When students write with an authentic purpose and audience, they are motivated to craft powerful words into prose and poetry. The New York Times Learning Network has an article with ten reasons to send student work out into the world. The Learning Network also has a list of over 70 avenues for student publication of writing.
The following contests—state, national, and international—are ways for students to submit their writing. The contests are organized chronologically by their deadline, but they can also be sorted by clicking on any of the other headings.
| Name | Participants | Type | Genre(s) | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teen Ink | Ages 13-19 | National | various | Ongoing |
| Skipping Stones | Ages 7-17 | National | various | Ongoing |
| Scope's Contests | 4th-10th | National | various | Ongoing |
| Gotham Writers | 6th-12th; adults | National | various | Ongoing |
| The Talon (NSU) | 9th-12th | Northeastern OK | fiction nonfiction poetry art non-traditional forms | Ongoing |
Ages 13-18 | National | Aug: Flash Fiction Sept: Science Writing Oct: Scary Stories Nov: Short Story Dec: People's Choice Jan: Nature & Environmental Poetry Feb: Op-Ed Mar: Songwriting Apr: Poetry & Spoken Word May: Environmental Writing | Monthly, 2024-2025 | |
| Learning Network from The New York Times | 6th-12th | International | various genres | Monthly, 2024-2025 |
| Rattle's Ekphrastic Poetry Challenge | all ages | National | poetry | Monthly |
| Future Scholar Foundation | K-5th | National | short story | Monthly |
| The First Line literary journal | all ages | International | fiction | Quarterly |
| NYC Midnight | all ages | International | short story screenwriting flash fiction microfiction short screenplay | Quarterly |
| Darling Axe | high school; adults | International | novel/fiction: Clash of the Query Letters The Synopsis Skirmish First Page Challenge An Axe to Grind | Quarterly |
| One Teen Story | Ages 13-19 | International | short story | Fall 2024 |
| Leonard L. Milberg '53 High School Poetry Prize | 11th | International | poetry | Fall 2024 |
| Lampost Writing Awards (OBU) | 9th-12th | State | essay fiction poetry | September 2024 |
| 9th-12th | National | poetry/songwriting short fiction nonfiction/journalism | September 2024 | |
| YoungArts National Arts Competition | Ages 15-18 | fiction nonfiction play/script poetry spoken word | October 17, 2024 | |
9th-12th | National | audio essay | October 31, 2024 | |
| VFW Patriot's Pen | 6th-8th | National | essay | October 31, 2024 |
12th | State | essay | October 31, 2024 | |
| Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest | 10th-11th girls | National | poetry | October 31, 2024 |
| Rattle Young Poets Anthology | Ages 15-18 | National | poetry | November 16, 2024 |
| Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers | 10th-11th | National | poetry | November 30, 2024 |
7th-12th | National | critical essay | December 2024 | |
| My Favorite Book | 4th-12th | State | essay | December 2024 |
| Oklahoma Bar Association Law Day Writing Contest | 1st-12th | State | essay | January 2025 |
| Profile in Courage Essay Contest | 9th-12th | National | essay | January 17, 2025 |
Oklahoma Council of Teachers of English Young Writers Contest | 6th-8th; 9th-12th | State | poetry comic art | January 2025 |
PK-12th; teacher | State | descriptive paragraph | January 2025 | |
8th | State | essay | January 2025 | |
| Narrative High School Writing Contest | 9th-12th | National | prose & poetry | January 2025 |
| Jane Austen Society of North America Essay Contest | 9th-12th | International | essay | February 2025 |
| Penguin Random House Creative Writing Awards Program | 12th | National | poetry memoir/personal essay fiction/drama spoken-word | February 2025 |
| Engineer Girl | 3rd-12th | National | piece of writing | February 2025 |
| R. Darryl Fisher Creative Writing Contest | 9th-12th | State | fiction & poetry | February 2025 |
| Promising Young Writers (NCTE) | 8th | State | various | February 2025 |
| Achievement Awards in Writing (NCTE) | 11th | State | various | February 2025 |
| OKC National Memorial Annual Student Essay Contest | 5th-12th | National | essay | February 2025 |
| Sejong Cultural Society | K-12; adults | National | poetry (sijo) literary analysis essay | February 2025 |
| Cancer Unwrapped Teen Writing Contest | 9th-12th | National | essay | March 2025 |
| Podcast (NPR) | 5th-12th | National | podcast | March 2025 |
| White Rose Memorial Essay Contest | 6th-12th | State | essay | April 2025 |
| Oklahoma Poem Contest | K-12th; adults | State | poetry | April 2025 |
8th-12th | National | essays on Anthem, The Fountainhead, & Atlas Shrugged | April 2025 | |
| Adroit Prizes | 9th-12th; college | International | poetry short story | May 2025 |
| Bulwer Lytton Fiction Contest | PK-12th; adults | National | bad sentence | June 30, 2025 |
| English Jueju | K-12; adults | State | poetry | on hiatus |
| Aerie International | Ages 13-19 | International | poetry short story flash fiction brief nonfiction lyric essay short drama foreign language poetry and translations | on hiatus |
| Saugus Ghost Story | elementary; middle school; high school; adults | International | fiction interactive fiction | on hiatus |
