essay competition 2023 august

40 Writing Contests in August 2023 — No entry fees

Erica Verrillo

Curiosity Never Killed the Writer

T his August there are more than three dozen free writing contests for short fiction, novels, poetry, CNF, nonfiction, and plays. Prizes range from $100,000 to publication. None charge entry fees.

Some of these contests have age and geographical restrictions, so read the instructions carefully.

If you want to get a jump on next month’s contests go to Free Contests . Most of these contests are offered annually, so even if the deadline has passed, you can prepare for next year.

Source Magazine . Genre : Book reviews, exhibition reviews or texts introducing sets of pictures. “But we are also interested in others forms of writing so if you want to submit something in a different form then please do. Our interest in photography is not only about the photographs that appear in books and exhibitions, it touches most aspects of life and we like to read about those encounters too.” Length: 700 words max. Prize : £500. Deadline : August 1, 2023.

Lucky Jefferson Poetry and Prose Contest . Restriction : Open to anyone over the age of 10. Genre : Poetry and prose. Prize : $100, publication, and a swag box. Deadline : August 1, 2023.

Granum Foundation Prize helps U.S.-based writers complete substantive literary works — such as poetry books, essay or short story collections, novels, and memoirs — or to help launch these works. Additionally, a Granum Foundation Translation Prize will be awarded to support the completion of a work translated by a U.S.-based writer. Prize : One winner will receive $5,000; up to three finalists will be awarded $500 or more; $500 or more will be awarded to one writer working in translation. Deadline : August 1, 2023.

Leeway Foundation Art and Change Grants . Restrictions : Open to women and trans artists in Greater Philadelphia to fund art for social change projects. People living in Bucks, Camden, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, or Philadelphia counties Delaware who are 18 years of age or older and who are not full-time students in a degree-granting arts program are eligible. Genres : Art in traditional or nontraditional modes, mediums or disciplines. Prize : $2500. Deadline : August 1, 2023.

Delaware Division of the Arts Individual Artist Fellowships . Restrictions : Delaware poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers who have lived in Delaware for at least one year prior to application and who are not enrolled in a degree-granting program. Genres : Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction. Prize : Established Professional Fellowships of $6,000 each and Emerging Artist Fellowships of $3,000 each. Deadline : August 1, 2023.

Bennett Nieberg Transpoetic Broadside Prize . Restrictions : Open to trans poets who have yet to publish their first full-length book. Genre : Poem. Prize : $1,000 USD, 25 limited edition letterpress broadsides of the winning poem, and a feature in the upcoming issue of Gasher Journal. Deadline : August 2, 2023.

Oregon Literary Fellowships . Two fellowships (one $10,000 grant and one $3,500 grant) are reserved specifically for writers of color. There are also fellowships for women/gender-nonconforming writers as well as special fellowships for fiction writers who have lived in Oregon over the past 5 years. Deadline : August 4, 2023.

Stone Canoe . Restrictions : Open to people who live or have lived in Upstate New York (not New York City). Genres : Poetry. Prize : $500 and publication. Deadline : August 5, 2023. (It is difficult to find this information on their website.)

Furious Fiction . Genre : Flash fiction, 500 words max. “On each competition weekend, we’ll reveal a set of story prompts and you’ll have 55 hours to submit your best story of 500-words (or fewer).” Prize : $500AUD. Deadline : Opens August 4, 2023. Closes August 6, 2023. (Australian time)

Live Theatre’s North East Playwriting Award . Restrictions : Open to playwrights who are either from or based in the North East of England, age 16 and older. Genre : Full-length play. Prize : £10,000 top prize. A second award will be exclusively for young people aged 16 to 25. This will be a commission fee of £7,000 (under 70 minutes) and a commitment to develop the play at Live Theatre. Deadline : August 7, 2023.

Peter Blazey Fellowship . Restrictions : Applicants must either be an Australian citizen or have Australian residency. Genre : Non-fiction in the fields of autobiography, biography or life writing. Prize : $15,000, and a one-month writer-in-residency at The Australia Centre. Deadline : August 7, 2023.

Scotiabank Giller Prize . Restrictions : Open to books published in Canada in English between July 1, 2023, and September 30, 2023. Must be nominated by publisher. Genre : Fiction. Full-length novel or collection of short stories published in English, either originally, or in translation. Prize : $100,000 to the winner and $10,000 to each of the finalists. Deadline : August 11, 2023.

Apparition Lit . Genre : Flash fiction between 1k words max based on the theme. Prize : $30. Deadline : August 14, 2023.

The Yale Drama Series . Genre : Original, unpublished full-length plays, with a minimum of 65 pages. Prize : $10,000. Deadline : August 15, 2023.

Bruce Piasecki and Andrea Masters Award on Business and Society Writing . Restrictions : Author must be 18–40 years old and have published at least one work prior to the deadline date. Genre : Published work on any theme exploring key business and society issues. Possible themes include climate change, racial/gender equality, sustainability, innovation, and new approaches to lessen war and social stresses. Essays, research papers, books, and articles are eligible. Prize : $5,000. Deadline : August 15, 2023.

The Gotham “Manuscript-to-Market” Fellowship . Restrictions : Open to people of color who have completed a book manuscript (or nonfiction book proposal) and are ready to go to market with their book. Three fellowships will be offered every year. Prize : Admittance to the Gotham Writers Conference — the panels and presentations as well as a seat at a pitching roundtable with two agents in your genre. The Gotham course How to Get Published or Nonfiction Book Proposal. A one-on-one Agent Evaluation session and a Query Letter Coaching session, both with a literary agent. Deadline : August 15, 2023.

Ligonier Valley Writers . Genre : Flash fiction on theme of “jack-o’-lanterns”;1000 words max. Prize : The first prize winner will receive $50, second prize $25, and third prize $15. Deadline : August 15, 2023.

Neilma Sidney Literary Travel Fund . Restrictions : Australian citizens or residents. Applicants must be emerging, midcareer or established Australian writers and literary sector workers (not beginners) with a demonstrated publication and/or career history. Prize : $10,000 for travel expenses. Deadline : August 17, 2023.

Waterford Poetry Prize . Restrictions : Open to residents of Ireland. Genre : Poem. Prize : First prize is €400 plus attendance at a designated writing course. Deadline : August 21, 2023.

DC Reid Poets’ Grant . Restrictions : Open to poets of “modest means.” Applicants must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents, living in Canada, who have published at least two books of poetry with a traditional publishing house. Genre : Poetry. Prize : $5000. Deadline : August 21, 2023.

RSL Giles St Aubyn Awards for Non-Fiction . Restrictions : The writer must be a resident of the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland, or have been a resident in the UK or ROI for the past three years. Genre : Nonfiction book. Prize : Two awards — one of £10,000, one of £5,000 — are offered to support writers to complete their first commissioned works of non-fiction. Deadline : August 25, 2023.

Nan Shepherd Prize . Restrictions : Open to unpublished, underrepresented nature writers in the UK or Ireland. Genre : Nature writing. Prize : £10,000 and publishing contract with Canongate. Deadline : August 25, 2023.

Storyhouse . Genre : Biographical nonfiction. Stories must be true, not semi-fictional accounts. 1000–10,000 words in length. Stories must be suitable for children. Prize : $200. Deadline : August 31, 2023.

Drinking Gourd Chapbook Poetry Prize . Restrictions : Open to poets of color with US citizenship who have not previously published a book-length volume of poetry. Genre : Poetry chapbook. Prize : $500, publication by Northwestern University Press, fifteen copies of the book, and a featured reading at The Poetry Foundation.. Deadline : August 31, 2023.

Scifidea Science Fiction Writing Contest . Genre : Science fiction. ‘The submitted works should be within the realm of science fiction, and must show a new worldview that conforms with scientific logic. It needs to conform to the concepts and characteristics of Dyson Sphere scientific theory, including the uses, size, structure of a Dyson sphere and other related basic settings, and reflect and expand them in the story.” Length: 30,000–100,000 words. Only finished stories will be accepted. Prize : 10 winners will each receive US$20,000. “If your work is one of those winners, you agree to grant SciFidea a ten-year publishing license to that work, with the US$20,000 prize being an advance against royalties. The author will share 50% of the net income on print publishing rights (including foreign languages in foreign countries), and another 30% of the net income from developing your work into other media (film, television, animation, graphic novels/manga, and so on).” Deadline : August 31, 2023.

Morioka International Haiku Contest . Genre : Haiku. Prize : ? Deadline : August 31, 2023.

“Kusamakura” Haiku Competition . Genre : Haiku. Prize : ? Deadline : August 31, 2023.

Sundog Summer Collaboration Contest . Genre : “Sometimes teamwork is what makes the dreamwork, so this summer we want to see what you’ve created with another writer (or two or three⁠ — there’s actually no limit) for our annual Collaboration Contest. Submit your wildest, most inventive work of any or mixed genre. Just keep your hybrid masterpiece to 1,000 words or less.” Prize : $300 and publication. Deadline : August 31, 2023.

Kindle Storyteller Award (UK) . Restrictions : The prize is open to all authors who publish their book through Kindle Direct Publishing on Amazon.co.uk. Genre : Book. Prize : £20,000. Deadline : August 31, 2023.

Nat 1 $h!TpOsT Shorts . Genre : Write a 3000+ word story for one of the six provided horrible covers. (See website) (The covers really are horrible) Prize : Publication, royalties and a $25 award. Deadline : August 31, 2023.

Preservation Foundation Biographical Nonfiction Contest . Restrictions : The contest is open to writers whose creative writing has never produced revenues of over $750 in any single year. Genre : Biographical Nonfiction. Prize : First prize is $200. Runners-up will receive $100. Finalists will receive $50. Deadline : August 31, 2023.

#GWstorieseverywhere . Genre : Micro fiction or essay on theme of Instability. Your story must be no longer than 25 words, with a max of 280 characters, including spaces and the hashtag. Prize : Free Gotham class. Deadline : August 31, 2023.

Diana Woods Memorial Award in Creative Nonfiction . Genre : Essay, maximum 5,000 words. Prize : $250 top prize. Deadline : August 31, 2023.

Arena Fantasy Magazine Competition . Genre : Fantasy. The first line and last line have to be the same — It was the same as it ever was, and nothing changed. Prize : First place wins an annual subscription to AFM. The 2nd & 3rd place will get a free issue. All entries will be considered for publication in an anthology as well as published in the magazine.” Deadline : August 31, 2023.

Gabo Prize for Literature in Translation or Multi-Lingual Texts . Restrictions : Translators and authors of multi-lingual texts. Genres : Poetry and prose. Prize : $200. Deadline : August 31, 2023.

Poetry Archive NOW! WordView 2023 . Genre : Poetry. “Make a video/film recording of yourself reading or reciting a single poem which you have written in 2022.” Prize : £100. Deadline : August 31, 2023.

