibility: U.S. students in grades 9-12 may submit a 3-5-minute audio essay.
• Deadline: October 31st
• Sample Written Essay: 2023-2024 Prize-winning essay by Sophia Lin

25)  World Historian Student Essay Competition

The World Historian Student Essay Competition recognizes young scholars who explore world historical events and how they relate to the student scholar personally. Ultimately the student writer must describe “the experience of being changed by a better understanding of world history.”

• Eligibility: Internationally, students ages K-12 may submit an entry. See specific prompt and submission guidelines for writing instructions.
• Prize: $500

Writing Competitions for High School Students – Sources

[i] Institute for Education Sciences: National Center for Education Statistics. “Number of applications for admission from first-time, degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students were received by postsecondary institutions in the fall.” https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/TrendGenerator/app/answer/10/101

[ii] Jaschik, Scott. “Record Applications, Record Rejections.” Inside Higher Ed . 3 April 2022. https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2022/04/04/most-competitive-colleges-get-more-competitive

[iii] Wood, Sarah. “College Applications are on the Rise: What to Know.” U.S. News & World Report. 21 June 2022. https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/college-applications-are-on-the-rise-what-to-know

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Top 10 Summer Writing Programs for High School Students

Prior to coming to Scholarships360 for her first internship in 2022, Savannah utilized her campus publications by joining various fashion publications that are offered at Ohio University. One of those publications is Thread Magazine, where Savannah has had the opportunity to work on articles related to world-wide related fashion news and events, as well as articles closer to home, such as a fashion piece on Athens hometown-hero Joe Burrow. This year, Savannah also had the opportunity to be a content writing intern for Aiken House, as well as a section editor for Southeast Ohio Magazine. In 2023, Savannah served as the Chapter President of her sorority, Alpha Gamma Delta. These collective experiences, as well as her experience currently working for Ohio University’s Undergraduate Admissions, has led her to Scholarships360 and aided in her passion for helping students better understand the college admissions process and financial aid. In her free time, Savannah enjoys horseback riding, watching Formula One races, traveling, and spending time with her friends and family. Savannah will graduate from Ohio University in May 2024 with a degree in Journalism News and Information and a certificate in Italian Studies.

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If you are a high school student interested in enhancing your writing skills over the summer, look no further. Scholarships360 has you covered with our picks for top 10 writing summer camps for high school students. Let’s dive right in!

What is a summer writing program?

A summer writing program offers high school students interested in different types of writing to immerse themselves in the field. These programs range from creative writing, to playwriting, to poetry, and everything in between. 

Why we selected the following writing programs

We chose a diverse range of writing summer camps for high school students that vary in price, location, and academic focus. These are definitely not all of the writing programs that are in existence, but we wanted to name a few that impressed us.

A note on application deadlines and program dates

Application deadlines and program dates vary from program to program because these are all at different institutions, all over the country. We will do our best to keep these dates updated, so if a program that you are interested in currently says “TBD”, check back in a few weeks and the program may have released that information!

Apply to these scholarships due soon

$10,000 “No Essay” Scholarship

$2,000 Sallie Mae Scholarship

“Mom to Scholar” Scholarship for Mothers

$40,000 Build a College List Scholarship

“Gutsy Graduate Student” Essay Scholarship

Niche $25,000 “No Essay” Scholarship

“College Here I Come” Essay Scholarship for High School Seniors

“Making Waves” Scholarship for Women

$25k “Be Bold” No-Essay Scholarship

Top 10 summer writing programs for high schoolers, 1. iowa young writers’ studio.

The Iowa Young Writers’ Studio is a two-week session located at the University of Iowa campus or online. The two programs run at the same time, and there are two different date options for students to choose from. With this program, students select their primary focus throughout the program– fiction writing, poetry writing, or creative writing. 

• Program benefits : Readings by published writers; workshops on process and aspects of craft; discussions on writing-adjacent subjects (literary translation, film, revision, mental health); collaborative projects to allow small groups of students to work together; as well as open mics, talent shows, icebreakers, and social gatherings
• Application deadline: February 4th, 2024
• Session 1: June 16-29, 2024
• Session 2: July 14-27, 2024
• Cost: The in-person program is $2,500, and the online program is $575

2. Interlochen Center for the Arts Camp Creative Writing Programs

Interlochen Center for the Arts is a prestigious arts center for students of all ages who are interested in various types of arts to hone in on their craft. The Camp Creative Writing Programs are for high school students of all ages. Campers choose between four different tracks– Comics and Graphic Narratives Intensive, Creative Writing Program, Novel Writing Intensive, or Performance Poetry Intensive. The focus below is the broadest category, the Creative Writing Program. This three week intensive allows students to immerse themselves in the world of writing. 

• Program benefits : Genre workshops in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and playwriting; placed in classes outside of comfort zones to learn more about different genres; reading showcase; guest artists and speakers
• Application deadline: January 15th, 2023, for both sessions
• Session 1: June 23, 2024 to July 13, 2024
• Session 2: July 14, 2024 to August 4, 2024
• Cost: $6,765

3. Sarah Lawrence College Writer’s Week: A Creative Writing & Performance Arts Workshop

The Sarah Lawrence Creative Writing and Performance Arts Workshop is offered both online and in person. The in-person workshop is a day camp, not a residential program. Each day of the program, students attend writing workshops led by poets, prose writers, and performance artists. The program also includes faculty led workshops and meetings, as well as a celebration of student work at the end of the program. 

• Program benefits : Work with distinguished faculty and graduate students, generating materials to share, collaboration with peers, learning to revise and edit. 
• Application deadline: TBD, registration opens in February
• Virtual session: July 15 – 19, 2024
• In-Person session: August 5 – 9, 2024
• July Session (Virtual) $1,025 ($100 deposit)
• August Session (On Campus) $1,550 ($200 deposit)

4. Carnegie Mellon Pre-College Writing and Culture Program

The Carnegie Mellon Pre-College Writing and Culture Program is a six-week high school summer program where students immerse themselves in writing, film, design, art, and culture. This program teaches students how to properly tell a story, regardless of what their story may be. Applicants must be sophomores or juniors in high school at the time of the application submission. There are opportunities to receive scholarships for this program as well, which is something to keep in mind while applying. 

• Program benefits : Opportunities to explore some of Pittsburgh’s world-class museums, access to the Carnegie Mellon Archives and Fine and Rare Book Rooms, mentorship and networking opportunities.
• Application deadline : Early decision deadline is February 1st, 2024, regular decision deadline is March 1st, 2024
• Program dates: June 22nd – July 20th, 2024
• Residential: $8,995
• Commuter: $6,800

Related: Top writing and essay scholarships

5. Denison University Reynolds Young Writers Workshop

The Reynolds Young Writers Workshop based out of Denison University in Granville, Ohio is an eight-day residential writing program that helps to immerse students in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction writing. This program is open to students who have completed their sophomore or junior year of high school who have an interest in writing. Generous financial assistance is available to those who need it.  

