Free Writing Programs for High School Students

Free writing programs — university workshops, national contests, funded summer studios — cost nothing but a polished submission.

Writing is the cheapest activity to excel in and the hardest to fake: a Scholastic medal or a published piece outweighs any paid workshop on an application.

87 verified programs match this page; 30 of the featured listings are completely free; 20 can be done online.

Featured programs

Browse 30+ curated programs for high school students:

• Telluride Association Summer Seminars (TASS) — Telluride Association: Explore a free in-person summer program for high school students in grades 10-11. Build leadership skills, study humanities, and boost your college ap
• National Student Poets Program — Institute of Museum and Library Services: Prestigious poetry competition for 10th-11th graders. Become a literary ambassador, gain recognition, and build creative writing skills for college an
• Young Playwrights Festival — Young Playwrights Inc.: Showcase your talent in this free playwriting competition for high schoolers (Grades 10-12). Develop creative skills, gain theater experience, and boo
• We the Students Essay Contest — Bill of Rights Institute: Compete in a national essay contest exploring constitutional principles. Open to grades 9-12, this free competition builds writing skills and boosts c
• Scholastic Art & Writing Awards - Gold Medal Portfolio — Alliance for Young Artists & Writers: Highest honor in Scholastic Awards for exceptional art or writing portfolios. Past winners include Andy Warhol, Sylvia Plath.
• Lincoln Forum Scholarship Essay Contest — The Lincoln Forum: Essay contest on Abraham Lincoln and Civil War era. Cash prizes and attendance at annual symposium. Shows historical research and writing excellence.
• NCTE Achievement Awards in Writing — National Council of Teachers of English: National writing competition for high school juniors and seniors to showcase creativity and earn recognition. Build skills for college applications an
• Dow Jones News Fund High School Journalism Workshops — Dow Jones News Fund: Intensive journalism workshops at universities nationwide. Learn from professional journalists and editors. Scholarships available.
• Youth Speaks Teen Poetry Slam — Youth Speaks: National slam poetry organization connecting high school students through spoken word performance, workshops, and the annual Brave New Voices internat
• National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo) — Maureen Thorson / NaPoWriMo.net: A month‑long, online poetry writing challenge each April inviting writers worldwide to draft a poem a day.
• Harvard Undergraduate Economics Association Essay Competition — Harvard College: International essay competition on economics topics. Winners published in Harvard Economic Review and receive prizes.
• JCamp High School Journalism — Asian American Journalists Association: Transform your passion for writing into real-world journalism skills at this free summer program. Gain hands-on experience and boost your college appl
• Why Mom Deserves a Diamond Writing Contest — Why Mom Deserves a Diamond, Inc.: A national writing contest where students write a short essay honoring their mothers for a chance to win a garnet or amethyst gemstone.
• Journal of Emerging Investigators (JEI) — JEI (founded by Harvard-trained scientists): Publish your high school research in a peer-reviewed science journal! Build writing and STEM skills, enhance college applications, and gain hands-on e
• Teen Ink Magazine Submissions — Teen Ink: Submit your creative writing or art to Teen Ink's free online publication. Gain recognition, enhance your portfolio, and stand out on college applicat
• Adroit Journal Summer Mentorship — The Adroit Journal: Highly competitive writing mentorship. Work 1-on-1 with published authors. ~10% acceptance.
• New York Times STEM Writing Contest — The New York Times: Essay contest explaining the importance of STEM topics.
• Northwestern National High School Institute (Cherubs) - Journalism — Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University: Immerse yourself in a free summer program at Medill School of Journalism, mastering writing, editing, and multimedia skills. Boost your college applic
• Ayn Rand Institute Anthem Essay Contest — Ayn Rand Institute: Essay contest on Ayn Rand's Anthem. $2,000 first prize for 9th-10th graders.
• NYT Personal Narrative Essay Contest — New York Times: Enter a national writing competition for high schoolers to craft 600-word personal narratives. Perfect for honing storytelling skills and boosting col
• St. Gallen Symposium Wings of Excellence Essay Competition — St. Gallen Symposium Foundation: Top 100 essayists invited to prestigious annual symposium with global leaders. Fully funded trip to Switzerland. One of most selective student opportu
• Richard Wilbur Poetry Award — University of Maine at Farmington: An annual poetry award honoring Richard Wilbur, recognizing outstanding unpublished poems submitted for consideration.
• Horizon Academic AI Essay Prize — Horizon Academic: Compete in a selective AI essay competition for high school students. Build research and writing skills, boost college applications, and explore cutti
• Interactive Fiction Competition (IFComp) — Interactive Fiction Technology Foundation: An annual global competition for creating and playing new works of interactive fiction and text-based games.
• National High School Essay Contest — American Anthropological Association: Explore anthropology in this free essay competition for grades 9-12. Develop writing skills, boost college applications, and showcase your ideas in a
• Southern Cross Novel Challenge — Southern Cross Education Institute: An Australian school-based challenge where students write an original novel manuscript within a set timeframe.
• Write Angle Creative Writing Contest — Institute of Indian Interior Designers, Calicut Centre: Write Angle is a school-level creative writing competition in India run by IIID Calicut to promote young writers.
• Voice of Democracy Audio Essay Competition — Veterans of Foreign Wars: Patriotic audio essay competition with scholarships.
• Elie Wiesel Foundation Prize in Ethics Essay Contest — Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity: Join a national ethics essay competition for high school seniors to showcase your writing and critical thinking skills. Boost college applications and
• Polyphony Lit Magazine — Polyphony Lit: International literary magazine for high school students featuring fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction from emerging writers worldwide.

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