Student Contest Opportunities

Review a book, movie, restaurant, album, theatrical production, video game, dance, TV show, art exhibition or any other kind of work The Times critiques. Here are this year’s rules and guidelines. For inspiration, take a look at the work of last year’s winners and visit the related writing unit.

Opens: November 10, 2021

Submission Deadline: December 15, 2021

Produce a 15-second video about the meaning of one of our Words of the Day. Here are this year’s rules and guidelines. For inspiration, take a look at the work of past winners, and check out our smaller monthly challenges that also help students build their vocabulary skills.

Opens: December 1, 2021

Submission Deadline: January 12, 2022

Describe and analyze an act of political courage by a US elected official who served during or after 1917.

To learn more about political courage, visit Contest Information and FAQs.

All submissions must adhere to contest requirements.

Contest Deadline: January 14, 2022

Recognition and Awards

First-place: $10,000

Second-place: $3,000

Five Finalists: $1,000 each

Eight Semi-finalists: $100 each

We seek challenging, entertaining plays and musicals that are appropriate for teen and younger actors and/or audiences, as well as shows that have the potential to cross over to universities or community theatres. Please read this page carefully, and please browse our website to learn more about us before submitting.

Get writing for next year's competition! Submissions will open in January 2022. (Links below are the 2021 guidelines, but we expect the 2022 guidelines, which will be posted later this year, to be similar.) Please make sure you include all of the required information on your title page, or your submission will be disqualified.

Click here for full submission guidelines. Do not submit without reading these first!!!

Click here for a handy-dandy one-sheet, ideal for posting on bulletin boards.

Click here for Dramatists Guild Modern Play Format, our recommended playwriting format. Do not submit in screenplay format!

We strongly recommend you read Jonathan Dorf's blog, "Eleven Contest Winning Tips for Young Playwrights" before submitting. Want more playwriting insights? Check out his complete playwriting course in a book, Young Playwrights 101.

Want to read some of the plays that have been successful in past contests? Check out our New Voices anthology! This could be you!

Participating schools may submit a total of three entries (one entry per student) in any combination of the following categories: art, film, poetry, or prose. Students will be eligible to win a first prize award of $400 in each category. Educators and schools will also be eligible to win a first prize of $200 each. Students awarded second prize in each category will receive $200 and their sponsoring educator and school will receive $100 each.

First-place student winners in the United States, their parents/guardians, and teachers will be invited to participate in an expense-paid study trip June 20-24, 2022, to visit the Holocaust Museum LA, the Museum of Tolerance, the Japanese American National Museum, and other sites in Los Angeles, as well as to meet with members of The 1939 Society, a community of Holocaust survivors, descendants, and friends.

Click here for all of the details!

Submission Deadline: February 1, 2022

Write an informative essay about how engineering can help humanity meet one of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Sustainable Development Goals identify 17 areas where urgent action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people have equal opportunities to enjoy peace and prosperity. The world needs people with engineering skills to make these happen. $500 prize.

Click here for all of the details.

Submission Deadline: February 1, 2022

Click here for all of the details.

Submission Deadline: February 9, 2022

Choose an interesting person to research, interview, photograph and write about in a piece modeled on New York Times columns like Character Study and The Saturday Profile. Students may work in pairs.

Coming soon: A full unit, including lesson plans, mentor texts, writing prompts and more, to help walk participants through the process. Check back here for the live link! Just scroll to the contest name.

Opens: January 5, 2022

Closes: February 16, 2022

NCSC's Civics Education Essay Contest gives 3rd-12th grade students the opportunity to understand and explain the importance and the role of the United States government. Winners receive a total of $3,000 in scholarship money.

The contest question is based on the American Bar Association's annual Law Day theme, which in 2022 is "Toward a More Perfect Union: The Constitution in Times of Change."

2022's Essay Contest question: Which Amendment to the U.S. Constitution has made the biggest difference in people’s lives? Explain how and why.

Click here for all of the details.

Submission Deadline: February 25, 2022

Jet Fuel Review is looking for quality in writing, whether it be in poetry, prose, non-fiction, or artwork.

GUIDELINES:

Fiction: We are looking for fiction pieces of 3000 words or less. These can be short stories or flash fiction. Submit entry as a .doc or .docx file. Please submit only one fiction piece per reading period along with a cover letter.

Creative Nonfiction: We are looking for creative nonfiction pieces of 3000 words or less. We welcome the many permutations of creative nonfiction from lyrical essays to personal narratives to hybridized works. Please adhere to word limits and submit your entry as a .doc or .docx file. Please submit only one creative nonfiction piece per reading period along with a cover letter.

Poetry: We ask that you submit 3 - 5 unpublished poems (as a single file) that are less than 100 lines each. Submit your entry as a .doc or .docx file. Please send only one poetry submission per reading period along with a cover letter.

Artwork: Please send 3 – 6 pieces of artwork within a reading period. When submitting artwork, we request that you caption the artwork with a title, if available, and the medium in which you worked. Of course, we can only literally publish virtual art, that is, art that is transferable to an online format. If you wish to submit a sculpture, you are welcome to send a high definition photo of the piece. Please submit your files as a JPG or PNG along with a cover letter.

Submission period: January to March

Submit by clicking HERE.