• Program benefits : Group sessions, hands-on work with Denison faculty and staff, notable visiting writers
• Application deadline: March 1st, 2024 at 11:59 PM
• Program dates: June 22 – 29, 2024
• Cost: $1,500

6. Alpha– The Young Writers Workshop

Alpha – The Young Writers Workshop is a 12-day writing workshop for students ages 14-19 located on the University of Pittsburgh Greensburg campus. Not only will students immerse themselves in their writing and have the opportunity to hone in on that skill, but they will also learn more about the technical side of writing– submitting for publication, editing, and receiving feedback. Alpha also offers scholarships for those who may need them. 

• Program benefits : Ample time spent with influential professors, opportunities for brainstorming workshops, professional writer presentations, lectures. 
• Application deadline : March 10th, 2024
• Program dates : July 24 – August 4, 2024

Don’t miss: Top free summer programs for high school students

7. Loyola Marymount University- Beginning Screenwriting Program

The Loyola Marymount University Beginning Screenwriting Program is a hands-on two-week program located on the campus of one of the nation’s best film schools. Students learn the basics of the script developing process, gain a deeper understanding of cinematic storytelling, and enhance their writing skills. The first program dates are for eligible high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors. The second program dates are for juniors and seniors only. 

• Program benefits : Opportunity for hands-on experiences within Los Angeles’ film industry, touring local film or television studio”
• Application deadline : March 15th, 2024
• Session 1: June 23-July 6, 2024
• Session 2: July 14-July 27, 2024
• Cost : $5,800 with a $65 application fee

8. Georgetown University Creative Writing Academy

The Georgetown University Creative Writing Academy is a week-long writing academy for high school students of all ages. During this academy, students have the opportunity to work on and present a capstone project, which can be on various topics and within various subject areas. This academy focuses largely on the publishing aspects of creative writing. 

• Program benefits : Readings from published authors, work with Georgetown faculty and staff, field trips, group discussions
• Application deadline : The “Early Bird” deadline is January 31st, 2024, and the Final deadline is May 15th, 2024
• Program dates: July 14th – 20th, 2024
• Cost :$3,389, includes tuition, housing, and meals

9. Emerson Writes

The Emerson Writes is an on-campus program that focuses on topics such as fiction, prose, scriptwriting, comedy writing, graphic novel writing, and performance poetry. This program offers students opportunities to create and revise their personal writing portfolio. 

• Program benefits : Work with highly regarded faculty writers, participate in literary hangouts, participate in “final reading” at the conclusion of the program
• Application deadline : TBD, not yet open
• Program dates : Depending on which courses you choose to take, the schedule varies, but the first class starts in September 2024
• Cost : Free

Also see: How to rock the summer before your senior year

10. Harvard Pre-College Summer School Program

The last entry on our list of writing summer camps for high school students is also one of the most prestigious. The Harvard Pre-College Summer School Program is a two-week summer program that offers over 100 non-credit courses for high school students to take part in. The Speech, Writing, and Literature topic is a great option for students who want to pursue a career in writing or just want to develop their craft. This topic offers multiple different courses, such as creative writing, English, expository writing, journalism, and speech. The program also offers some financial aid for qualifying students. 

• Program benefits : Build valuable academic skills, learn to live independently on a college campus, take sample college courses
• Early Application and Priority Financial Aid Deadline — January 10, 2024
• Regular Application and Financial Aid Deadline — February 14, 2024
• Late Application Deadline — April 10, 2024
• Session I: June 23 – July 5, 2024
• Session II: July 7 – 19, 2024
• Session III: July 21 – August 2, 2024
• Cost : $5,550 + $75 application fee

Don’t miss: High school checklist: Freshman through senior year

• Now that you’ve got some writing summer camps for high school students in mind, start preparing your application materials! This may include application essays , letters of recommendation , transcripts, or sample writing materials
• Apply for program scholarships if needed
• Write! Bring your writing samples with you, as you never know when you might need them
• Don’t forget that Scholarships360 offers all the resources you need as you continue your education! It’s never too early to learn about extracurricular activities and when to start applying to colleges ! 

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Creative writing summer program for high school students.

Why Take Creative Writing

Develop and amplify your writing voice in our immersive program. Guided by an outstanding faculty of published writers, you will experiment with multiple genres, deepen your understanding of the craft, and cultivate the confidence to share your work with the world.

What You'll Learn

During Interlochen's writing camp , you’ll focus intensively on two genres of creative writing. Genre workshops include: 

• Playwriting

In addition to exploring the fundamentals of your chosen genres, you'll discuss a wide range of published works, and craft your own pieces via in-class exercises and roundtable workshops with a class of dedicated peers. You’ll also experience the natural beauty of Northern Michigan via our Environmental Explorations class, attend readings by award-winning faculty and visiting authors, and learn to craft your work for publication and performance. Each session culminates in a camp anthology and student reading. 

Workshop Placement

Students benefit from exposure to a broad range of literary forms. By studying forms outside of your primary genre, you’ll gain new insight into the styles you love most. 

After enrolling, students rank the four genres in order of preference. We’ll do our best to accommodate the top two choices, however, space is limited. We encourage students to submit preferences as soon as possible!

Portfolio Requirements

• SESSION 1: June 23, 2024 to July 13, 2024
• SESSION 2: July 14, 2024 to August 4, 2024
• SESSION 1: Accepting applications
• SESSION 2: Accepting applications

Program Specialties

Fiction Workshop

Learn the fundamentals of narrative craft in addition to cutting-edge experimental techniques being used by contemporary fiction writers. Focus on the fundamental elements of writing short stories. You will explore story structure, point of view, characterization, plot development, setting, dialogue, and revision strategies.

Nonfiction Workshop

Survey a variety of subgenres in the the nonfiction mode, particularly lyric and hybrid essays. Studies in structure, point of view, characterization, temporality, setting, revision strategies, and the subversion of genre conventions and received voices will give students the flexibility to adapt to a wide range of nonfiction genres.

Poetry Workshop

Explore the fundamentals and contemporary techniques of poetic craft in the lyric, narrative, and dramatic modes, with particular attention given to imagery, voice, musicality, lineation, and forms—both received and invented.

Playwriting Workshop

Focus on character creation and dramatic structure. You will write scenes exploring conflict, action, dialogue, motivation, and stage directions while workshopping a scene in class.

"For me, writing feels like a release."

Learn more about Nailah's experience as a Creative Writing high school student at Arts Camp. 

Meet the Faculty

Our creative writing instructors are committed educators and accomplished artists with extensive experience in their disciplines. As mentors, they are dedicated to helping you develop your own unique voice.

Please note the gallery may showcase previous instructors.

All faculty

Megan Baxter

Instructor of Creative Writing

Reina Hardy

AM Ringwalt

Visiting Instructor of Creative Writing

Emily Pittinos

Heather Truett

Instructor of Fiction

Karyna McGlynn, Ph.D.