Toni Beauchamp Prize in Critical Art Writing . Genre : Scholarly essay. All work submitted must have been written or published within the last year. Prize : $3,000. Deadline : August 31, 2023.

Val Wood Prize for Creative Writing . Genre : Short story with an overall word-count of 2000 on theme: “The Hungry Tide” Prize : £100. Deadline : August 31, 2023.

Substack runs a monthly short story competition. Their mission is to “revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful.” Genre : Short story. Length: 6000- 10,000 words. Prize : $100 plus 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check. Deadline : August 31, 2023. Reprints are ok so long as you still have the rights to distribute.

Sunday Times Charlotte Aitken Young Writer of the Year Award . Restrictions : Open to authors aged 18–35 as of December 31 of the deadline year. Books must have been first published in the UK and/or the Republic of Ireland, in the English language, between June 23 of the preceding year and August 31 of the deadline year. Authors must be UK or Irish citizens, or residents for the three years preceding the award. Genre : Published or self-published book of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction. Prize : £10,000. Deadline : August 31, 2023.

Like this article? For more articles about the publishing world, useful tips on how to get an agent, agents who are looking for clients, how to market and promote your work, building your online platform, how to get reviews, self-publishing, as well as publishers accepting manuscripts directly from writers (no agent required) visit Publishing and Other Forms of Insanity .

Written by Erica Verrillo

Helping writers get published and bolstering their flagging spirits at http://publishedtodeath.blogspot.com/

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Essay  COMPETITION

2024 global essay prize, registrations are now open all essayists must register  here  before friday 31 may, 2024.

The John Locke Institute encourages young people to cultivate the characteristics that turn good students into great writers: independent thought, depth of knowledge, clear reasoning, critical analysis and persuasive style. Our Essay Competition invites students to explore a wide range of challenging and interesting questions beyond the confines of the school curriculum.

Entering an essay in our competition can build knowledge, and refine skills of argumentation. It also gives students the chance to have their work assessed by experts. All of our essay prizes are judged by a panel of senior academics drawn from leading universities including Oxford and Princeton, under the leadership of the Chairman of Examiners, former Cambridge philosopher, Dr Jamie Whyte.

The judges will choose their favourite essay from each of seven subject categories - Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Psychology, Theology and Law - and then select the winner of the Grand Prize for the best entry in any subject. There is also a separate prize awarded for the best essay in the junior category, for under 15s.

Q1. Do we have any good reasons to trust our moral intuition?

Q2. Do girls have a (moral) right to compete in sporting contests that exclude boys?

Q3. Should I be held responsible for what I believe?

Q1. Is there such a thing as too much democracy?

Q2. Is peace in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip possible?

Q3. When is compliance complicity?

Q1. What is the optimal global population?  

Q2. Accurate news reporting is a public good. Does it follow that news agencies should be funded from taxation?

Q3. Do successful business people benefit others when making their money, when spending it, both, or neither?

Q1. Why was sustained economic growth so rare before the later 18th century and why did this change?

Q2. Has music ever significantly changed the course of history?

Q3. Why do civilisations collapse? Is our civilisation in danger?

Q1. When, if ever, should a company be permitted to refuse to do business with a person because of that person’s public statements?

Q2. In the last five years British police have arrested several thousand people for things they posted on social media. Is the UK becoming a police state?

Q3. Your parents say that 11pm is your bedtime. But they don’t punish you if you don’t go to bed by 11pm. Is 11pm really your bedtime?

Q1. According to a study by researchers at four British universities, for each 15-point increase in IQ, the likelihood of getting married increases by around 35% for a man but decreases by around 58% for a woman. Why?

In the original version of this question we misstated a statistic. This was caused by reproducing an error that appeared in several media summaries of the study. We are grateful to one of our contestants, Xinyi Zhang, who helped us to see (with humility and courtesy) why we should take more care to check our sources. We corrected the text on 4 April. Happily, the correction does not in any way alter the thrust of the question.

Q2. There is an unprecedented epidemic of depression and anxiety among young people. Can we fix this? How?

Q3. What is the difference between a psychiatric illness and a character flaw?

Q1. “I am not religious, but I am spiritual.” What could the speaker mean by “spiritual”?

Q2. Is it reasonable to thank God for protection from some natural harm if He is responsible for causing the harm?

Q3. Does God reward those who believe in him? If so, why?

JUNIOR prize

Q1. Does winning a free and fair election automatically confer a mandate for governing?

Q2. Has the anti-racism movement reduced racism?

Q3. Is there life after death?

Q4. How did it happen that governments came to own and run most high schools, while leaving food production to private enterprise? 

Q5. When will advancing technology make most of us unemployable? What should we do about this?

Q6. Should we trust fourteen-year-olds to make decisions about their own bodies? 

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS & FURTHER DETAILS

Please read the following carefully.

Entry to the John Locke Institute Essay Competition 2024 is open to students from any country.

Registration  

Only candidates who registered before the registration deadline of Friday, 31 May 2024 may enter this year's competition. To register, click here .  

All entries must be submitted by 11.59 pm BST on  the submission deadline: Sunday, 30 June 2024 .  Candidates must be eighteen years old, or younger, on that date. (Candidates for the Junior Prize must be fourteen years old, or younger, on that date.)

Entry is free.

Each essay must address only one of the questions in your chosen subject category, and must not exceed 2000 words (not counting diagrams, tables of data, endnotes, bibliography or authorship declaration). 

The filename of your pdf must be in this format: FirstName-LastName-Category-QuestionNumber.pdf; so, for instance, Alexander Popham would submit his answer to question 2 in the Psychology category with the following file name:

Alexander-Popham-Psychology-2.pdf

Essays with filenames which are not in this format will be rejected.

The candidate's name should NOT appear within the document itself. 

Candidates should NOT add footnotes. They may, however, add endnotes and/or a Bibliography that is clearly titled as such.

Each candidate will be required to provide the email address of an academic referee who is familiar with the candidate's written academic work. This should be a school teacher, if possible, or another responsible adult who is not a relation of the candidate. The John Locke Institute will email referees to verify that the essays submitted are indeed the original work of the candidates.

Submissions may be made as soon as registration opens in April. We recommend that you submit your essay well in advance of th e deadline to avoid any last-minute complications.

Acceptance of your essay depends on your granting us permission to use your data for the purposes of receiving and processing your entry as well as communicating with you about the Awards Ceremony Dinner, the academic conference, and other events and programmes of the John Locke Institute and its associated entities.  

Late entries

If for any reason you miss the 30 June deadline you will have an opportunity to make a late entry, under two conditions:

a) A late entry fee of 20.00 USD must be paid by credit card within twenty-four hours of the original deadline; and

b) Your essay must be submitted  before 11.59 pm BST on Wednesday, 10 July 2024.

To pay for late entry, a registrant need only log into his or her account, select the relevant option and provide the requested payment information.

Our grading system is proprietary. Essayists may be asked to discuss their entry with a member of the John Locke Institute’s faculty. We use various means to identify plagiarism, contract cheating, the use of AI and other forms of fraud . Our determinations in all such matters are final.

Essays will be judged on knowledge and understanding of the relevant material, the competent use of evidence, quality of argumentation, originality, structure, writing style and persuasive force. The very best essays are likely to be those which would be capable of changing somebody's mind. Essays which ignore or fail to address the strongest objections and counter-arguments are unlikely to be successful .

Candidates are advised to answer the question as precisely and directly as possible.

The writers of the best essays will receive a commendation and be shortlisted for a prize. Writers of shortlisted essays will be notified by 11.59 pm BST on Wednesday, 31 July. They will also be invited to London for an invitation-only academic conference and awards dinner in September, where the prize-winners will be announced. Unlike the competition itself, the academic conference and awards dinner are not free. Please be aware that n obody is required to attend either the academic conference or the prize ceremony. You can win a prize without travelling to London.

All short-listed candidates, including prize-winners, will be able to download eCertificates that acknowledge their achievement. If you win First, Second or Third Prize, and you travel to London for the ceremony, you will receive a signed certificate. 

There is a prize for the best essay in each category. The prize for each winner of a subject category, and the winner of the Junior category, is a scholarship worth US$2000 towards the cost of attending any John Locke Institute programme, and the essays will be published on the Institute's website. Prize-giving ceremonies will take place in London, at which winners and runners-up will be able to meet some of the judges and other faculty members of the John Locke Institute. Family, friends, and teachers are also welcome.

The candidate who submits the best essay overall will be awarded an honorary John Locke Institute Junior Fellowship, which comes with a US$10,000 scholarship to attend one or more of our summer schools and/or visiting scholars programmes. 

The judges' decisions are final, and no correspondence will be entered into.

R egistration opens: 1 April, 2024.

Registration deadline: 31 May, 2024. (Registration is required by this date for subsequent submission.)

Submission deadline: 30 June, 2024.

Late entry deadline: 10 July, 2024. (Late entries are subject to a 20.00 USD charge, payable by 1 July.)

Notification of short-listed essayists: 31 July, 2024.

Academic conference: 20 - 22 September, 2024.

Awards dinner: 21 September, 2024.

Any queries regarding the essay competition should be sent to [email protected] . Please be aware that, due to the large volume of correspondence we receive, we cannot guarantee to answer every query. In particular, regrettably, we are unable to respond to questions whose answers can be found on our website.

If you would like to receive helpful tips  from our examiners about what makes for a winning essay or reminders of upcoming key dates for the 2024  essay competition, please provide your email here to be added to our contact list. .

Thanks for subscribing!

The John Locke Institute's Global Essay Prize is acknowledged as the world's most prestigious essay competition. 

We welcome tens of thousands of submissions from ambitious students in more than 150 countries, and our examiners - including distinguished philosophers, political scientists, economists, historians, psychologists, theologians, and legal scholars - read and carefully assess every entry. 

I encourage you to register for this competition, not only for the hope of winning a prize or commendation, and not only for the chance to join the very best contestants at our academic conference and gala ceremony in London, but equally for the opportunity to engage in the serious scholarly enterprise of researching, reflecting on, writing about, and editing an answer to one of the important and provocative questions in this year's Global Essay Prize. 

We believe that the skills you will acquire in the process will make you a better thinker and a more effective advocate for the ideas that matter most to you.

I hope to see you in September!

Best wishes,

Jamie Whyte, Ph.D. (C ANTAB ) 

Chairman of Examiners

Q. I missed the registration deadline. May I still register or submit an essay?

A. No. Only candidates who registered before 31 May will be able to submit an essay. 

Q. Are footnote s, endnotes, a bibliography or references counted towards the word limit?

A. No. Only the body of the essay is counted. 

Q. Are in-text citations counted towards the word limit? ​

A. If you are using an in-text based referencing format, such as APA, your in-text citations are included in the word limit.

