4 Writing Competitions for Kids
Are your children moping around the house with nothing to do? Here’s a suggestion to stimulate their minds: Have them enter a writing contest.
Children master concepts at their grade level, and unfortunately, those skills tend to fade during the long summer months. To sharpen a child’s writing skills, motivate your sons and daughters to enter a summer writing contest. It’s a fun activity and a way to sharpen their skills for the coming school year. Below are four contests with information links to directions and entry forms.
The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards
Dating back 90 years, the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards provides students in grades 7 through 12 competitions in 28 categories of art and writing for the opportunity to win scholarships and recognition for their works. Art categories include film and animation, painting, design, and more. Writing categories span dramatic script, personal essay, short story, and eight other topics. Submissions for the 2018 awards open this September. There is a $5.00 submission fee for one entry and $20.00 per portfolio submission.
This is a writing contest for children ages 8-12 where kids can enter their stories for a chance to win cash prizes. The deadline for the Fall 2018 contest is October 6. Young writers must submit their stories in English and those stories should not exceed 1000 words. There is a $15.00 reading fee.
Sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), this contest is open to students who will be in grades 6-8 this fall and are enrolled in a public, private, or parochial school or home study program in the United States and its territories. The theme of the 2018-2019 contest is “What Patriotism Means to Me”. Essays must be between 300-400 words. On the department level, students can win up to $1000; first place winners on the state level compete for $5000 on the national level and an all expense trip to Washington, DC. Deadline is October 31, 2018. There is no entry fee.
This is another VFW sponsored contest for teens, but for students in grades 9-12. Each year about 40,000 students compete for over $2 million in scholarships. Students are asked to write and then record a three-five minute audio essay on a patriotic theme. The theme for 2018-2019 is “Why My Vote Matters.” Entry deadline is October 31, 2018. There is no entry fee.
Writing has quite a few benefits for children. It helps them improve their communication skills, lets students review and recall recently learned material, and it encourages creativity and exploration. So, sit down with your children and the contest list above and ask them which contest interests them the most and get started.
Looks like there are a lot of writing contests for kids.