Director of Creative Writing

Program Highlights

Reading Showcase

The students will participate in a reading showcase in The Writing House Great Room at the end of the program.

Students contribute work to a print anthology that they can take home at the end of their session to remind them of a productive and inspiring summer.

The Writing House

During the three-week sessions, your artistic home will be the The Writing House. This comfortable space provides quiet work areas, ample seating for group projects, and a literary publications room with computer and printing stations. Take a 360-degree virtual tour .

Additional Opportunities

We have additional camp program opportunities for young writers, including our one-week Comics & Graphic Narratives , Performance Writing & Spoken Word , Novel Writing , and Screenwriting intensives.

Interlochen is also home to the Arts Academy boarding high school, which offers a Creative Writing major, as well as a post-graduate year.

Guest Artists

• Aja Gabel, author of The Ensemble
• Kaitlyn Greenidge, Harper's Bizarre features director and author of We Love You, Charlie Freeman
• Lily Hoang, associate professor of literature at University of California San Diego and author of Changing and A Bestiary
• Caitlin Horrocks, professor of creative writing at Grand Valley State University and author of Life Among the Terranauts and This is Not Your City
• Amy Kurzweil, The New Yorker cartoonist and author of Flying Couch
• Sarah Elaine Smith, author of Marilou is Everywhere and I Live in a Hut

This experience at Interlochen has been truly inspiring. I have seen and met so many people who have inspired me to continue with my own writing and explore other creative outlets like drawing and painting. The arts program at my own school is underfunded, so coming here has helped me really immerse myself in the arts.

Alexandra, Creative Writing

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High School Students Interested in Creative Writing: How to Build Your Profile

Padya Paramita

January 12, 2021

If you fall under the category of high school students interested in creative writing , chances are, you want to continue honing your writing skills in college. As one of your strengths, writing will not only help you with the components of your college application, but seeing prowess in the field in your activities list and honors section can also help admissions officers understand just how strong a writer you are! To guide you through how to succeed in the college admissions process as a budding writer, I’ve gone through the list of top English programs at colleges, how to take advantage of your personal statement and supplemental essays, ways to boost your extracurriculars, and finally summer programs that can help you sharpen your writing skills and help you get one step closer to admissions at a top humanities college.

School List

High school students interested in creative writing usually major in English or concentrate in creative writing with the English major. Although all colleges have English majors, some colleges are better known for it than others thanks to esteemed faculty, specialized classes, and greater opportunities to grow as a writer. US News’ top 20 English programs are as follows:

As you’re making your college list, look through the course offerings, the list of professors, notable alumni, and opportunities to pursue writing beyond the classroom through the school newspaper, literary magazines, writing internships, and more. While it might not seem like a big deal, strong mentorship from esteemed writers can make a big difference in your development as a writer, as well as for future recommendation opportunities if you want to apply to creative writing Masters programs.

Personal Statement

If you’ve always wanted to be a writer, one of the most obvious ways to showcase your writing skills is through writing a stellar essay. While your personal statement can be a different story about another topic that holds significance to you, the way you write this essay matters. The personal statement is an effective way to demonstrate your creative side—how can you tell a unique story in a unique way. And of course, you can use this essay to write about your journey as a writer and your future goals. If you’ve helped a person or group in your community by writing an article in a newspaper, or you’ve worked hard on a novel about your life, these would make for standout essay topics. Whatever you write about, make sure that the admissions office comes out of the experience knowing that you will be bringing these skills to campus.

Supplemental Essays

While you have less room to be creative, your supplemental essays are the place to discuss what you’ve done to work on becoming a writer. Although there aren’t essay prompts explicitly dedicated to high school students interested in creative writing , there are supplemental essay prompts that ask students to elaborate on why they have chosen a certain major or to expand on one of the activities on their profile. This could be a great opportunity to discuss why you want to study writing, what your specific interests within the field are, and how you’ve developed your craft. Some possible prompts where you can address your writing, for example, are:

New York University : We would like to know more about your interest in NYU. What motivated you to apply to NYU? Why have you applied or expressed interest in a particular campus, school, college, program, and or area of study? If you have applied to more than one, please also tell us why you are interested in these additional areas of study or campuses. We want to understand

- Why NYU? [Max. 400 words]

Harvard University : Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. [Max. 150 words]

Vanderbilt University : Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. [200-400 words]

Essays like this provide you with the chance to write about why you wish to be an English or creative writing major—or to outline how you’ve taken advantage of the opportunities around you and made an impact on an activity of your choice. If you write about why you wish to be an English or creative writing major, discuss how your interest in the topic developed, how you pursued it in high school, and how that specific school can help you achieve your writing goals through specific classes, professors, internships and more. If you choose to talk about an activity, don’t just go on about your interest in writing in general. Pick a specific activity that involves writing and take the reader through your journey, whether it’s elaborating on leadership, collaboration, or how it might have shifted your perspective.

Extracurricular Activities 

Face it: there are numerous high school students interested in creative writing . Saying you like to write isn’t enough. You must ensure that you have gone beyond just writing essays for school in order to develop your writing skills and establish yourself as a strong writer. You could specialize in this field even further through one or more of the following ways:

• Start an activity centered around creative writing: Colleges love to see students who have taken their own initiative and showcased their leadership skills. If your school doesn’t have a creative writing club, here’s your chance to start your own. You can be in charge of creating lessons, bringing guests, facilitating workshops with each other. If your school already has a creative writing club, you could start an activity that’s even more niche, such as a poetry writing club or a mystery writers’ club. Make sure to think out of the box and consult your classmates to see how they would like to work on their writing.
• Write your own novel or collection: This is an independent project that’s pretty straightforward. There are fewer more effective ways to show that you’re a dedicated and strong writer than writing your own long piece of work. Whether it’s a novel, a poetry collection, or an anthology of short stories, take advantage of summers or other long breaks to conceptualize, write, and edit your own original work. High school students interested in creative writing can also take advantage of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) which is a writing challenge that takes place in November of every year. 
• Submit your work to journals: College admissions officers will want to see evidence of your writing skills. No better way to do so than to provide links to publications that have printed your work. Fortunately, the steps it takes to get published in high school actually aren't that hard. While you need to submit quality work, there are definitely journals out there that receive and publish high schoolers’ writing. Check out the list of excellent publications (some online and some in print) that will accept and publish good writing regardless of the writer’s age in this blog .
• Enter writing competitions: Another way to establish yourself as a writer worth paying attention to is to place in writing competitions. The scale of these competitions can be national—but they can also be local, so take advantage of any opportunities in your school or city. If you can win an award in a statewide or national context, that’s incredible. Some well-known writing competitions for high school students are:
• The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
• YoungArts’ National Arts Competition
• Bennington Young Writers Award
• Jane Austen Society Essay Contest
• New York Times Student Contest
• Help others with their writing: Learning how to give feedback is as important a part of growing as a writer as the actual writing is. If you’re looking for extracurricular activities for high school students interested in creative writing , and you’re someone interested in community outreach, think about how you can combine these two passions. You might offer an evening class for members of your community who have 9-5 jobs. Or, you can start a Zoom writing workshop and invite students from any location. Don’t be afraid to get as creative as possible.
• Find a writing-related job: Finally, check out if anyone is hiring! Local newspapers often look for teen reporters, while many other companies need to fill roles such as copy editor, writer’s assistant, journalism intern, content writer and more. Having a job can not only sharpen your writing and editing skills, but you’ll also be able to convey that you’re a responsible and mature individual in your College Application. You can look for jobs specifically for teenagers on websites such as SnagAJob and Indeed .