Q. Is it necessary to include foo tnotes or endnotes in an essay? ​

A. You  may not  include footnotes, but you may include in-text citations or endnotes. You should give your sources of any factual claims you make, and you should ackn owledge any other authors on whom you rely.​

Q. I am interested in a question that seems ambiguous. How should I interpret it?

A. You may interpret a question as you deem appropriate, clarifying your interpretation if necessary. Having done so, you must answer the question as directly as possible.

Q. How strict are  the age eligibility criteria?

A. Only students whose nineteenth birthday falls after 30 June 2024 will be eligible for a prize or a commendation. In the case of the Junior category, only students whose fifteenth birthday falls after 30 June 2024 will be eligible for a prize or a commendation. 

Q. May I submit more than one essay?

A. Yes, you may submit as many essays as you please in any or all categories.

Q. If I am eligible to compete in the Junior category, may I also (or instead) compete in another category?

A. Yes, you may.

Q. May I team up with someone else to write an essay?  

A. No. Each submitted essay must be entirely the work of a single individual.

Q. May I use AI, such as ChatGPT or the like, in writing my essay?

A. All essays will be checked for the use of AI. If we find that any content is generated by AI, your essay will be disqualified. We will also ask you, upon submission of your essay, whether you used AI for  any  purpose related to the writing of your essay, and if so, you will be required to provide details. In that case, if, in our judgement, you have not provided full and accurate details of your use of AI, your essay will be disqualified. 

Since any use of AI (that does not result in disqualification) can only negatively affect our assessment of your work relative to that of work that is done without using AI, your safest course of action is simply not to use it at all. If, however, you choose to use it for any purpose, we reserve the right to make relevant judgements on a case-by-case basis and we will not enter into any correspondence. 

Q. May I have someone else edit, or otherwise help me with, my essay?

A. You may of course discuss your essay with others, and it is perfectly acceptable for them to offer general advice and point out errors or weaknesses in your writing or content, leaving you to address them.

However, no part of your essay may be written by anyone else. This means that you must edit your own work and that while a proofreader may point out errors, you as the essayist must be the one to correct them. 

Q. Do I have to attend the awards ceremony to win a prize? ​

A. Nobody is required to attend the prize ceremony. You can win a prize without travelling to London. But if we invite you to London it is because your essay was good enough - in the opinion of the First Round judges - to be at least a contender for First, Second or Third Prize. Normally the Second Round judges will agree that the short-listed essays are worth at least a commendation.

Q. Is there an entry fee?

A. No. There is no charge to enter our global essay competition unless you submit your essay after the normal deadline, in which case there is a fee of 20.00 USD .

Q. Can I receive a certificate for my participation in your essay competition if I wasn't shortlisted? 

A. No. Certificates are awarded only for shortlisted essays. Short-listed contestants who attend the award ceremony in London will receive a paper certificate. If you cannot travel to London, you will be able to download your eCertificate.

Q. Can I receive feedba ck on my essay? 

A. We would love to be able to give individual feedback on essays but, unfortunately, we receive too many entries to be able to comment on particular essays.

Q. The deadline for publishing the names of short-listed essayists has passed but I did not receive an email to tell me whether I was short-listed.

A. Log into your account and check "Shortlist Status" for (each of) your essay(s).

Q. Why isn't the awards ceremony in Oxford this year?

A. Last year, many shortlisted finalists who applied to join our invitation-only academic conference missed the opportunity because of capacity constraints at Oxford's largest venues. This year, the conference will be held in central London and the gala awards dinner will take place in an iconic London ballroom. 

TECHNICAL FAQ s

Q. The system will not accept my essay. I have checked the filename and it has the correct format. What should I do?  

A. You have almost certainly added a space before or after one of your names in your profile. Edit it accordingly and try to submit again.

Q. The profile page shows my birth date to be wrong by a day, even after I edit it. What should I do?

A. Ignore it. The date that you typed has been correctly input to our database. ​ ​

Q. How can I be sure that my registration for the essay competition was successful? Will I receive a confirmation email?

A. You will not receive a confirmation email. Rather, you can at any time log in to the account that you created and see that your registration details are present and correct.

TROUBLESHOOTING YOUR SUBMISSION

If you are unable to submit your essay to the John Locke Institute’s global essay competition, your problem is almost certainly one of the following.

If so, please proceed as indicated.

1) PROBLEM: I receive the ‘registrations are now closed’ message when I enter my email and verification code. SOLUTION. You did not register for the essay competition and create your account. If you think you did, you probably only provided us with your email to receive updates from us about the competition or otherwise. You may not enter the competition this year.

2) PROBLEM I do not receive a login code after I enter my email to enter my account. SOLUTION. Enter your email address again, checking that you do so correctly. If this fails, restart your browser using an incognito window; clear your cache, and try again. Wait for a few minutes for the code. If this still fails, restart your machine and try one more time. If this still fails, send an email to [email protected] with “No verification code – [your name]” in the subject line.

SUBMITTING AN ESSAY

3) PROBLEM: The filename of my essay is in the correct format but it is rejected. SOLUTION: Use “Edit Profile” to check that you did not add a space before or after either of your names. If you did, delete it. Whether you did or did not, try again to submit your essay. If submission fails again, email [email protected] with “Filename format – [your name]” in the subject line.

4) PROBLEM: When trying to view my submitted essay, a .txt file is downloaded – not the .pdf file that I submitted. SOLUTION: Delete the essay. Logout of your account; log back in, and resubmit. If resubmission fails, email [email protected] with “File extension problem – [your name]” in the subject line.

5) PROBLEM: When I try to submit, the submission form just reloads without giving me an error message. SOLUTION. Log out of your account. Open a new browser; clear the cache; log back in, and resubmit. If resubmission fails, email [email protected] with “Submission form problem – [your name]” in the subject line.

6) PROBLEM: I receive an “Unexpected Error” when trying to submit. SOLUTION. Logout of your account; log back in, and resubmit. If this resubmission fails, email [email protected] with “Unexpected error – [your name]” in thesubject line. Your email must tell us e xactly where in the submission process you received this error.

7) PROBLEM: I have a problem with submitting and it is not addressed above on this list. SOLUTION: Restart your machine. Clear your browser’s cache. Try to submit again. If this fails, email [email protected] with “Unlisted problem – [your name]” in the subject line. Your email must tell us exactly the nature of your problem with relevant screen caps.

READ THIS BEFORE YOU EMAIL US.

Do not email us before you have tried the specified solutions to your problem.

Do not email us more than once about a single problem. We will respond to your email within 72 hours. Only if you have not heard from us in that time may you contact us again to ask for an update.

If you email us regarding a problem, you must include relevant screen-shots and information on both your operating system and your browser. You must also declare that you have tried the solutions presented above and had a good connection to the internet when you did so.

If you have tried the relevant solution to your problem outlined above, have emailed us, and are still unable to submit before the 30 June deadline on account of any fault of the John Locke Institute or our systems, please do not worry: we will have a way to accept your essay in that case. However, if there is no fault on our side, we will not accept your essay if it is not submitted on time – whatever your reason: we will not make exceptions for IT issues for which we are not responsible.

We reserve the right to disqualify the entries of essayists who do not follow all provided instructions, including those concerning technical matters.

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The Writing Contests, Grants & Awards database includes details about the creative writing contests—including poetry contests, short story competitions, essay contests, awards for novels, and more—that we’ve published in Poets & Writers Magazine during the past year. We carefully review the practices and policies of each contest before including it. Ours is the most trusted resource for legitimate writing contests available anywhere.

Australian Book Review

Elizabeth jolley short story prize.

A prize of $6,000 AUD (approximately $3,931) is given annually for a short story. A second-place prize of $4,000 AUD (approximately $2,621) and a third-place prize of $2,500...

University of Iowa Press

Iowa poetry prize.

Publication by University of Iowa Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 50 to 150 pages with a $20...

Inlandia Institute

Hillary gravendyk prizes.

Two prizes of $1,000 each, publication by the Inlandia Institute, and 20 author copies are given annually for a poetry collection by a U.S. resident and a poetry collection by...

Marsh Hawk Press

Poetry prize.

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Marsh Hawk Press is given annually for a poetry collection. John Keene will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a...

Poetry International

Poetry international prize.

A prize of $1,000 and publication in Poetry International is given annually for a single poem. Using only the online submission system, submit up to three poems of any...

Short Story Contest

A prize of $1,000 is given biannually for a short story. Using only the online submission system, submit a story of 1,001 to 7,500 words with a $15 entry fee...

Tupelo Press

Berkshire prize.

A prize of $3,000, publication by Tupelo Press, and 20 author copies is given annually for a first or second poetry collection. English translations of works originally written...

Tadpole Press

100-word writing contest.

A prize of $2,000 is given biannually for a work of flash poetry or prose. Manuscripts written in a language other than English are accepted when accompanied by an English...

Chapbook Prize

A prize of $1,000, publication by Oversound , and 50 author copies is given annually for a poetry chapbook. Diana Khoi Nguyen will judge. Using only the online submission...

Autumn House Press

Nonfiction prize.

A prize of $1,000 and publication by Autumn House Press is given annually for a book of nonfiction. The winner also receives a $1,500 travel and publicity grant. Clifford...

University of Pittsburgh Press

Agnes lynch starrett poetry prize.

A prize of $5,000 and publication by University of Pittsburgh Press is given annually for a debut poetry collection. Using only the online submission system, submit a...

Ghost Story

Supernatural fiction award.

A prize of $1,500 and publication on the Ghost Story website and in the 21st Century Ghost Stories anthology series is given biannually for a short story with a...

Ashland Poetry Press

Richard snyder memorial publication prize.

A prize of $1,000, publication by Ashland Poetry Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Matthew Rohrer will judge. Using only the online...

Breakwater Review

Peseroff prize.

A prize of $1,000 and publication in Breakwater Review ...

High Desert Museum

Waterston desert writing prize.

A prize of $3,000 is given annually for a work of nonfiction that recognizes “the vital role deserts play worldwide in the ecosystem and the human narrative...

Winning Writers

Tom howard/john h. reid fiction & essay contest.

Two prizes of $3,500 each, two gift certificates for two-year memberships to the literary database Duotrope, and publication on the Winning Writers website are given annually...

McGill University

Montreal international poetry prize.

A prize of $20,000 Canadian (approximately $14,807) and publication in the Montreal Poetry Prize anthology is given biennially for a poem. A.E. Stallings will judge, and...

Backwaters Press

Backwaters prize in poetry.

A prize of $2,000 and publication by Backwaters Press, an imprint of University of Nebraska Press, is given annually for a poetry collection. An honorable...

Noemi Press

A prize of $2,000 and publication by Noemi Press is given annually for a book of poetry. The editors will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of...

Atlanta Review

International poetry contest.

A prize of $1,000 and publication in Atlanta Review is given annually for a single poem. Using only the online submission system, submit up to five poems of any length...

