Writing & Journalism Opportunities for High School Students
Browse 49 verified Writing & Journalism opportunities for high schoolers, matched by interest with real deadlines and eligibility.
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
The largest US recognition program for teen writing and visual art, with 28 categories judged regionally first. Entry is $15 per work with a fee waiver built into the portal; Bay Area regional deadlines fall in December.
Yale Young Global Scholars
Two-week residential academic session on Yale's campus, with students from over 150 countries and all 50 states choosing one interdisciplinary track. Need-based financial aid is offered.
JCamp
Week-long multicultural journalism training camp where students report, write and produce alongside working journalists. Open to sophomores and juniors of any background — you do not need to be Asian American to apply.
Interlochen Arts Camp
Residential summer arts camp in northern Michigan covering music, theatre, dance, visual arts, film, and creative writing in sessions of one to six weeks. Tuition is steep, but 86% of families who requested aid received it last summer.
CTY Summer Programs
In-person and online summer academic courses for students who qualify through above-grade-level testing. Tuition-based, with financial aid available.
Iowa Young Writers' Studio
Two-week residential creative writing workshop in Iowa City. Applications need a writing sample, statement of purpose, and a teacher recommendation; need-based aid includes several full-tuition grants.
Davidson Fellows
Scholarship competition awarding $25,000 to $100,000 to students 18 or younger for a significant, original piece of work in science, technology, math, literature, music, or philosophy. No fee to apply.
Princeton Summer Journalism Program
Free year-long journalism and college-preparation programme for juniors from limited-income backgrounds, built around a summer intensive that ends in a ten-day residency on campus and a student-produced newspaper. Admitted students also work with a college adviser through senior year.
California State Summer School for the Arts
Four-week state-run residential arts intensive at Cal Poly Pomona in animation, film, dance, music, theater, visual arts, and creative writing. Nearly 60% of students recently received full or partial scholarships, limited to California residents.
Young Writers Workshop
Two-week intensive creative writing workshop at Kenyon College with no application fee. Need-based aid is generous — the program says it usually meets the full amount admitted students request.
Summer Mentorship Program
Fully online mentorship pairing you one-on-one with a working poet or prose writer in poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction. Fee remission is reviewed separately from admission.
Academic Talent Development Program
Summer enrichment courses at UC Berkeley across the sciences, math, and humanities. Costs several hundred to about $1,250 per course, with a Pathway Scholarship for financial need.
Mosaic Journalism Workshop
Free two-week summer newsroom intensive at SJSU where about 20 mostly Bay Area students report, write, shoot, and produce work that gets published. Requires work samples and full attendance.
Urban Journalism Workshop
Summer reporting workshop at NYU where students cover New York neighbourhoods and produce published work. The programme is free for admitted students.
YoungArts National Arts Competition
National competition for artists ages 15-18 across ten disciplines — writing, visual arts, film, theater, dance, voice, jazz, and more — with awards from $250 to $10,000 plus mentorship. The $35 fee is waivable.
AFSA National High School Essay Contest
Essay contest asking students to analyze a question about diplomacy, international affairs, and the work of the U.S. Foreign Service.
Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference
Five-day journalism programme in Washington, D.C. for 51 high school juniors — one from each state and the District of Columbia. Includes newsroom visits and time with national journalists.
American Legion Oratorical Contest
Scholarship speech competition focused on the U.S. Constitution, civic knowledge, and prepared and extemporaneous public speaking.
Ayn Rand Essay Contests
Open essay competitions on literature, ethics, politics, and individual rights, with prompts and awards listed by contest cycle.
Bennington Young Writers Awards
Free writing contest for poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, now part of the Bennington Young Creators Awards.
Blue Planet Awareness Contest
Annual creative contest (formerly the Ocean Awareness Contest) asking students to explore an ocean and climate theme through visual art, writing, film, music, or interactive media. Free to enter, with cash awards across divisions.
Breakthrough Teaching Fellowship
Paid summer teaching internship where high school and college students teach middle school classes through a Breakthrough affiliate site, receiving training and classroom coaching.