Summer Programs

High school students interested in creative writing can have the opportunity to learn from college professors and share their work with peers starting early. The following summer programs allow high schoolers to hone and share their writing skills in a variety of degrees. Whether you write fiction, plays, or think pieces, acceptance and participation in one of the following would show that you have worked hard to sharpen your craft.

Iowa Young Writers’ Studio

As an aspiring writer, you might have heard about the Iowa Writers’ Workshop at the University of Iowa. While you can’t apply to the prestigious workshop until graduate school, the university does host a summer program for young writers, known as the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio . This two-week-long creative writing experience for high school students interested in creative writing provides an environment to hone your craft through seminars and workshops. Upon choosing fiction, poetry, or a mix of both as your concentration, you will attend courses that encourage you to improve your writing skills through peer-edits, writing exercises and activities, different approaches to writing, and constructive criticism from mentors. 

Interlochen Center for the Arts Summer Arts Camp

If you’re already highly talented and looking for arts summer programs that can enable you to grow as a writer, The Interlochen Center’s summer camp helps artistic students work on their skills in creative writing alongside other fields such as music and theatre design. You will have to show a final project (probably a story or longer piece of writing) to complete the program. You’ll not only have the opportunity to learn from professional artists and instructors, but you’ll also collaborate with other like-minded students and share your writing with each other.

Medill-Northwestern Journalism Institute

The Medill-Northwestern Journalism Institute is a journalism camp that allows rising seniors to gain hands-on experience in writing, reporting, and editing for print and digital broadcasting. Especially if you’re hoping to apply to a top journalism program, participation in Medill’s program would look excellent on your profile. As part of this five-week summer institute, you’ll meet aspiring journalists from all over the world and partake in a variety of journalistic initiatives, from conducting interviews to working on stories about trending topics. You’ll also be paired with a mentor who will meet with you weekly to critique your writing assignments. Students are encouraged to pitch their articles and get published in the Daily Northwestern, which you should definitely strive for in order to impress college admissions officers! 

Columbia Creative Journalism Summer Program

Columbia Creative Journalism is a program for high school students hoping to quickly understand the basics of reporting. If you’re among high school students interested in creative writing who wish to pursue journalism, this one-week course gives you the opportunity to learn from esteemed journalist Elizabeth Walters and Columbia writing professor Kristen Martin. Students hone their reporting and interviewing skills through writing assignments such as profiles, op-eds, features, and audio pieces while staying in the journalistic hub that is New York City. You will also be asked to read a variety of articles as well as write a new article draft every night to better understand the landscape of journalism today.

New York University Tisch Summer Program

NYU’s Tisch School of Arts offers students in search of arts summer programs with an array of options at this four-week-long camp, where participants can choose to focus in dramatic writing alongside other performance genres. Tisch emphasizes projects, professional training, and structured classes. To complete the program, you have to turn in all of the intensive assigned coursework and professional training requirements for your chosen track. If you’re concentrating in dramatic writing, you will have to present your work to your peers, which is then reviewed and critiqued by the rest of the workshop members. You’ll have the opportunity to stay in an NYU residence hall and get a glimpse of what college might be like if you plan to attend art school in the Big Apple. At the end of the program you will have a chance to showcase your work—your play, video game, choreography—depending on your track.

Hopefully, you’ve come out of reading this blog with a strong idea of what it takes to succeed as high school students interested in creative writing . Admissions officers want to see students who have gone the extra mile and really dedicated themselves to their field. Don’t just perform well in the classroom. Start a writing club, apply for a writing internship, write your own novel if you have the time. Nothing is too small. You got this!

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• Career Edge - NYU High School Summer Program

Creative Writing

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This summer, immerse yourself in the craft of creative writing with fellow young authors in a pre-college environment. Learn from an industry expert as you transform your ideas and stories into compelling writing. Develop the techniques that are fundamental to all types of fiction writing—literary fiction, dystopian fantasies, fairy tales, and mysteries—and refine your skills in story structure, character development, description, and dialogue. Students will also experience lectures, interact with noted authors, and receive information on how to turn your passion into a career. Gain exposure to workshopping your writing with constructive feedback, ultimately walking away with a variety of short creative pieces ranging from poems, stories, and scenes, to collage texts and flash fiction.

• High school students who have completed grades 9, 10, or 11
• High school students interested in strengthening creative writing skills

You'll Walk Away With

• Refinement of your creative writing, including narrative arc, world-building, authentic dialogue, and character development
• A portfolio of peer-critiqued short stories
• An NYU transcript showing grade(s) earned upon completion of the course (Please note: No college credit or certificate of completion is granted for this course.)

Available Sessions

• Session 3 Jul 15 - 19, 2024 Mon - Fri 09:00 AM - 05:00 PM
• Session 4 Jul 22 - 26, 2024 Mon - Fri 09:00 AM - 05:00 PM
• Session 6 Aug 05 - 09, 2024 Mon - Fri 09:00 AM - 05:00 PM

Information Table

Students from around the world attend NYU summer programs, but only a college prep program like High School Academy provides the opportunity to explore both traditional and emerging career paths.

Projects and short assignments provide take-aways that prepare you for college classroom work, while demonstrating your newly acquired skills.

Career Edge Schedule

Start Date: June 24, 2024 End Date: June 28, 2024

Start Date: July 8, 2024 End Date: July 12, 2024

Start Date: July 15, 2024 End Date: July 19, 2024

Start Date: July 22, 2024 End Date: July 26, 2024

Start Date: July 29, 2024 End Date: August 2, 2024

Start Date: August 5, 2024 End Date: August 9, 2024

International Student Deadline: March 15, 2024 Residential U.S Student Deadline: May 17, 2024 Commuter U.S Student Deadline: June 7, 2024

Application Requirements and Fees

To apply you must have successfully completed grades 9,10, or 11. You must submit the online application, a 250-500 word essay, and an official high school transcript. Essay Topic: Please describe why you would like to take your selected course(s). Please include any previous courses you've taken in this subject or previous experiences with this subject. Give more detail as to why you would like to take this course over the summer. Your response should be 250-500 words total. If selecting multiple courses, please contain all responses to a single essay.