Writer’s Digest

Annual writing competition.

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DIAGRAM/New Michigan Press

Chapbook contest.

A prize of $1,000, publication by New Michigan Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a chapbook of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or hybrid-genre work. Ander...

Trio House Press

Aurora polaris creative nonfiction award.

A prize of $1,000, publication by Trio House Press, and 20 author copies will be given annually for a book of nonfiction by a writer living in the United States. The editors...

National Book Foundation

National book awards.

Four prizes of $10,000 each are given annually for books of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and young people’s literature written by U.S. writers and published in the United...

Ploughshares

Emerging writer’s contest.

Three prizes of $2,000 each and publication in Ploughshares are given annually for a poem or group of poems, a short story, and an essay. Each winner also receives a...

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• Writing Tips

7 Essay Writing Contests to Look Out For in 2023

• 7-minute read
• 28th December 2022

Essay contests are not only a great way to exercise your essay-writing skills but also an awesome way to win cash prizes, scholarships, and internship or program opportunities. They also look wonderful on college applications as awards and achievements.

In this article, you’ll learn about 7 essay writing contests to enter in 2023. Watch the video below, or keep reading to learn more.

1. Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest 

Deadline: Now–April 30, 3023

Who may enter:

This is an international contest for people of all ages (except for residents of Syria, Iran, North Korea, Crimea, Russia, and Belarus due to US government restrictions).

Contest description:

●  The contest is organized by Winning Writers, located in MA, USA.

●  They accept stories and essays on any theme, up to 6,000 words each. This contest defines a story as any short work of fiction and an essay as any short work of nonfiction.

●  Your stories and essays must be submitted in English.

●  You may submit published or unpublished work.

Entry fee: USD 22 per entry

●  Story: First Prize is USD 3,000.

●  Essay: First Prize is USD 3,000.

●  10 Honorable Mentions will receive USD 300 each (any category).

●  The top 12 entries will be published online.

Official website

Please visit the competition’s official website for more information on judges and submissions.

2. 2023 Calibre Essay Prize 

Deadline: Now–January 15, 2023, 11:59 pm

Who may enter: All ages and any nationality or residency are accepted.

●  This contest is hosted by the Australian Book Review.

●  Your essay must be between 2,000 and 5,000 words.

●  You may submit nonfiction essays of all kinds, e.g., personal, political, literary, or speculative.

●  You may enter multiple essays but will need to pay separate fees for each one.

●  Your essay must be unpublished.

Entry fee: AU 30 for non-members

Prize: AU 7,500

Official website:

For more information on this contest, please visit its official website.

3. John Locke Institute Essay Competition 

Deadline: June 30, 2023

●  Students from any country.

●  Students aged 15 to 18 years by the competition deadline.

●  Students aged 14 years or younger by the competition deadline are eligible for the Junior prize.

●  The contest is organized by the John Locke Institute.

●  Your essay cannot exceed 2,000 words.

●  There are seven subjects or categories for essay submissions: Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Psychology, Theology, and Law.

Entry fee: Free to enter

●  The best overall essay winner receives an honorary John Locke Fellowship, which comes with a USD 10,000 scholarship to attend one or more summer schools or gap year courses.

●  There is also a prize for the best essay in each category. The prize for each winner of a subject category and the Junior category is a scholarship worth USD 2,000 toward the cost of a summer program.

●  All winning essays will be published on the Institute’s website.

For more information about this competition and the John Locke Institute, please visit the official website . Also, be sure to check out our article on all you need to know about this contest.

4. The American Foreign Service Association 2023 Essay Competition 

Deadline: April 3, 2023

●  Students in grades 9–12 in any of the 50 states, DC, the US territories, or if they are US citizens or lawful permanent residents attending high school overseas.

●  Students attending a public, private, or parochial school.

●  Home-schooled students.

●  Your essay should be 1,000–1,500 words.

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●  You will select a country or region in which the United States Foreign Service has been involved at any point since 1924 and describe how the Foreign Service was successful or unsuccessful in advancing American foreign policy goals – including promoting peace – in this country or region and propose ways in which it might continue to improve those goals in the coming years.

●  Your essay should follow MLA guidelines.

●  Your essay should use a variety of sources.

●  The first-place winner receives USD 2,500, a paid trip to the nation’s capital from anywhere in the U.S. for the winner and their parents, and an all-expense-paid educational voyage courtesy of Semester at Sea.

●  The runner-up receives USD 1,250 and full tuition to attend a summer session of the National Student Leadership Conference’s International Diplomacy program.

Please visit the American Foreign Service website for more information.

5. The Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA) 2023 Essay Contest 

Deadline: Mid-February 2023–June 1, 2023

Who may enter: High school (including homeschooled), college, and graduate students worldwide.

●  The 2023 essay contest topic is marriages and proposals.

●  High school students may focus on Pride and Prejudice only or bring in other Austen works.

●  Undergraduate and graduate students should discuss at least two Austen novels of their choice.

●  Your essay must be in MLA format and 6 to 8 pages (not including your Works Cited page).

●  Your essay must be written in English.

●  First place wins a USD 1,000 scholarship.

●  Second place wins a USD 500 scholarship.

●  Third place wins a USD 250 scholarship.

●  Winners will also receive one year of membership in JASNA, publication of their essays on this website, and a set of Norton Critical Editions of Jane Austen’s novels.

For more information and submission guidelines, please visit JASNA’s official website .

6. 2023 Writing Contest: Better Great Achievements by EngineerGirl

Deadline: February 1, 2023

●  Students in Grades 3–12. If international or homeschooled, please select your grade level based on if you were attending a public school in the U.S.

●  This contest is organized by EngineerGirl.

●  Students should write a piece that shows how female or non-white engineers have contributed to or can enhance engineering’s great achievements.

●  You should choose one of the 20 Greatest Engineering Achievements of the 20th Century as a topic and explore the technologies developed in the last century and the new ones being developed today. Make sure to follow the specific guidelines for your grade level.

●  Essays should be 650–750 words based on your grade level.

●  Please visit the contest’s website to see specific requirements based on your grade.

Winners in each grade category will receive the prizes listed below:

●  First-place winners will be awarded USD 500.

●  Second-place entries will be awarded USD 250 .

●  Third-place entries will be awarded USD 100 .

For more information and submission guidelines, please visit the official website .

7. World Historian Student Essay Competition

Deadline: May 1, 2023

Who may enter: Students enrolled in Grades K–12 in public, private, and parochial schools and home-study programs worldwide.

●  Your essay must address the following issue: In what way has the study of world history affected my understanding of the world in which I live?

●  Your essay should be 1,000 words.

Prizes: USD 500

For more information and submission requirements, please visit the contest’s official website.

Essay contests are a great way to expand your writing skills, discuss a topic that is important to you, and earn prize money and opportunities that will be great for you in the long term. Check out our articles on writing thesis statements, essay organization, and argumentative writing strategies to ensure you take first place every time.

If you need help with your essays and would like to make sure that every comma is in place, we will proofread your first 500 words for free !

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THE QUEEN'S COMMONWEALTH ESSAY COMPETITION

Since 1883, we have delivered The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition, the world's oldest international schools' writing competition. Today, we work to expand its reach, providing life-changing opportunities for young people around the world.

ENTER THE QCEC 2024

The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2024 is now live!

Find out more about this year’s theme

'Our Common Wealth' and make sure to enter by 15 May 2024!

140 years of The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition

The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition (QCEC) is the world’s oldest international writing competition for schools and has been proudly delivered by the Royal Commonwealth Society since 1883. 

ABOUT THE COMPETITION 

An opportunity for young Commonwealth citizens to share their thoughts, ideas and experiences on key global issues and have their hard work and achievement celebrated internationally.

Frequently Asked Questions for the Competition. Before contacting us please read these.

MEET THE WINNERS 

In 2023 we were delighted to receive a record-breaking 34,924 entries, with winners from India and Malaysia. Read their winning pieces as well as those from previous years.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Terms and Conditions for entrants to The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition. Please ensure you have thoroughly read them before submitting your entry.

2023 John Sexton Essay Contest

Chandrika Tandon  (Chair)

Vice Chair of NYU Board of Trustees & Grammy-Nominated Musician

Jesse Corburn 

Assistant Superintendent,

Uncommon Collegiate Charter High School

Ting Yu Founder & Editor-in-Chief,  Teach for America's One Day Magazine

Chaumtoli Huq 

Associate Professor of Law, CUNY School of Law

Adem Carroll United Nations & New York  Program Director, Burma Task Force

Michael L. Weitzman 

Professor of Pediatrics & Environmental Medicine, NYU Grossman

Vanessa O'Connell 

Editor at Reuters and Award Winning reporter from WSJ

Vanessa Gomez Brake 

Assoc. Dean of Religious & Spiritual Life at USC

Trevor W. Morrison 

Professor of Law and Dean Emeritus at NYU School of Law

Andrew Stein 

Head Tutor, Sentia Education; Social Policy Doctoral Student, Northwestern U.

Arnav Raval Hightstown High School, 11th Grade

Peter Grande Regis High School, 11th Grade

Matthew Lee Riverdale Country School, 11th Grade

Honorable mentions:.

Rahul Ramakrishnan Morris Hills High School, 12th Grade

Alex Kho Riverdale Country School, 10th Grade

Kiran Yeh Brooklyn Technical High School, 12th Grade

Tahia Bristi Queens High School for the Sciences, 12th Grade

The John Sexton Scholars Program invites high school students across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut to participate in the 2023  John Sexton Essay Contest. The competition challenges students to write an original and creative research essay for the following prompt:

NYU Law professor Kenji Yoshino has discussed the tension between punishment and mercy , each of which can go to extremes without the other. Focusing on a current or past international mass conflict within the past 40 years, evaluate the potential role of a hypothetical Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), keeping this tension in mind. How would your hypothetical TRC achieve or fall short of the goal of providing victims with a balanced form of justice? ​

Rules & Rubric

Eligibility

All students must:

Currently be enrolled in a high school (grades 9-12)

Attend a high school in New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut

Not have previously won or received an honorable mention in the John Sexton Essay Contest

Not be related to any member of the John Sexton Scholars Program Team or current judge

Only one entry per year per student

Submission Guidelines

The deadline is 11:59 pm EST on June 30th, 2023

Essays must be submitted via our website

The following must be submitted via our website's submission page: name, email address, high school currently attending, and current grade level.

