Scholastic Awards vs NYT Open Letters: Which Program Is Right for You?
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are the century-old portfolio credential — many categories, regional-to-national medal ladder, and the strongest brand recognition in high school creative work. The NYT Open Letters contest (the rebranded Student Editorial Contest) is a single short-form sprint with one national winners' list. Scholastic rewards a body of work; the Times rewards one perfectly-built argument. Serious writers do both.
Below is a side-by-side comparison of Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and Open Letters: Our Opinion-Writing Contest. A blank row is a fact we do not hold — not a zero, and not a no.
| Scholastic Awards | NYT Open Letters | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Varies — see Cost and funding | Free |
| Application deadline | Deadline unconfirmed | Applications closed |
| Grade eligibility | Grades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 and first-year college |
| Format | Hybrid | Online |
| Location | National, United States | New York, NY, United States |
| Program dates | Not listed | Not listed |
| Application destination | artandwriting.org | nytimes.com |
| Organizer | Alliance for Young Artists & Writers | The New York Times Learning Network |
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
Open Letters: Our Opinion-Writing Contest
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper, Scholastic Awards or NYT Open Letters?
Scholastic Awards: Varies — see Cost and funding. NYT Open Letters: Free. Confirm each figure on the program's official page before budgeting.
Can I apply to both Scholastic Awards and NYT Open Letters?
The application destinations are evaluated independently. Scholastic Awards: artandwriting.org. NYT Open Letters: nytimes.com. Review each provider's current instructions before assuming either application is open or compatible with the other.
Which is better for college applications, Scholastic Awards or NYT Open Letters?
We do not rank enrichment programs by admissions value. Use the comparison to assess whether each program's documented constraints fit your situation, and check the details that decide it for you on each program's official page.
What grades can apply to Scholastic Awards and NYT Open Letters?
Scholastic Awards: Grades 7–12. NYT Open Letters: Grades 7–12 and first-year college. Eligibility can change between cycles, so confirm it on each program's official page before applying.
Related comparisons
Scholastic Awards appears in 2 of 56 comparison pages. NYT Open Letters appears in 1 of 56 comparison pages.
How we count
Our comparison list has 56 pairs covering 91 catalog programs. Those numbers count this list only. They are not a ranking or the size of the full catalog.
We don't rank programs or name one of them the best.
When we don't list a cost, it is unknown, not free. Check the official page.
Catalog-wide numbers, and what each was counted out of, are on Statistics.