Fees for Summer 2024

Application Fee: $50 (non-refundable) Tuition: $2,579 per course Housing & Dining Fees (add on): $618 per week Please note: No financial aid, scholarships, or discounts are available for Career Edge

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Choose Your Test

Sat / act prep online guides and tips, the 17 best writing contests for high school students.

Other High School

If you're a writer—fiction, non-fiction, or fanfiction—you can put those skills to work for you. There are tons of writing contests for high school students, which can award everything from medals to cash prizes to scholarships if you win .

Not only will a little extra money, whether cash or scholarships, help you when it comes time to pay for college, but the prestige of a respected reward is also a great thing to include on your college application.

Read on to learn more about what writing contests for high school students there are, how to apply, and what you could win !

Writing Contests With Multiple Categories

Some high school contests accept entries in a variety of formats, including the standard fiction and non-fiction, but also things like screenwriting or visual art. Check out these contests with multiple categories:

Scholastic Art and Writing Awards

• Award Amount: $1,000 to $12,500 scholarships
• Deadline: Varies between December and January, depending on your region
• Fee: $10 for single entry, $30 for portfolio

The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards celebrate art by students in grades seven through twelve (age 13 or older) on a regional and national scale. These awards have a huge number of categories and styles, including cash prizes or scholarships for some distinguished award winners . Categories include science-fiction and fantasy writing, humor, critical essays, and dramatic scripts, among others.

Deadlines vary by region (but are mostly in December and January), so use Scholastic's Affiliate Partner search to find out when projects are due for your area.

Scholastic partners with other organizations to provide prizes to winners, so what you can win depends on what you enter and what competition level you reach. Gold medal portfolio winners can earn a $12,500 scholarship, and silver medal winners with distinction can earn a $2,000 scholarship , as well as many other options in different categories.

The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards are open to private, public, or home-schooled students attending school in the US, Canada, or American schools in other countries. Students must be in grades seven through twelve to participate. Eligibility varies between regions, so consult Scholastic's Affiliate Partner search tool to figure out what applies to you .

The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards have a $10 entry fee for individual submissions and $30 for portfolio submissions, which may be waived for students in need . These fees may vary depending on location, so be sure to check your local guidelines .

Ocean Awareness Contest

• Award Amount: Scholarships up to $1,500
• Deadline: June 13, 2023 (submissions open in September)

The Ocean Awareness Contest asks students to consider the future of a coastal or marine species that is under threat from climate change. Submissions are accepted in a variety of art forms, but all must consider the way that climate change impacts ocean life .

Submissions for all categories, including art, creative writing, film, interactive and multimedia, music and dance, and poetry and spoken word are due in June, although the exact date varies slightly each year.

Winners may receive prizes of up to a $1,500 scholarship , depending on which division they fall into and what prize they win.

The contest is open to all international and US students between the ages of 11 and 18.

River of Words

• Award: Publication in the River of Words anthology
• Deadline: January 31, 2023

The River of Words contest asks students to consider watersheds—an area that drains into the same body of water—and how they connect with their local community. Students can explore this concept in art or poetry, with winners being published in the annual River of Words anthology .

Entries in all categories must be submitted by January 31, 2023. 

The River of Words contest is primarily for recognition and publication, as the website doesn't list any prize money . The contest includes specific awards for certain forms, such as poetry, some of which may have additional prizes .

The contest is open to International and US students from kindergarten to grade 12 (ages 5 through 19). Students who have graduated from high school but are not yet in college are also eligible.

Adroit Prizes

• Award Amount: $200 cash award
• Deadline: Typically April of each year

Sponsored by the Adroit Journal, the Adroit Prizes reward high school students and undergraduate students for producing exemplary fiction and poetry. Students may submit up to six poems or three works of prose (totaling 3,500 words) for consideration. Submissions typically open in spring .

Winners receive $200 and (along with runners-up) have their works published in the Adroit Journal . Finalists and runners-up receive a copy of their judge's latest published work.

The contest is open to secondary and undergraduate students, including international students and those who have graduated early . The Adroit Prizes has a non-refundable fee of $15, which can be waived.

YoungArts Competition

• Award Amount: Up to $10,000 cash awards
• Deadline: October 15, 2022; application for 2024 opens June 2023

Open to students in a variety of disciplines, including visual arts, writing, and music, the YoungArts competition asks students to submit a portfolio of work. Additional requirements may apply depending on what artistic discipline you're in .

Winners can receive up to $10,000 in cash as well as professional development help, mentorship, and other educational rewards.

Applicants must be 15- to 18-year-old US citizens or permanent residents (including green card holders) or in grades 10 through 12 at the time of submission . There is a $35 submission fee, which can be waived.

Fiction Writing Contests for High School Students

Many contests with multiple categories accept fiction submissions, so also check out the above contests if you're looking for places to submit original prose.

EngineerGirl Writing Contest

• Award Amount: $100 - $500 cash prize
• Deadline: February 1, 2023

This year's EngineerGirl Writing Contest asks students (though the name of the organization is "EngineerGirl," students of any gender may participate) to submit a piece of writing that shows how female and/or non-white engineers have contributed to or can enhance engineering’s great achievements. Word counts vary depending on grade level.

At every grade level, first-place winners will receive $500, second-place winners will receive $250, and third-place winners will receive $100 . Winning entries and honorable mentions will also be published on the EngineerGirl website.

Students of any gender from third to 12th grade may submit to this contest. Home-schooled and international students are also eligible.

Nonfiction Contests for High School Students

Like fiction, non-fiction is often also accepted in contests with multiple categories. However, there are quite a few contests accepting only non-fiction essays as well.

The American Foreign Services Association Essay Contest

• Award Amount: $1,250 to $2,500
• Deadline: April 3, 2023

The American Foreign Services Association sponsors a high school essay contest tasking students with selecting a country or region in which the United States Foreign Service has been involved at any point since 1924 and describe, in 1,500 words or less, how the Foreign Service was successful or unsuccessful in advancing American foreign policy goals in this country/region and propose ways in which it might continue to improve those goals in the coming years .

One winner will receive $2,500 as well as a Washington D.C. trip and a scholarship to attend Semester at Sea . One runner-up receives $1,250 and a scholarship to attend the International Diplomacy Program of the National Student Leadership Conference.

Entries must be from US students in grade nine through 12, including students in the District of Columbia, US territories, or US citizens attending school abroad, including home-schooled students.

John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Contest

• Award Amount: $100 - $10,000
• Deadline: January 13, 2023

The John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage contest tasks students with writing an essay between 700 and 1,000 words on an act of political courage by a US elected official serving during or after 1917 , inspired by John F. Kennedy's Profiles in Courage . Each essay should cover the act itself as well as any obstacles or risks the subject faced in achieving their act of courage. Essays must not cover figures previously covered in the contest, and should also not cover John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, or Edward M. Kennedy.