Entries must be sent as a PDF document. The title should be your last name then first name. (Ex: Sexton, John)

Essay Requirements

No more than 600 words (excluding in-text citations and bibliography)

At least three varied sources, such as newspapers and journal articles, books, TED Talks, videos, documentaries, government websites, and JS Scholar Interviews  

Sources must be documented with in-text citations and a bibliography (MLA only) ​

Only one entry per student per year

Awards & Scholars Program

1st Place Winner:  $1000

2nd Place Winner:  $300

3rd Place Winner:  $200

Four Honorable Mentions :  $50 each

All winners will be awarded a plaque at our event and will have their essays posted on our website

All seven winners will receive :

A personal Awards Ceremony for students and their families

Guidance on SAT and College Application

A unique college & career mentorship with NYU President Emeritus John Sexton

Winners will also become members of our Scholars Program , which includes:

Writing mentorships with our Student Journal

A unique collective grantmaking experience

Various internship opportunities

Awards are sponsored by: Justice For All

Winners will be announced and notified via email by August 1, 2023.

Past winners of the John Sexton Essay Contest have gone on to attend NYU, Harvard,

Syracuse, Yale, Cornell, and many other prestigious colleges and universities.

Judging Criteria

Content will count for 75% and the following parameters will be considered:

Focus:  Insightful development of a relevant thesis

Supporting Evidence:  Well researched analysis of the question and convincing arguments with specific examples (Use evidence to support your ideas; do not merely paraphrase sources).

Source Material:  Bibliography of three or more varied sources

Presentation will count for 25% and the following parameters will be considered:

Quality of Writing:  Clarity, flow, vocabulary, and style

Organization: Well-structured essay, including an introduction and conclusion

Conventions:  Spelling, grammar, syntax, and punctuation

We recommend that you peruse the   following resources to best prepare for the contest:   ​ ​​

Advice from previous contest winners and their essays published on this website

Purdue Online Writing Lab 's free writing and MLA guide

Our YouTube Channel for interviews by JS Scholars with leading world experts

Our Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook pages for ongoing news on the contest and advice on how to approach the essay

Disclaimers

​ The Essay must be solely the work of the entrant. Plagiarism will result in disqualification.

Essays must not infringe on any third-party rights or intellectual property of any person, company, or organization.

The John Sexton Scholars Program reserves the right to print and display the essays and photographs of the contest winners.

Previous year winners are not eligible to compete in the contest.

All entries become the property of the John Sexton Scholars Program and will not be returned.

Decisions of the John Sexton Essay Contest Judges are final.

2023 Essay Contest Now Open: Ideas Have Consequences

The Buckley Institute is proud to announce that the 2023 essay contest for U.S. high school students and Yale undergraduates is  officially open .

The annual essay contest is comprised of one competition for American high school students and another for Yale undergraduates. 

The first, second, and third place winners in both competitions will win $1,000, $500, or $250 respectively and be invited to the Buckley Institute’s annual conference in New Haven on December 1 to receive their awards. 

The 2023 essay contest submission deadline is Sunday, October 22 at 11:59pm. This year’s essay contest asks students to respond to the following quote from Richard Weaver’s  Ideas Have Consequences , published 75 years ago, and answer the question below:

Certainly there is no more innocent-seeming form of debauchery than the worship of comfort; and, when it is accompanied by a high degree of technical resourcefulness, the difficulty of getting people not to renounce it but merely to see its consequences is staggering. The task is bound up, of course, with that of getting principles accepted again, for, where everything ministers to desire, there can be no rebuke of comfort. As we endeavor to restore values, we need to earnestly point out that there is no correlation between the degree of comfort enjoyed and the achievement of a civilization. On the contrary, absorption in ease is one of the most reliable signs of present or impending decay.

In his book  Ideas Have Consequences , excerpted above, Richard Weaver argues that “absorption in ease is one of the most reliable signs of present or impending decay.” Weaver wrote in 1948 but America has only become wealthier and more comfortable since. Has an obsession with opulence and comfort put America on a path to decay or has America’s unprecedented wealth allowed it to flourish?

See the full submission guidelines  here .

Essay Competition

 “the ideas of economists… both when they are right and when they are wrong, are more powerful than is commonly understood… indeed the world is ruled by little else” ,     j. m. keynes (general theory, 1936), essay competition 2023.

We received over 750 eligible submissions this year, with each one being hand-read and marked by our panellists at the University of Cambridge. Overall, we were thoroughly impressed by the quality of the responses to some of the most challenging questions in the competition’s history. We would like to thank every student that submitted an essay this year, and extend our warmest congratulations to the winners and shortlisted essays named below.

We are delighted to announce that the winner of the 2023 Marshall Society Essay Competition is David Lu of Raffles Institution, Singapore. David’s essay in response to Question 4 deftly balanced advanced economic theories with real-world data, clear explanations, and rhetorical flair, and was a pleasure to read. We look forward to publishing it in the forthcoming issue of The Dismal Scientist , the magazine of the Marshall Society, and awarding our top prize of £50.

In 2nd place is You Peng of Shenzhen College of International Education, China. Peng’s essay in response to Question 2 was theoretically advanced and well structured, and we would’ve liked to see even more real-world application. It will likewise be published and receive a finalist prize of £25.

In 3rd place is Hanyun Qian of Suzhou Foreign Language School, China. Hanyun’s essay in response to Question 5 was extremely original, insightful, and entertaining to read, and we would’ve liked to see an even tighter focus on the question set. It will likewise be published and receive a finalist prize of £25.

Our shortlisted essays, in no particular order, were as follows:

To everyone that took part in the competition, thank you for the time and care spent in preparing your essay, and all the best for your future studies. We hope you’re looking forward to the 2024 edition of the essay competition.

A reminder of the essay questions set this year is as follows:

• In what ways could Artificial Intelligence reshape the labour market? Will it usher in Keynes’ ‘age of leisure’?
• ‘Policymakers can’t exploit the Phillips curve to reduce unemployment due to the Lucas critique.’ Evaluate this statement.
• The US Federal Child Tax Credit is scheduled to revert from $2,000 to $1,000 by 2025. Is this policy a mistake?
• Tensions between the US and China have been steadily increasing. Is it in the US’ interest to decouple from China economically?
• ‘There were no meaningful long-run changes in living standards until the Industrial Revolution.’ Discuss.
• Has Economics run out of big new ideas? If so, what are the implications? If not, justify with an example.

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Best Writing Contests in 2024

Showing 356 contests that match your search.

The Reedsy Prompts Contest

Genres: Fiction and Short Story

Every Friday, Reedsy sends out five writing prompts. Enter your response within a week for a chance at $250. Winners may also be included in a future issue of Reedsy’s literary magazine, Prompted.

Additional prizes:

$25 credit toward Reedsy editorial services

💰 Entry fee: $5

📅 Deadline: December 31, 2024

Summer Nanofiction Battle

Writing Battle

Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult

Two days to write a 250 word short story. The peer-powered quarterly writing contest where every story receives oodles of feedback. Write one. Read ten. Win thousands.

Genre Winner (x4): $1,500

Genre Runner-up (x4): $375 | Feedback by industry professionals

💰 Entry fee: $20

📅 Deadline: August 02, 2024

Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize

Gotham Writers Workshop

Genres: Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult

The Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize is a writing competition sponsored by the stage and radio series Selected Shorts. Selected Shorts is recorded for Public Radio and heard nationally on both the radio and its weekly podcast. This years entries will be judged by Carmen Maria Machado (In the Dream House, Her Body and Other Parties).

$1000 + free 10 week course with Gotham Writers

💰 Entry fee: $25

📅 Deadline: March 01, 2024 (Expired)

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Twist in the Tale - May 1k Words

Twist in the Tale

Genres: Flash Fiction, Short Story, and Fiction

All entrants share a main genre but will be given a twisted subgenre (unusual) from a pool of ten. Entrants will also get either an event/character/object/subject (depending on the contest) that they must include. They can reroll subgenre and subject three times each. For example, if thriller is the main genre, you might get occult detective as your subgenre. Rerolling that might give you cyberpunk, environmental, etc.

📅 Deadline: May 19, 2024

Witcraft Monthly Humour Competition

Genres: Flash Fiction and Humor

Send us your skillfully written stories that are brief, humorous and engaging, with the emphasis on wit, word play, absurdity and inspired nonsense. Whether your story is designed to raise a smile or a belly laugh, we want stories that are a refuge from the relentless barrage of negativity, angst, war and climate catastrophe that dominates the web.

2nd: AUD $20 | 3rd: AUD $10

📅 Deadline: December 15, 2023 (Expired)

Anthology Short Story Competition 2024

Anthology Magazine

Established to recognise and encourage creative writing and provide a platform for publication, the Anthology Short Story Competition is open to original and previously unpublished short stories in the English language by a writer of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. There is no restriction on theme or style. Stories submitted must not exceed the maximum of 1,500 words. Writers can submit as many entries as they wish. Each submission will require a separate entry form and is subject to a separate entry fee.

💰 Entry fee: $19

📅 Deadline: July 31, 2024

Blue Lynx Prize for Poetry

Lynx House Press

Genres: Poetry

The annual Blue Lynx Prize for Poetry awards $2000 plus publication for a full-length poetry collection. The Prize is awarded for an unpublished, full-length volume of poems by a U.S. author, which includes foreign nationals living and writing in the U.S. and U.S. citizens living abroad. Lynx House Press has been publishing fine poetry and prose since 1975. Our titles are distributed by the University of Washington Press.

Publication

💰 Entry fee: $28

📅 Deadline: June 16, 2024

Write By The Sea Literary Festival 2024

Write By the Sea

Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, Memoir, and Poetry

Write By The Sea is a dynamic boutique literary festival set in the beautiful fishing village of Kilmore Quay, County Wexford. The independent panel of judges will select the winners of each category and winners will be invited to read their work as part of the Festival.

2nd: €300 | 3rd: €200 | Publication

💰 Entry fee: $10

📅 Deadline: June 21, 2024

National Poetry Series

The National Poetry Series seeks book-length manuscripts of poetry written by American residents or American citizens living abroad.

💰 Entry fee: $35

📅 Deadline: March 15, 2024 (Expired)

The One Page Poetry Contest

One Page Poetry

One Page Poetry is dedicated to the art of expressing a poetic theme on a single page, whether your poem is four lines or forty, whether yours is a love poem, inspirational poem, philosophical poem, or just one that is fun or whimsical. We welcome any and all poetic forms, as long as they fit on a single page.

2nd: $1000 | 3rd: $500

📅 Deadline: September 30, 2024

Personal Essay Competition 2024

Write the World

Genres: Essay and Memoir

We want to hear about an experience in your life, rife with characters and description and conflict and scene… but we also want to hear how you make sense of this experience, how it sits with you, and why it has surfaced as writing. Open a window into your life and invite your readers to enter.

Best entry: $100

Runner up: $50 | Best peer review: $50

📅 Deadline: June 24, 2024

2024 Spring Prose & Poetry Contest

Onyx Publications

Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Poetry, Science Fiction, Short Story, and Thriller

Our contest provides a First, Second, and Third prize for both prose and poetry. There are no themes or special requirements so just send us your best work. We recommend you read through previous editions or listen to the works and author interviews on our Story Discovery Podcast to get a sense of the range of creativity we enjoy.

