Graywolf Press is also one of the publishers of the Cave Canem Poetry Prize , “a first book award dedicated to the discovery of exceptional manuscripts by African American poets.” Winners receive $1,000 and Graywolf publishes every third winner of the prize.
Presented by Lee & Low Books, an award-winning children’s book publisher, this award is given for a previously unpublished children’s picture book manuscript (of no more than 1,500 words) written by a writer of color and Native nations who are a resident of the United States..
The winner receives a hefty cash prize — up to $15,000 in the past — and an invitation to read at the award ceremony in Washington, DC. Plus, there are no submission fees or application forms to deal with
Farrah Daniel has been writing professionally for three years, dabbling in topics like finance, micromobility, travel and more. After leaving The Penny Hoarder in 2019, Farrah pursued a freelance career, where she now manages and creates content for small businesses and nonprofits. Check out more of her work at farrahdominique.com.
Where to find more legitimate, free writing contests
Now in its 20th year, this humor contest wants your best published or unpublished work for a grand prize of $1,000; runners-up are awarded $250 and 10 honorable mentions will receive $100 each. Writers of all ages from eligible countries can submit an original, humorous poem with 250 lines or less, and it must be an English.
(This listing contains affiliate links. That means if you purchase through our links, you’re supporting The Write Life — and we thank you for that!)
Deadline: Contest is open annually between June and November.
The Brunel University African Poetry Prize is a new prize that grants £3,000 to a poet who was born in Africa, or has African parents, who has not yet had a full-length book of poetry published. (U.S. citizens qualify.) To submit, you’ll need 10 poems.
How to Enter: The deadline to enter is June 1. Essay length is between 6-8 pages, not including works cited.
How to Enter: Students submit 300–500 word essays based on the yearly prompt either online or by mail, accompanied by a $5 entry fee. Essays are due by the end of February.
YoungArts offers a national competition in the categories of creative nonfiction, novel, play or script, poetry, short story, and spoken word. Student winners may receive awards of up to $10,000 as well as the chance to participate in artistic development with leaders in their fields. Grab a poster for your classroom wall here.
How to Enter: Students age 14-19 can enter. Deadline of April 15.
11. SPJ / JEA High School Essay Contest
How to Enter: Students may submit work in the categories of art, poetry, prose, film, or music, which must always be accompanied by a reflection. The deadline is June 15.
How to Enter: All entries must be printed and mailed in by the deadline in January.
If you’re looking to help students take a deep dive into international relations, history, and writing, look no further than this essay contest. Winners receive full tuition to the Semester at Sea program as well as a trip to Washington, DC, to meet with a leader at the Department of State.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars gives a variety of awards for this contest. At the state level, each first-place winner receives a minimum of $500. At the national level, the first-place winner wins $5,000 and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C!
Fiction and nonfiction writers who have recently published a book that “contribute[s] to our understanding of racism and our appreciation of cultural diversity” are eligible for this award, which offers $10,000 cash as well media and publicity opportunities. Plus, winners receive their prize at a ceremony in Cleveland.
Essays of up to 5,000 characters (roughly 1,000 words) will be accepted, and you can tackle just about any topic you want. The grand prize winner will receive $1,000, and three runners-up will be awarded $200 each.
Hektoen International, an online journal dedicated to medical humanities, offers two prizes annually for essays of no more than 1,600 words: $3,000 is awarded to the winner and $800 to the first runner-up. Eligible topics are broad so long as they have a relation to medicine, and may include art, history, literature, education and more — this year’s topic was blood!
(This listing contains affiliate links. That means if you purchase through our links, you’re supporting The Write Life — and we thank you for that!)
15. Friends of American Writers Chicago Awards
Born in 2017, the Society of Spanish Researchers invites talented and original writers to write a 100-word blurb for a hypothetical novel. This might sound really easy, but your blurb has to quickly hook readers and make them want to read more. Open to anyone over 18 anywhere in the world, your real or fictional short story for this competition must be either in English or Spanish and “conceived from the objective of scientific dissemination to primary school” to qualify for the cash prizes: £150, £100 and £50.
Deadline : Submissions are accepted between September 1 and November 1 of each year.
Presented by Lee & Low Books, an award-winning children’s book publisher, this award is given for a previously unpublished children’s picture book manuscript (of no more than 1,500 words) written by a writer of color and Native nations who are a resident of the United States..
I receive lots of requests to read books and can't accommodate them all, I'm afraid. But thank you for the offer.
You have mentioned that some of the contests on the page are run by essay service providers, but don't you think that most of them are run by theses types of services? I'm confused, if I write for some contests run by these services, what are they going to do with my essay later on? This is putting me off participating in these types of competition.
Here you will find details of other online resources that provide lists of non-fiction and essay competitions.
Chris Fielden
Sorry to hear about your experiences with EssayPro. And thank you for letting me know about it.
Leave your comments
Chris Fielden
Hi Justin. Great stuff, thanks for letting me know.
I have written a book on raising human consciousness, titled RENEWAL, which I have been advised to enter into competitions. That search is what got me to your site.
Some of the contests and scholarships that used to be listed on this page were run by essay writing service providers. The more I found out about these types of business, the more I felt that they're not ethical. Essentially, they allow students to cheat, by paying someone else to write their essay/thesis for them. While some of them do offer large cash prizes, so can be of benefit to writers, I wasn't comforable promoting these brands or being associated with them.
Please use the form below to leave your comments. All comments will be reviewed so won't appear on the page instantly. I will not share your details with anyone else.
Over the years, Acton Scholars have received hundreds of inquiries on how to write an influential research paper. We have put together a list of what constitutes a good research paper to help you get started.
Proofread and Review
Reviewing, editing, and asking for help. We cannot advise enough how vital these last three steps are. We receive so many papers each year that are fantastic, but the authors did not do the proper citing or grammar checks. This will hurt your paper a lot because it looks like you don't care that much. Use the many online tools available like Grammarly to help you. You might think that your paper looks perfect, but I guarantee there are mistakes that you missed. Think about it like going to a museum and seeing a million-dollar painting hung crooked on the wall. Also, show your paper to as many people as possible. Ask them for help no matter who it is. Every little bit helps. Teachers, friends, family, or any online community can help squeeze out all the holes you don't see. Don't get your feelings hurt when they tell you some parts don't make sense. It's all part of the process. Good luck!
The submission window is currently open and will at 11:59 PM EST on May 30, 2021. Students must submit within this submission period to have their essays considered.
You have reached the end, and it's time for the conclusion. Perhaps it all seems a bit chaotic and might feel like you have led your reader astray. This is your chance to check if that is true. Remember, everything comes down to the thesis. For the conclusion, briefly summarize your main points from each section of your body. You should then briefly explain why you believe these points. If you can't, there must be something wrong, and you need to go back to your body and make some adjustments.
Now Open for Submissions!
Essays must address the topic stated above. Essays that exceed this word count will NOT be considered.
Acton Scholars H1 2021 Essay Competition Now Open for Submissions!
Reveal Your Research Articulately
Now it's time for the body of the essay. This is where your outline will come in handy. Remember, you don't need to stay married to it. It's more of a guiding light for you, but sometimes those hidden dark hallways are where the most exciting things are discovered. You have probably collected a lot of sources in the beginning, but don't let that control your paper. You don't need to use all of them if they do not fit well. Trust your instinct