One first-place winner will receive $10,000, one second-place winner will receive $3,000, five finalists will receive $1,000 each, and eight semi-finalists will win $100 each.

The contest is open to students in grades nine through 12 who are residents of the United States attending public, private, parochial, or home schools . Students under the age of 20 in correspondence high school programs or GED programs, as well as students in US territories, Washington D.C., and students studying abroad, are also eligible.

SPJ/JEA High School Essay Contest

• Award Amount: $300 - $1,000 scholarships
• Deadline: February 19, 2023 (submissions open in November)

The SPJ/JEA high school essay contest , organized by the Society of Professional Journalists and the Journalism Education Association, asks students to  analyze the importance of independent media to our lives (as of now, the official essay topic for spring 2023 is TBD) . Essays should be from 300 to 500 words.

A $1,000 scholarship is given to a first-place winner, $500 to second-place, and $300 to third-place.

The contest is open to public, private, and home-schooled students of the United States in grades 9-12 .

Playwriting Contests for High School Students

For those who love the stage, playwriting contests are a great option. An original play can earn you great rewards thanks to any of these contests!

VSA Playwright Discovery Program Competition

• Award: Participation in professional development activities at the Kennedy Center
• Deadline: January 4, 2023 (Application opens in October)

The VSA Playwright Discovery Program Competition asks students with disabilities to submit a ten-minute script exploring their personal experiences, including the disability experience . Scripts may be realistic, fictional, or abstract, and may include plays, screenplays, or musical theater.

All entries are due in January. Scripts may be collaborative or written by individuals, but must include at least one person with a disability as part of the group .

One winner or group of winners will be selected as participants in the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. Winners will have access to professional assistance in developing their script as well as workshops and networking opportunities.

This contest is open to US and international students in ages 14 to 18 . Groups of up to five members may collaborate on an essay, but at least one of those students must have a disability.

Worldwide Plays Festival Competition

• Award: Professional production in New York
• Deadline: March (official 2023 deadline TBD)

In the Worldwide Plays Festival Competition , students from around the world can submit an eight-minute script for a play set in a part of a neighborhood —specifically, at a convenience store, outside a character's front door, or at a place where people convene. Each play must have roles for three actors, should not have a narrator who isn't also a character, and should not contain set changes.

Entries are due in February. Winners will have their play produced by professionals at an off-Broadway New York theater . Scholarships are also available for winners.

Any student, including US and international, in first through 12th grade may submit work for consideration.

• Award Amount: $50 - $200 cash prize
• Deadline: 2023 deadline TBD (application opens January 2023)

Students may submit a one-act, non-musical play of at least ten pages to YouthPLAYS for consideration . Plays should be appropriate for high school audiences and contain at least two characters, with one or more of those characters being youths in age-appropriate roles. Large casts with multiple female roles are encouraged.

One winner will receive $250, have their play published by YouthPLAYS, and receive a copy of Great Dialog , a program for writing dialog. One runner up will receive $100 and a copy of Great Dialog.

Students must be under the age of 19, and plays must be the work of a single author.

The Lewis Center Ten-Minute Play Contest

• Deadline: Spring of each year

Students in grade 11 may submit a ten-minute play for consideration for the Lewis Center Ten-Minute Play Contest . Plays should be 10 pages long, equivalent to 10 minutes.

One first-prize winner will receive $500, one second-prize winner will receive $250, and one third-prize will receive $100.

All entries must be from students in the 11th grade .

Poetry Writing Contests for High School Students

For those who prefer a little free verse or the constraints of a haiku, there are plenty of poetry-specific contests, too.

Creative Communications Poetry Contest

• Award Amount: $25
• Deadline: December

Students in ninth grade or below may submit any poem of 21 lines or less (not counting spaces between stanzas) for consideration in the Creative Communications Poetry Contest .

Students may win $25, a free book, and school supplies for their teacher .

Public, private, or home-schooled US students (including those in detention centers) in kindergarten through ninth grade may enter.

Leonard L. Milberg '53 High School Poetry Prize

• Award Amount: $500-$1500
• Deadline: November 

Students in 11th grade may submit up to three poems for consideration in the Leonard L. Milberg '53 High School Poetry Prize . Submissions are due in November .

One first-prize winner will receive $1500, one second-prize winner will receive $750, and a third-prize winner will receive $500. Poems may be published on arts.princeton.edu. All entrants must be in the 11th grade.

Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest

• Award Amount: $500 - $5,000 renewable scholarship, $350 cash prize
• Deadline: October 31, 2022

Women poets who are sophomores or juniors in high school may submit two poems for consideration for the Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest .

One first-place winner will receive a $350 cash prize, publication in and ten copies of Cargoes , Hollins' student magazine, as well as a renewable scholarship of up to $5,000 for Hollins and free tuition and housing for the Hollinsummer creative writing program. One second-place winner will receive publication in and two copies of Cargoes, a renewable scholarship to Hollins of up to $1,000, and a $500 scholarship to attend Hollinsummer.

Applicants must be female students in their sophomore or junior year of high school .

What's Next?

If you're looking for more money opportunities for college , there are plenty of scholarships out there— including some pretty weird ones .

For those who've been buffing up their test scores , there are tons of scholarships , some in the thousands of dollars.

If you're tired of writing essays and applying for scholarships, consider some of these colleges that offer complete financial aid packages .

Melissa Brinks graduated from the University of Washington in 2014 with a Bachelor's in English with a creative writing emphasis. She has spent several years tutoring K-12 students in many subjects, including in SAT prep, to help them prepare for their college education.

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Creative Writing Academy

• How to Apply
• Summer College
• College Prep
• U.S. Campaigns & Elections Academy
• Pre-College Online

Transform your dreams, ideas, and stories into organized, compelling, creative written works with dynamic lectures in craft topics, workshop sessions with graduate student instructors, and insightful, productive feedback from your peers. This combination of instructional approaches will help you generate and polish a wealth of new poems, stories, and essays, and allow you to experiment with innovative forms in the field of creative writing. The Academy will also focus on the publishing and professionalization aspects of the industry, exploring what markets are available for your writing, what jobs are available to creative writers, funding opportunities for your work, undergraduate and graduate programs in writing, and how to get published. Topics for discussion will include literary form and targeted craft points, often in relation to social, political, and environmental themes. In addition, this week-long program will feature excursions to sites around Washington, D.C., including an exercise in ekphrastic writing at the National Gallery of Art and the chance to read your work aloud at Busboys and Poets, a famous D.C. literary hub.

Estimated Tuition:

Price includes tuition, housing, and meals. Commuter Student tuition is $2,625.