$500 + publication and author interview on Story Discovery podcast

2nd: $150 | 3rd: $75

💰 Entry fee: $12

📅 Deadline: May 05, 2024

The 2022 First Chapter Book Contest

TheNextBigWriter, LLC

Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Novel, Science Fiction, Thriller, and Young Adult

Have a book or a novel idea you've been noodling? Enter your first chapter into the Booksie First Chapter Contest and see how it does. You don't need to have finished the book. You don't even need more than the first chapter. We're looking for a start that will grab our attention, that is original, that is well written, and that makes us want to beg you to see what comes next. And for those we find, we'll provide some awards to inspire you to finish writing the book or, if finished, to help get it published.

Gold contest badge.

📅 Deadline: May 14, 2022 (Expired)

Britain vs The World: Flash Battle 2024

Genres: Flash Fiction

The Top 5 Flashes from Team Britain and Team World will duke it out for prizes, glory – and points. The higher you rank, the more points you get for your team. 1st, 2nd and 3rd place will get a host of cash prizes. The team with the most points will win additional prizes.

2nd: £50 | 3rd: £25

💰 Entry fee: $6

📅 Deadline: April 30, 2024

The Lascaux Prize in Flash Fiction

Lascuax Review

Genres: Fiction and Flash Fiction

Stories may be previously published or unpublished, and simultaneous submissions are accepted. True stories are welcome as long as they’re written in a narrative style. Winner receives $1,000 and a bronze medallion. Finalists receive $100. Winner and finalists are published in The Lascaux Review.

Finalists: $100

💰 Entry fee: $15

📅 Deadline: June 30, 2024

Askew's Word on the Lake Writing Contest

Shuswap Association of Writers

Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Essay, Memoir, and Short Story

Whether you’re an established or emerging writer, the Askew’s Word on the Lake Writing Contest has a place for you. Part of the Word on the Lake Writers’ Festival in Salmon Arm, BC, the contest is open to submissions in short fiction (up to 2,000 words), nonfiction (up to 2,000 words), and poetry (up to three one-page poems).

💰 Entry fee: $11

📅 Deadline: January 31, 2024 (Expired)

ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize

Australian Book Review

ABR welcomes entries in the 2024 ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize. The Jolley Prize is worth a total of $12,500 and is for an original work of short fiction of between 2,000 and 5,000 words, written in English. This is the fifteenth time the Jolley Prize has run and it is one of the world’s leading prizes for short fiction.

2nd: $4000 AUD | 3rd: $2500 AUD

📅 Deadline: April 22, 2024 (Expired)

The Moth Short Story Prize 2024

Judged by Louise Kennedy, The Moth Short Story Prize is open to anyone over 16, as long as their story is previously unpublished. The word limit is 3,000. Winning story published as part of the summer fiction series in the Irish Times, while the 2nd and 3rd-prize-winning stories will be published in the Irish Times online.

2nd: week-long writing retreat at Circle of Misse in France plus open travel stipend | 3rd: €1,000

💰 Entry fee: $16

Inception 2024: $500 for Best Opening

Sunspot Literary Journal

Genres: Fiction and Poetry

For Sunspot Lit’s Inception contest, send your best opening (novel, CNF, art collection, photo series, etc.). No restrictions on theme or category. Submit via Submittable or Duotrope.

📅 Deadline: March 31, 2024 (Expired)

New Deal Writing Competition

New Deal Museum

Genres: Christian, Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, LGBTQ, Mystery, Novel, Novella, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller, and Travel

GVCA is excited to announce the ninth annual New Deal Writing Competition! This competition challenges writers to use a painting chosen by the staff at GVCA as inspiration for a short story. This year’s painting is “Playtime” by Fred Ross.

Publication in newsletter

CWA Margery Allingham Short Story Competition

Crime Writers Association

Our mission is to find the best unpublished short mystery — one that fits into legendary crime writer Margery’s definition of what makes a great story: “The Mystery remains box-shaped, at once a prison and a refuge. Its four walls are, roughly, a Crime, a Mystery, an Enquiry and a Conclusion with an Element of Satisfaction in it.”

Two passes to Crimefest & a selection of books

📅 Deadline: February 29, 2024 (Expired)

4th Annual Wine Country Writers' Festival Writing Contest

Wine Country Writers' Festival Society

Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, and Poetry

Welcome to the 4th Annual Wine Country Writers' Festival (WCWF) writing contest. Three Categories and Over $1800 total value in cash and prizes to be awarded. Opens April 01/24 and Closes June 02/24 (1159pm PST--Vancouver/Seattle time). Enter your short fiction or nonfiction (2000 words max) or up to 48 lines of poetry. Or purchase the 2 for $25 and enter a poem and a short story or two stories... You decide. Judged blindly by professional writers. Profiles on the website. Winning entries will be published in the 4th Annual WCWF Anthology. Winners will receive a copy. No previously published or winning works. No AI.

$200 CAD per category

Free registration package to the Wine Country Writers' Festival

📅 Deadline: June 02, 2024

Amazing Women’s Edition Contest

National Youth Foundation

Genres: Children's

Founded by Black women with a vision for change, the mission of the National Youth Foundation is to promote diversity, inclusion and gender equality through innovative literary programs. To honor the vast accomplishments of women in the United States, the National Youth Foundation is pleased to announce the Amazing Women’s Edition (AWE) competition. This writing contest is open to students in grades K to 8 residing in the United States.

📅 Deadline: January 07, 2022 (Expired)

Share Your Story

FanStory.com Inc.

Write about an event in your life. Everyone has a memoir. Not an autobiography. Too much concern about fact and convention. A memoir gives us the ability to write about our life with the option to create and fabricate and to make sense of a life, or part of that life.

📅 Deadline: August 13, 2024

The Peseroff Prize

Breakwater Review

Submit up to three poems and a $10 entry fee. There are no restrictions on content or form: it 's all poetry. Poems should be previously unpublished. The winner and finalists will be published in Breakwater Review.

Publication in spring issue

📅 Deadline: May 01, 2024

The Berkeley Fiction Review Sudden Fiction Contest

Berkeley Fiction Review

The Berkeley Fiction Review is a UC Berkeley undergraduate, student-run publication. We look for innovative short fiction that plays with form and content, as well as traditionally constructed stories with fresh voices and original ideas. Currently seeking flash fiction submissions of 1000 words or fewer.

2nd: $100 | 3rd: $50 | Honorable mentions: $25 | Publication

📅 Deadline: April 01, 2024 (Expired)

7 Day Story Writing Challenge

Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, Short Story, Crime, Fantasy, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, and Young Adult

Register now for our next 7-day story writing challenge. A secret theme, a randomly assigned genre, and just 7 days to write a story of no more than 2,000 words. Our 7-day story writing challenges take place throughout the year. The challenges are free and you can even get feedback on your story. Take part in one challenge or take part in all of them!

Publication on website

💰 Entry fee: $0

Dzanc Books Short Story Collection Competition

Dzanc Books

The Dzanc Books Short Story Collection Prize celebrates imaginative and inventive writing in book-length collections (generally over 40,000 words, but there is no hard minimum). Past winners include Suzi Ehtesham-Zadeh (Zan), Nino Cipri (Homesick), Anne Valente (By Light We Knew Our Names), Chaya Bhuvaneswar (White Dancing Elephants), Jen Grow (My Life as a Mermaid), Julie Stewart (Water and Blood), and Ethel Rohan (In the Event of Contact). The winning submission will be awarded a $2,500 advance and publication by Dzanc Books.

Creative Writing Award for Short Fiction

Aesthetica Magazine

The Aesthetica Creative Writing Award celebrates outstanding writers. The Award was launched after the publication of Aesthetica Magazine, as a way to support the next generation of literary talent. The Creative Writing Award is open to Poetry and Short Fiction submissions on any theme, however, we are particularly interested in works that reflect upon our ever changing world.

Publication in the Aesthetica Creative Writing Annual | A five-day course from Arvon | Consultation with Redhammer Management | Six-week writing short stories course from Curtis Brown Creative

💰 Entry fee: $22

📅 Deadline: August 31, 2024

Louise Bogan Award

Trio House Press

The Louise Bogan Award for Artistic Merit and Excellence includes $1,000, publication, and twenty books. The Louise Bogan Award for Artistic Merit and Excellence is open to ALL poets, regardless of publication history.

Flash Fiction Award

Bath Flash Fiction Award

In addition to winning cash prizes, entrants have the opportunity to appear in our print and digital anthology collections. Our books are published by the award-winning small press Ad Hoc Fiction, and are available to buy from their own independent bookshop as well as worldwide from Amazon. 300 word limit.

£300 for 2nd, £100 for 3rd

The Book of the Year Awards

The Independent Author Network

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Novel, Novella, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Thriller, Young Adult, Crime, and Short Story

The Independent Author Network presents the 10th Annual IAN Book of the Year Awards, an international contest open to all authors with 55 fiction and non-fiction categories. Winners are eligible to receive a share of cash prizes of $6,000 USD. Open to all English language print and eBooks available for sale, including small presses, mid-size independent publishers, university presses, and self-published authors.

$6,000.00 USD in total cash prizes

💰 Entry fee: $49

📅 Deadline: August 16, 2024

The Donald Hall Prize for Poetry

Association of Writers & Writing Programs

AWP sponsors the Award Series, an annual competition for the publication of excellent new book-length works. The competition is open to all authors writing in English regardless of nationality or residence, and is available to published and unpublished authors alike.

Publication by the University of Pittsburgh Press

💰 Entry fee: $30

📅 Deadline: February 28, 2024 (Expired)

The Lascaux Prize in Poetry

The Lascaux Review

Poems may be previously published or unpublished, and simultaneous submissions are accepted. Winner receives $1,000, a bronze medallion, and publication online in The Lascaux Review. The winner and all finalists will be published in the annual print journal.

The Robert Phillips Poetry Chapbook Prize

Texas Review

Established in 2001, The Robert Phillips Poetry Chapbook Prize highlights one book a year that excels in the chapbook format. Since 2019 the Prize comes with $500, a standard royalty contract, and 20 copies of the published book.

A Standard Royalty contract, 20 copies of the book published

Discover the finest writing contests of 2024 for fiction and non-fiction authors — including short story competitions, essay writing competitions, poetry contests, and many more. Updated weekly, these contests are vetted by Reedsy to weed out the scammers and time-wasters. If you’re looking to stick to free writing contests, simply use our filters as you browse.

Why you should submit to writing contests

Submitting to poetry competitions and free writing contests in 2024 is absolutely worth your while as an aspiring author: just as your qualifications matter when you apply for a new job, a writing portfolio that boasts published works and award-winning pieces is a great way to give your writing career a boost. And not to mention the bonus of cash prizes!

