Writing contests provide the perfect avenue to hone our writing skills and produce quality pieces. These contests come with a range of genres and topics that you can cover. This means that you are bound to find a contest that meets your needs and will help you improve on your particular writing style.

When it comes to finding writing contests, you should keep in mind that some are require entry fees while others are free to participate in. This gives everyone a fair chance to participate and have their work read and critiqued by the best. To succeed in these writing contests, you need to follow the submission guidelines and any other rules set out.

Free contests provide teenagers with a good opportunity to engage with their writing and get feedback on where they can improve. This allows them to get better at their craft and exposes them to other opportunities and potential career paths.

If you’re looking for free writing contests to submit your work to, here are a few options for you to consider:

The Critical Junior Poet’s Award

This award targets students from the age of 13 to 18 years old and features no entry fee to participate.

It gives the best platform for poetry writers to express themselves and get a chance to win different prizes. The winner gets to walk away with a cash prize of $100, a $20 iTunes card, and a feature on the critical pass review.

Odyssey Con

The Odyssey writing contest is run annually and caters to science fiction, fantasy, horror, and prose poem writers. Teenagers feature in the youth division which requires the writers to be under 18 and requires no entry fee. They offer cash prizes, conventional membership, and books for the winners.

Aurora and Blossom Short Story

Aurora and Blossom provide an opportunity for short story writers to submit uplifting and positive content. They cater to a family-oriented audience which means the language has to meet these standards.

This submission targets children between the age of 13 to 16 years old. Submissions are free if you are sticking to one piece otherwise, you’ll have to pay some money to get to submit the rest of your work.

GPS Writing Contest for Scifi and More

Entry to this writing content is free and requires every applicant to strictly follow the guidelines provided. GPS features science fiction, fantasy, horror, and supernatural powers writers.

Submissions for 2021 will start running on the 1st of January and end on the 1st of July 2021. The prize to the winning writer is an amazon gift certificate for a specific amount in each category.

PTA Reflections Contest

This contest caters to different creative arts including literature, dance choreography, photography, visual arts, and others.

With literature, you are given the necessary guidelines that should be followed. It features a different theme for each year that you have to closely adhere to if you want a chance at winning the prizes they offer.

Rachel Carson Intergenerational Sense of Wonder / Sense of the Wild Contest

The Rachel Carson contest is a bit different from others. It requires submission of written pieces by groups of different generations for instance a teacher and a student.

Materials that are acceptable for this contest include essays and poems that feature an original photograph taken by your team. The winning prize includes a certificate and a feature on the RCLA website.

Engineer Girl Annual Essay Contest

Engineer girl essay contest appeals to all those who love engineering and would love the chance to write about its impact on the world. Details about the contest are updated in the fall, deadlines come in early the following year, and winners are announced in the spring.

Bennington Young Writers Award

This writer’s award features submissions ranging from poetry, fiction to non-fiction. Each genre requires you to stick to the specific guidelines and word count provided.

They target writers from the 9th to 12th grade. The awards are given to the 3 best write-ups in form of cash ranging from $500, $250, $125 respectively.

The Princeton Ten-Minute Play Contest

This contest offers opportunities to 11th-grade students from all around the world. The winning plays get cash prizes with the first getting $500, the second $250, and the third $100. Updates on the 2021 submissions are expected to be on their website by fall 2020.

K.T. Mehra is a passionate reader and writer who loves fountain pens and fine writing in the 21st century.  She is a part of the revival of fountain pen writing in revolt to digital text!  She loves to share tips across several websites to increase the love for writing.

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