Civics Essay Contest
Annual essay competition asking high school students to respond to a current civics topic, with scholarships for selected essays.
College Prep Scholars Program
Free program for high-achieving juniors from low-income backgrounds, providing a college campus visit, essay coaching, and a head start on the QuestBridge National College Match scholarship application.
Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX)
Scholarship to live with a host family in Germany and attend a German high school. No previous German is required.
Harvard International Review Academic Writing Contest
Academic writing competition for high school students addressing international affairs, global policy, and contemporary world issues.
High School Journalism Institute
Summer journalism workshops at Indiana University covering reporting, photojournalism, design and yearbook. Open from rising high school freshmen through rising college freshmen.
Idyllwild Arts Summer Program
Two-week summer intensives on a Southern California mountain campus in visual arts, dance, theatre, music, film, fashion, and creative writing. Rolling enrollment until sessions fill; need-based scholarships available.
InvestWrite
National essay contest about investing. It is open only to students in The Stock Market Game, so your teacher must run it.
John Locke Institute Essay Competition
Essay competition with prompts in politics, economics, law, philosophy, history, and related humanities subjects.
Met Museum Summer High School Internship
Paid summer internship placing NY/NJ/CT high schoolers (grades 10-11) with Met museum professionals in curatorial, education, design, imaging, or social media teams. Interns receive a $1,100 completion stipend. 2027 application deadline not yet published — check the Met's internship page.
National History Day Contest
Research a topic tied to the annual theme and present it as a paper, exhibit, documentary, performance, or website, advancing from local and state contests to nationals in Maryland.
National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y)
Merit-based scholarship for high school students to study a critical language, either abroad or online.
National Speech & Debate Association
National speech and debate community offering competitive events, resources, and a pathway from local school competition to national tournaments.
New York Times Student Editorial Contest
Student editorial contest asking writers to make a concise, evidence-based argument about an issue that matters to them.
Optimist International Essay Contest
Essay contest run by local Optimist Clubs. Club winners move up to district contests, which award college scholarships.
Optimist International Oratorical Contest
Speech contest run by local Optimist Clubs, with college scholarships at the district level.
Poetry Out Loud
National poetry recitation contest. You memorize and perform poems, starting at your school and moving up to state and national finals. Your school must be registered with the state coordinator.
Polyphony Lit
Online literary magazine for high school writers. Submit your writing, or join the student editorial staff to review other teens' work.
Reading Partners Volunteer Tutoring
One-to-one literacy tutoring for elementary students in under-resourced schools, with training and a structured curriculum provided. Many regions offer in-person and online tutoring sessions.
Smithsonian Internships
Internship listings across Smithsonian museums, research centers, and the National Zoo, spanning collections, science, education, and communications. Each posting states its own grade and age requirements.
Student Press Law Center Resources
Free legal and civic education resources for student journalists, including training on press freedom, media law, and newsroom rights.
Student Reporting Labs
Free youth journalism program with lesson plans, editing support, and publication opportunities for student-produced video and audio stories on national broadcasts and the PBS NewsHour site.
The Concord Review
Historical research publication opportunity for strong high school essays, including work on political, constitutional, diplomatic, and social history.
VFW Voice of Democracy
Audio essay contest on a patriotic theme. You record your essay and enter through a local VFW post, with scholarships at each level.
We the Students Essay Contest
National essay contest inviting students to connect constitutional principles with a current issue in American civic life.
Writing Workshops & Teen Poetry Slam
Free weekly spoken-word writing and performance workshops in San Francisco and Oakland, plus an annual Teen Poetry Slam whose finalists represent the Bay Area at Brave New Voices.
Young Writers Workshops
Multi-genre writing workshops run by The Kenyon Review — two weeks residential on the Kenyon College campus, one-week summer intensives, and six-week online workshops during the year.
Youth Media Programs
Free Oakland-based training in journalism, audio production, and digital storytelling for ages 14-24, no experience needed. The organization paused in late 2024 and relaunched in 2026 — confirm current status before applying.