How You'll Benefit

• Participate in writing workshops
• Awaken your powers of observation, imagination, and description
• Learn concrete elements of the craft of writing in daily workshops
• Attend readings from published authors, who will lead interactive classes and conduct group discussions
• Work with Georgetown's expert creative writing faculty to bring out your most creative ideas
• Read excerpts from award-winning works and use them to develop your own original works
• Visit local monuments, world-renowned theaters, museums, and literary organizations
• Take part in peer critiques and learn how to revise and refine your writing

Program Format & Subject Areas

As a student in the Creative Writing Academy, you'll spend your day immersed in a blend of classroom lectures, field trips, hands-on activities, and group discussions. Throughout the week, you'll have the opportunity to explore the following subject areas:

• Personal prose
• Literary history
• Technique (story structure, character development, theme, description, dialogue)
• Finding good ideas and turning them into polished pieces
• Using great literature and art for inspiration

All in all, I fell in love with the program. I got to meet so many amazing people not only from the D.C. area but all around the country.

Having the chance to experience once in a lifetime opportunities and getting to meet people from around the world made it so I got to really experience what college life was like.

My #SummerHoya experience was enriching, inspiring, and rewarding; if I could turn back the clock, I’d do it all over again.

It was amazing to be surrounded by such high caliber students and staff who were all encouraging and fabulous to work with. I took away many positive things from my week as a Summer Hoya.

As I am filling out my college applications, I am able to think back to my memories from the summer and I am reassured that I am pursuing the right educational path.

The program offers so much–from the off-site visits to the daily lectures and the on campus activities. The lectures were interesting, meeting new people was great and the off-site visits were interactive and intriguing.

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125 Picture Prompts for Creative and Narrative Writing

What story can these images tell?

By The Learning Network

For eight years, we at The Learning Network have been publishing short, accessible, image-driven prompts that invite students to do a variety of kinds of writing via our Picture Prompts column.

Each week, at least one of those prompts asks students: Use your imagination to write the opening of a short story or poem inspired by this image — or, tell us about a memory from your own life that it makes you think of.

Now we’re rounding up years of these storytelling prompts all in one place. Below you’ll find 125 photos, illustrations and GIFs from across The New York Times that you can use for both creative and personal writing. We have organized them by genre, but many overlap and intersect, so know that you can use them in any way you like.

Choose an image, write a story, and then follow the link in the caption to the original prompt to post your response or read what other students had to say. Many are still open for comment for teenagers 13 and up. And each links to a free Times article too.

We can’t wait to read the tales you spin! Don’t forget that you can respond to all of our Picture Prompts, as they publish, here .

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Everyday life, mystery & suspense, relationships, science fiction, travel & adventure, unusual & unexpected, cat in a chair, happy puppy, resourceful raccoon, cows and cellos, people and penguins, opossum among shoes, on the subway, sunset by the water, endless conversation, falling into a hole, lounging around, sneaker collection, the concert, meadow in starlight.

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Public Selfies

Night circus, tarot cards, castle on a hill, security line, batman on a couch, reaching through the wall, beware of zombies, haunted house, familial frights, witches on the water, blindfolded, phone booth in the wilderness, shadow in the sky, a letter in the mail, hidden doorway.

Point of No Return

Darkened library, under the table, playing dominoes, looking back, a wave goodbye, out at dusk, conversation, walking away, alone and together, a new friend, heated conversation, up in a tree, hole in the ceiling, under the desk, at their computers, marching band, band practice, in the hallway, in the lunchroom, the red planet, tech gadgets, trapped inside, astronaut and spider, computer screen, special key, tethered in space, on the court, in the waves, city skateboarding.

Fishing in a Stream

Over the falls.

Under the Sea

Sledding in the mountains, cracked mirror, wilderness wayfaring, car and cactus, walking through town, tropical confinement, travel travails, roller coasters, atop the hill, climbing a ladder, under the ice, other selves.

Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.

Find more Picture Prompts here.

Independence High School Student Wins Creative Writing Award

• Updated: Apr. 27, 2024, 7:23 p.m. |
• Published: Apr. 27, 2024, 7:15 p.m.

Independence High School writer Callia Shumay Submitted by Independence Local Schools

• Mark T. Baxter, special to cleveland.com

Independence, Ohio – Exceptional writing skills have scooped Independence High School student Callia Shumay top awards in a writing competition.

She was awarded both silver and gold keys in the Scholastic Writing and Art event and now her work will feature in an exhibit at Cleveland Museum of Art.

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• 110 Baker St. Moscow, ID 83843
• 208.882.1226

A Classical & Christ-Centered Education

Secondary Curriculum

The secondary school is divided into two stages… grades 7-8 (the Logic Stage) and grades 9-12 (the Rhetoric Stage).

In grades 7-8, the students take the mastered information from the Grammar Stage and bring it into ordered relationships. Students begin to apply logic, assessing the validity of arguments and learning to view information critically with more discerning minds.

In grades 9-12, students learn to articulate eloquently and persuasively, and to use the tools of knowledge and understanding acquired in the earlier stages. This is the point at which the strength of a classical education is made fully visible.

Click here for an overview of the Logos School secondary curriculum.

Click for our 2-page School Profile

The Knight’s Creed and Commitment

Class Schedules

Fall 2023 Finals Schedule    7th-12th grades only.

23-24 Fall Class Schedule     7th-12th grades only.

Senior Course Options: 

By the time students reach their senior year in high school, they have usually developed interests in specific areas. Therefore, they will be given the opportunity to pursue those areas through the following senior course options. These options are designed to allow students the opportunity to learn one or two subjects well. As Dorothy Sayers says, “Whatever is mere apparatus may now be allowed to fall into the background, while the trained mind is gradually prepared for specialization in the “subjects” which, when the Trivium is completed, it should be perfectly well equipped to tackle on its own.” (from The Lost Tools of Learning) These options should aid the transition from the completion of the Trivium to the more specialized study that is a part of a college or university education.

Option 1: College or Online Class

This is a 1 credit option in which a student enrolls in a college or online class. Approved subjects include math, science, theology, humanities, and fine arts. The class must be taken for credit and the student must submit a transcript to receive credit toward Logos graduation. Areas of study that do not qualify are recreational classes and/or self-guided courses with little accountability.

Option 2: Internship

The internship is a 1/2 credit option intended to provide seniors with the opportunity to study a career. Students must work a minimum of 2 hours per week on their internship. A variety of internships have been approved in the past (interning with an elementary or secondary Logos teacher, riding along with police officers, observing at a local vet clinic, etc.). Students are not allowed to be paid for the time they spend as an intern. Parents are responsible to provide oversight and any necessary supervision or screening (background checks, etc.) for this experience.

Procedures for Both Options

1. At least two weeks before the beginning of each semester, students must submit a written proposal to the principal, via email. Late proposals will not be considered. Proposals must describe the following:

a. the main purpose of and goals for the program

b. the work that the student will be doing weekly to achieve these goals (include the website link for online classes)

c. the number of hours per week that the student will be participating in the program

2. Students have two days to resubmit proposals that have been denied.

Guidelines for Both Options

1. Credit will not be granted for work completed before a proposal is approved.

2. Students will receive a grade of E, S, or U at the end of each quarter and semester.

3. Failure to make satisfactory progress in the first semester will disqualify the student from participating in these programs during the second semester.