That being said, we understand that taking part in writing contests can be tough for emerging writers. First, there’s the same affliction all writers face: lack of time or inspiration. Entering writing contests is a time commitment, and many people decide to forego this endeavor in order to work on their larger projects instead — like a full-length book. Second, for many writers, the chance of rejection is enough to steer them clear of writing contests. 

But we’re here to tell you that two of the great benefits of entering writing contests happen to be the same as those two reasons to avoid them.

When it comes to the time commitment: yes, you will need to expend time and effort in order to submit a quality piece of writing to competitions. That being said, having a hard deadline to meet is a great motivator for developing a solid writing routine.

Think of entering contests as a training session to become a writer who will need to meet deadlines in order to have a successful career. If there’s a contest you have your eye on, and the deadline is in one month, sit down and realistically plan how many words you’ll need to write per day in order to meet that due date — and don’t forget to also factor in the time you’ll need to edit your story!

For tips on setting up a realistic writing plan, check out this free, ten-day course: How to Build a Rock-Solid Writing Routine.

In regards to the fear of rejection, the truth is that any writer aspiring to become a published author needs to develop relatively thick skin. If one of your goals is to have a book traditionally published, you will absolutely need to learn how to deal with rejection, as traditional book deals are notoriously hard to score. If you’re an indie author, you will need to adopt the hardy determination required to slowly build up a readership.

The good news is that there’s a fairly simple trick for learning to deal with rejection: use it as a chance to explore how you might be able to improve your writing.

In an ideal world, each rejection from a publisher or contest would come with a detailed letter, offering construction feedback and pointing out specific tips for improvement. And while this is sometimes the case, it’s the exception and not the rule.

Still, you can use the writing contests you don’t win as a chance to provide yourself with this feedback. Take a look at the winning and shortlisted stories and highlight their strong suits: do they have fully realized characters, a knack for showing instead of telling, a well-developed but subtly conveyed theme, a particularly satisfying denouement?

The idea isn’t to replicate what makes those stories tick in your own writing. But most examples of excellent writing share a number of basic craft principles. Try and see if there are ways for you to translate those stories’ strong points into your own unique writing.

Finally, there are the more obvious benefits of entering writing contests: prize and publication. Not to mention the potential to build up your readership, connect with editors, and gain exposure.

Resources to help you win writing competitions in 2024

Every writing contest has its own set of submission rules. Whether those rules are dense or sparing, ensure that you follow them to a T. Disregarding the guidelines will not sway the judges’ opinion in your favor — and might disqualify you from the contest altogether. 

Aside from ensuring you follow the rules, here are a few resources that will help you perfect your submissions.

Free online courses

On Writing:

How to Craft a Killer Short Story

The Non-Sexy Business of Writing Non-Fiction

How to Write a Novel

Understanding Point of View

Developing Characters That Your Readers Will Love

Writing Dialogue That Develops Plot and Character

Stop Procrastinating! Build a Solid Writing Routine

On Editing:

Story Editing for Authors

How to Self-Edit Like a Pro

Novel Revision: Practical Tips for Rewrites

How to Write a Short Story in 7 Steps

How to Write a Novel in 15 Steps

Literary Devices and Terms — 35+ Definitions With Examples

10 Essential Fiction Writing Tips to Improve Your Craft

How to Write Dialogue: 8 Simple Rules and Exercises

8 Character Development Exercises to Help You Nail Your Character

Bonus resources

200+ Short Story Ideas

600+ Writing Prompts to Inspire You

100+ Creative Writing Exercises for Fiction Authors

Story Title Generator

Pen Name Generator

Character Name Generator

After you submit to a writing competition in 2024

It’s exciting to send a piece of writing off to a contest. However, once the initial excitement wears off, you may be left waiting for a while. Some writing contests will contact all entrants after the judging period — whether or not they’ve won. Other writing competitions will only contact the winners. 

Here are a few things to keep in mind after you submit:

Many writing competitions don’t have time to respond to each entrant with feedback on their story. However, it never hurts to ask! Feel free to politely reach out requesting feedback — but wait until after the selection period is over.

If you’ve submitted the same work to more than one writing competition or literary magazine, remember to withdraw your submission if it ends up winning elsewhere.

After you send a submission, don’t follow it up with a rewritten or revised version. Instead, ensure that your first version is thoroughly proofread and edited. If not, wait until the next edition of the contest or submit the revised version to other writing contests.

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Watch our Explainer Video

How Our Essay Competition Works

Submit your entry.

Research and write your essay and then submit it, along with your references, via our short form below.

Entries close at 9pm UK time on 15th April 2024 !

Awards Ceremony

All shortlisted entrants and their parents and teachers will be invited to attend our Awards Ceremony in May 2024, where the winners will be announced.

Over £100,000 Worth of Academic Prizes

Free Conference place

The first thousand students who are successfully shortlisted will be awarded a free place at one of our OxBright Conferences (worth £95) in the autumn. Alternatively, you can put this credit towards an Online Course or Online Internship .

All shortlisted entrants and their parents and teachers will be invited to attend our online Awards Ceremony in May 2024, where the winners will be announced.

Matilda Winner, History, 2023

I’m both thrilled and flabbergasted at the outcome of the competition.

Winning this competition undoubtedly made me feel much more confident in researching and writing in my field from now on, opening a lot of new doors for me!

Regina Winner, Psychology, 2023

I’m very happy and grateful to win such a meaningful competition. I truly learned a lot.

My advice to anyone considering entering is to try to think deeper and further about your chosen topic.

Alex Winner, Philosophy, 2023

Frequently Asked Questions

Entering the essay competition, how will entering the oxbright essay competition help me in the future, why do you run an essay competition.

OxBright is about giving students the edge to help them to succeed, find their purpose and make a difference in the world.

We think it’s the greatest time to be alive, but we’re aware that young people face challenges their predecessors didn’t. We’re passionate about encouraging students to be optimistic about the future by being active thinkers interested in collaborating to create a better future for the long-term. You can read more about this in our Worldview .

Our essay competition combines these two elements – encouraging students to think actively about the future, and giving them tools to help them to succeed.

Who can enter?

Anyone can enter – the only eligibility criteria is that you must be aged between 15-18. You don’t need to have previously joined an OxBright programme in order to take part.

Kindly be aware that to be eligible to take up any of the free places offered as prizes, such as our online courses/internships, winning students must be between the ages of 15 and 18 at the commencement of the programme.

Can I write more than one essay?

Sorry, we only accept one essay per student in each Essay Competition. This is due to the volume of essays we receive.

Can I enter jointly with a friend?

No, we can only accept entries from individuals, and it’s important to make sure that your work is entirely your own.

Is there a fee to enter the OxBright Essay Competition?

No, the essay competition is completely free to enter.

When is the entry deadline?

The deadline has been extended, and is now the 15th April 2024, at 9pm.

Are you connected to any university?

No, OxBright is an independent education organisation which is not connected to any university.

Where can I see the results of the Essay Competition 2023?

You can see the results of our previous Essay Competition, including the winning essay in full, here .

Writing Your Essay

What are the subject categories i can enter for, how long should my essay be.

There are three parts to the essay:

• Essay title: the title of your essay can be up to 100 characters long, including spaces
• Essay: your essay can have up to 3,800 characters , including spaces (this is about 500 words). This includes everything you write, like the main text and in-text citations. In-text citations are little notes you put in your essay to show where your information came from. For example, if you quote something from a book by John Smith, you would add (Smith, 2010, p. 50) right after the quote. These citations are part of your word count, so make sure to include them
• References: as for references, there’s no word limit – you can include as many as you need! These are important for showing where your information came from. Please use the Harvard Referencing Style for your references (you can find how to do this in the guidelines provided here ). This won’t count towards your essay character limit, so please list all the sources you used

What are the evaluation criteria?

We’ll be assessing essays on the following criteria:

• Fluency of written English
• Relevance to the question
• Creativity and originality of ideas
• Use of evidence or examples
• Relevance to the OxBright Worldview

Should I use references?

Please make sure to include references to your sources, using the Harvard Referencing Style (guidelines here ).

What makes a good essay?

Make sure to read our criteria carefully (you can find it in the FAQ above).

We want essays that are thoroughly researched, packed with examples and solid evidence. What really catches our attention are essays with unique analysis. So, we’re not just interested in essays that simply describe things – we want your thoughts, analysis, and fresh ideas.

Don’t forget, it’s crucial to use and mention trustworthy sources for the evidence you provide.

Do you accept personal or descriptive essays?

We’re looking for clear, concise and compelling answers to the question above, written and formatted in an academic style. Please don’t submit personal essays or creative writing samples.

What Happens Next?

When will i hear the results.

We’ll be in touch within two weeks of your entry to let you know whether or not you’ve been shortlisted (all entrants who meet our core standards of relevance and coherence will be shortlisted).

All shortlisted entrants and their parents and teachers will be invited to our Awards Ceremony in May 2024, when the winners in each subject category will be announced.

How are essays assessed?

You can read about the criteria we use to assess your essay in the FAQ above (“What are the evaluation criteria?”).

Essays are assessed using our proprietary system which combines a mixture of technology and personal assessment. Essays which are deemed to be plagiarised or be written by AI will be rejected and our decision on this is final.

There are two stages to our assessment process:

Shorlisting Our first stage assessment reviews whether the essay is relevant and coherent. If so, your essay will be shortlisted, you will be offered a free place at an OxBright Conference and you will be invited to the Awards Ceremony.

Awards Shortlised essays are then given further assessment by our panel. This includes a review of the References. In the application form, we ask for a the name of a teacher who is familiar with your academic work. If your essay is nominated for an Award, we will ask this teacher to confirm that the essay was genuinely written by you.

What are the prizes?

Please click here for more information about the prizes and awards.

Why is the overall prize a place at Oxford Scholastica in 2025, not 2024?

Will i receive feedback.

Unfortunately, due to the volume of entries received, we are unable to provide feedback on essays.

Does everyone who enters get a free place at a Conference?

The first thousand students to who make a valid submission and are shortlisted will be invited to attend an OxBright Conference of their choice, free of charge (worth £95). Conference subjects include Business, Medicine, Law and Psychology. It is optional to attend a Conference.

Alternatively, you’ll be able to choose to apply the £95 credit toward another programme with us.

Does everyone receive a certificate?

Only students who win one of the awards receive a certificate. Certificates are issued in online format.

Do you publish the names of the award winners?

Yes, award winners will be published on our website after the Awards Ceremony.

How can I pass on some feedback about the essay competition?

LSESU Economics Society

The Essay Competition 2023

Welcome to the lsesu economics society’s essay competition 2023. we are so excited to release this year’s questions, our questions range from the impact of artificial intelligence to explaining variations in happiness. we can’t wait to read your entries, prizes range from signed certifications by nobel prize-winning economists and include £100 amazon gift cards..

Winners of August 2022 – August 2023 Essay Contest

Dear participants! Ready your cheers, as the much-anticipated moment is here.