4. Students may only request approval for one semester at a time.

Dialectic Speech Meet

The following is information for the Dialectic Speech Meet for the 7 th -9 th grade students. Most of the work and grading is done during English class. For the final meet onwards, the students will perform their pieces with students from other classes in the same category. That afternoon during 7 th period there will be an assembly to hear the top performances from each category.

• Mid-December – information goes home
• Mid-January – Selections are due
• Toward the end of January – Piece is presented for a grade
• Beginning of February – Speech Meet

Dialectic Speech Meet Guidelines Dialectic Speech Meet Judge’s Form Dialectic Speech Meet Selection Ideas

Rhetoric Speech Meet

The following is information for the upcoming Rhetoric Speech Meet for the 10 th -12 th grade students. Please note a few differences between the Dialectic Speech Meet of the 7 th -9 th graders and the Rhetoric Speech Meet:

• Poetry must be through the Poetry Out Loud program.
• Readers Theater and the Original Oratory categories are allowed.
• Children’s books and plays are allowed as sources for material.
• There is no memory check. Pieces will be presented once in class for a grade, and once at the meet for a test grade.
• Mid-September – Information goes home.
• Beginning of October – Selections are due.
• Mid-October – The piece is presented for a memory grade.
• Beginning of November– Speech Meet

Guidelines Judging Form Selection Ideas

• Bahasa Indonesia
• Slovenščina
• Science & Tech
• Russian Kitchen

Moscow makes the case for school reform

Russia instigated a major reform of its educational system in 2010 to improve administration and quality. Source: EPA/Vostok Photo

When news came in fall 2012 that School 122 in central Moscow would be merged with another school, parents were up in arms. The school, which is the home of the Moscow Boys Cappella and requires all students to take choir, is one of the few places outside of conservatories where students can do coursework for a special diploma in music. Parents were afraid that the merger would not only result in the loss of the special music curriculum, but that it would “destroy the school’s unique culture,” in the words of one parent, whose daughter was then in the second grade.

The school was slated for consolidation under a controversial reform that began in 2010 and involves merging small or underperforming schools with larger schools primarily to more evenly distribute financial and administrative resources. Under the reform, funding for schools would be distributed on a per capita basis — a move officials said was necessary to accommodate an increase in demand.

“In our very large country, it is essential to ensure maximum equal access to early childhood services, and supplementary education,” said Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, defending the changes, which went into effect Jan. 1, 2011.

Russia experienced a baby boomlet during the economic prosperity of the early 2000s. Russia’s state statistics service, Rosstat, showed a steady increase in births from 2007–2012. In Moscow, 101,000 children were born in 2007. By 2012, that number had risen to more than 134,000. While some schools in the center of Moscow, like School 122, are undersubscribed, schools in the bedroom communities on the edges of the city, where young families moved into newly constructed apartment complexes, are overcrowded.

Click to view the infographics

Parents at Intellectual, a state-run boarding school for gifted students in western Moscow, took to the streets to protest the merger and expansion of their school, which had a student-teacher ratio of two to one. Students from the school took up the cause, writing letters to President Vladimir Putin and Moscow’s mayor and making a short film that was shown on local news portal Moskva24.

Moscow Deputy Mayor Leonid Pechatnikov responded in an interview with Russian daily Kommersant that if the parents wanted to keep that level of staffing, they would have to pay for additional salaries themselves. “We cannot afford to allocate 378,000 rubles ($5,640) per student. Two students for one teacher is, in fact, a system of tutoring. We have a law on universal education, but we do not have the law on universal tutoring,” Pechatnikov said.

The average amount per student spent in Moscow schools today is 63,000 rubles ($940).

In search of excellence

In addition to redistributing funding, the reform’s authors hoped to improve the performance of students on the Unified State Exam (E.G.E.), which is required for graduation from Russian schools, by combining schools with weaker academics with stronger ones.

Boris Kagarlitsky, a political scientist and the director of the Institute of Globalization and Social Movements, said that this second goal is at odds with the first one.

“In Soviet times, they sought to reduce class sizes so that the teacher could work with each student. Now per capita funding encourages schools to fill classrooms as much as possible, with fewer teachers,” Kagarlitsky said.

But other experts disagree with Kagarlitsky. Isak Frumin, a researcher at the Institute of Education of the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, said that forcing smaller schools to merge with larger ones will give more students access to high-quality education.

“There are several schools where the competition was dozens of people for one place, but now they were given additional space by combining with other schools and now they take more children. Opportunities to send a child to a good school have increased,” Frumin said.

Writing in a blog on the website of independent radio station Ekho Moskvy, local lawmaker Irina Kurash said that it is clear that the school reform has been a success — parents no longer have to “run around Moscow” in search of a good school and teacher salaries have increased as administrative costs were lowered, she wrote. Additionally, she noted, 13 schools in Moscow made it into the listing of the top 25 schools in Russia.

“Moscow finally has a fair system of financing educational institutions. Now funding decisions are based on standards and not the status of the school,” Kurash wrote. Previously school funding depended in part on the school’s designation, if it was classified as an ordinary school or had a title that indicated a special curriculum, such as “gymnasium.”

Out of options

Frumin said that no matter what experts and parents think of the reforms, they are necessary. This year, the number of children entering school in Russia has increased by 560,000 over last year, and the number is only going to continue to rise at least for the near future.

“In the next few years, we will need between 1 and 2 million new places,” Frumin said. “Either the number of children who will study in a second shift will increase, or we should put new school buildings into operation. This is a serious problem for the entire country; we are talking about hundreds of billions of rubles. The money has not been fully allocated for it.”

Over the past four years, 4,000 schools in Moscow have been combined into 692 larger institutions — including Intellectual, which merged with Gymnasium 1588, and School 122, which was united along with a kindergarten and a school with an intensive German-language program, with School 1234, an English-intensive school with a reputation for strong academics.

After the merger, the students remained in the same building and the music curriculum continued, but School 1234 brought in a new administration and some new teaching staff in the academic subjects in the upper school. The crumbling entryway and concert hall of the school’s 1930s building were remodeled and a new playground was installed. Now, two years later, the graduates of combined School 1234 scored so well on the E.G.E. that the school is now ranked 57th out of all schools in Moscow. After years of struggling to attract new
students, the arts division introduced a first-grade class of 21 students at the opening bell
ceremony on Sept. 1 and the school choirs held a concert as part of Moscow’s official City Day celebrations on Sept. 5.

“Things have changed for the better, and many of our fears were not realized,” said one parent with two children at the school, who declined to give his name.

According to a poll conducted by the Public Opinion Foundation (FOM) in July , his views are shared by only 15 percent of parents; 
42 percent of Russian parents believe the consolidation of schools is wrong. But for nearly half of those who responded, the jury is still out — 43 percent of respondents told the pollsters the question was too difficult to answer.

All rights reserved by Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

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