Phrases like gifted, exceptional, inventive, and forward-thinking best capture the essence of this year’s vast pool of essay contest entrants. Our gratitude runs deep for every single submission we’ve received. The entries showcased depth, captivation, allure, and engagement, posing a true challenge for our judges in their selection. However, after thorough deliberation, we are thrilled to spotlight our three top contestants:

Paige Bouchard – awarded $1,000 Tristan Toole – awarded $800 Celia Blackthorn– awarded $600

For memory’s sake, the essay topics were:

Topic 1: How would you classify the study habits? Topic 2: Describe the effect of a teacher, parent, or friend on your life. Topic 3: What are the effects of illiteracy? Please describe.

Your dedication to this competition has been commendable, urging you to keep up the momentum.

While the top three positions are occupied, remember, in our eyes, each one of you stands out. Best wishes in all your upcoming ventures, and we eagerly await your participation in our subsequent essay contest .

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Essay Contest

JASNA conducts an annual student Essay Contest to encourage the study and appreciation of Jane Austen's works in new generations of readers.

Students world-wide are invited to compete for scholarship awards in three divisions: 

High School:  students and home-schooled students enrolled at the high school level during the contest year

College/University:  students enrolled in at least six credit hours of course work at a junior college, college, or university during the contest year

• Graduate School:  students enrolled during the contest year in at least three credit hours of graduate course work at a college or university leading to an advanced degree 

Membership in JASNA is not required to enter the contest.

2024 Contest Topic

Resolved: That Jane Austen’s novels are still relevant and speak to us after 200 years .

In the first part of the essay you should attack this claim; in the second part defend it. You will be expected to back up each position with quotations and examples from Austen’s works. High school students must cite at least one novel; undergraduate and graduate students will be expected to cite at least two. Citing Austen’s unfinished works is also permitted.

Teachers and Mentors Please help us spread the word about the Essay Contest.  Download the 2024 contest flyer  to display in your classroom and distribute to interested students.

Submissions

The deadline for submissions is Thursday,  June 1, 2024 . We will begin accepting entries online in February 2024. In the meantime, it is essential that you  visit the  Submissions  page to learn about the contest rules and eligibility requirements before entering.

Essay Contest Awards

• First Place:    $1,000 scholarship, plus free registration and two nights’ lodging for JASNA’s upcoming Annual General Meeting . (Transportation to the conference is not provided.)
• Second Place:    $500 scholarship
• Third Place:   $250 scholarship 

Winners will also receive one year of membership in JASNA, publication of their essays on this website, and a set of Norton Critical Editions of Jane Austen's novels. 

Please review the   Essay Contest FAQs . If you still have questions, please contact Meg Levin at   essay-contest@jasna.org . Use “JASNA Essay Contest” in your subject line.

Submission Guidelines ›

Learn about Essay Contest rules and formatting requirements.

Essay Contest FAQs ›

Get answers to frequently asked questions about the contest.

Winning Essays ›

Read the insightful essays that placed first, second, and third in past Essay Contests.

Support for the Essay Contest is provided by the J. David Grey Fund in honor of JASNA's co-founder.

“How often is happiness destroyed by preparation, foolish preparation!”

About jasna.

The Jane Austen Society of North America is dedicated to the enjoyment and appreciation of Jane Austen and her writing. JASNA is a nonprofit organization, staffed by volunteers, whose mission is to foster among the widest number of readers the study, appreciation, and understanding of Jane Austen’s works, her life, and her genius.  We have over 5,000 members of all ages and from diverse walks of life. Although most live in the United States or Canada, we also have members in more than a dozen other countries.

©2024 The Jane Austen Society of North America, Inc. All rights reserved.

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NSF/ASME Student Design Essay Competition

2023 challenges in the design of complex systems.

To encourage students to think about the future of engineering design and the intellectual foundations which are essential for the development of the field, NSF and ASME sponsor a student design essay competition. Winners receive $1,500 to attend the 2023 ASME Design Technical Conference (IDETC) which will be in Boston, MA, August 20-23, 2023.

The Competition – Story

You are a consultant working for a high tech, global manufacturing enterprise. That company wants to position itself to be a high‐tech global design and manufacturing enterprise in the year 2040. As a consultant, you want the company to succeed both domestically and globally so you will need to:

• Define the characteristics of a successful high‐tech global design and manufacturing company in the year 2040.
• Identify the research challenges it will face. Identify the mode of operation of the company. Determine what partnerships it will need to form.
• Identify the challenges this company has chosen to address proactively.
• Identify what technology will be necessary to support its employees in being globally competitive.
• Research issues worthy of investigation. We are interested especially in the scientific foundations for understanding the product realization process which are suitable for a global manufacturing enterprise.

Judging Criteria

Students are judged on scholarship, the depth and sophistication of their arguments, logical presentation of material, correct English usage, and relevance to problems facing the US industry, government and research communities. There are separate categories for graduate and undergraduate students.

Awards and Responsibilities

An award to cover expenses will be made to the winners of this competition up to $1500 per team. The reimbursement will take place after the conference upon the receipt of an invoice that includes receipts to substantiate expenditures. A winner must present his/her findings at a poster session at IDETC in order to receive the award. Every person given a travel grant will receive a certificate to record his/her accomplishment.

Submission Format and Dates

Any undergraduate or graduate student enrolled in a university anywhere in the world is eligible although the focus is on students enrolled in universities in the United States. Multiple authors are limited to two people. The travel grant is shared between the co‐ authors. A student may receive no more than 2 awards over the years.

Essays should be a maximum of 10 pages long.

There are separate categories for submissions by undergraduates and graduate students. The research paper may be the outcome of a course for which the student receives academic credit.

Papers Due June 1, 2023

Target Date for Notification of Winners July 1, 2023

IDETC 2023 August 20-23, 2023

Please include a cover page with: Email address, phone number and address for all authors, university affiliation including advisor's name and whether this submission is for the graduate or undergraduate category. NOTE – we will remove this page when sending the submission out for review, so this should be the only page on which your identifying information should appear.

Submit Entries to Professor Janet K. Allen, [email protected] , 404‐403‐3296.

About IDETC 2023

The 2023 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference will be held in Boston, MA from August 20-23, 2023.

We gratefully acknowledge support from NSF Award 1835957.

The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in the submissions are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

For more information see IDETCtravel.com .

Farrokh Mistree and Janet K. Allen [email protected] and [email protected] Facilitators of the NSF Design Essay Competition

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Submit now your paper for the 2023 Essay Competition “Sanremo New Voices in International Humanitarian Law”

On the occasion of the 46 th  Round Table on Current Issues of International Humanitarian Law, the International Institute of Humanitarian Law and the International Committee of the Red Cross are pleased to announce a new edition of the “ Sanremo New Voices in International Humanitarian Law ” essay competition.

The winner of the competition will be invited to present at the Round Table in Sanremo (Italy) on 14-15 September 2023 and to publish the essay in its Proceedings.

While the this year’s Sanremo Round Table will focus on “ Strengthening IHL compliance: the conduct of hostilities, the protection of essential services and humanitarian assistance in contemporary armed conflict ”, the Institute and the ICRC have the pleasure to invite all those interested to submit essays no longer than 2500 words addressing a subject related to one of the following broad topics:

• Protecting civilians including categories particularly at risk from illegal forms of instrumentalization
• Protection of essential services from direct and indirect effects of military operations during contemporary armed conflict
• Challenges in the provision of humanitarian assistance during contemporary armed conflicts
• IHL and starvation, hunger and famine in armed conflict

For more information on the call please download the the Rules and Procedures of the Competition above.

DEADLINE: 18 th August 2023 at midnight (Rome time).

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2023 Winning Essay – Luiza C

Home › Essay Competition 2024 › Essay Competition Winners › 2023 Winning Essay – Luiza C

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Luiza c, 100% scholarship winner, how did the scientific thought of eugenics develop in brazil.

Brazil’s 1934 Constitution (Article 138) determined that eugenics education should be promoted by the union, states, and cities. This exemplifies the Cultural History of Science, a study which recognizes that, when scientific ideas cross cultural boundaries, they undergo reconfigurations, creating new traditions and practices. Considering this, eugenics in Brazil can help us understand how Brazilian and Latin American science not only relates to international scientific endeavours but also asserts distinct identities. 

Eugenics movements trace their origins back to ancient Greece, where philosophers Plato and Aristotle explored methods of preserving desirable qualities among Athenians. In the 19th century, however, Darwin’s theory of evolution and Mendel’s laws of genetics influenced Francis Galton to coin ‘eugenics’ from the Greek ‘well-born’. Galton applied natural selection to humans to rationalise prejudices against marginalised groups of the time. Through the mid-20th century, countries like Sweden, Japan, the United States, and Brazil embraced his ideas.

 As the largest nation in Latin America, Brazil led the initiation of an eugenics movement in the region. The country had undergone profound changes: it abolished slavery in 1888 and established its first republic in 1889. These advances brought both opportunities and challenges as urbanisation gave rise to metropolises and their issues of poverty, dirtiness, and disease. Although modern biology was not a topic of Brazilian research, eugenics emerged with a thesis by physician Miguel Couto, who regarded Japanese immigration as a problem. Thereafter, the movement evolved among medical professors, sociologists, and politicians. 

The Brazilian elite viewed eugenics as a symbol of modernity for their developing nation. Different from Europe, they believed that by addressing the hereditary problem, they would also tackle the sanitary issues and elevate Brazil’s global standing. Their goal was a nation of white people. A vision contrary to the country’s reality of a 17 million population primarily composed of mestizos (mixed), blacks, and indigenous inhabitants. João Batista de Lacerda, the Brazilian representative in the First Universal Races Congress, proposed a solution, “whitening”. According to him, after a century of miscegenation, there would be no black people in Brazil because the “white blood” could dilute the “black blood”. Hence, the evolution of the Brazilian population was a process open to social control. 

In 1929, the Brazilian Eugenics Congress in Rio de Janeiro illustrated the popularity of eugenics among scientists in the country. Intellectuals debated eugenics’ role in immigration, education, genetics, and marriage. The participants were divided into two groups: those who advocated invasive actions and the hygienists. The first group defended involuntary sterilisations and selective immigration, whilst the second group emphasised public health, suggesting measures such as mandatory prenatal and prenuptial tests. Following the congress, eugenicists Renato Kehl and Roquette Pinto established a commission to influence national laws, thus the 1934 Constitution. 

After World War II, eugenics fell into disrepute due to its associations with the Holocaust. During this period, genetic studies proved that the concept of race is not scientifically accurate, leaving eugenicists with no credibility in the scientific community. Nonetheless, eugenic practices continued for decades and are still present in our societies. The fact that it was once considered a biology subject is a reminder that science can be biased when misapplied to justify social concerns, as seen in Brazil. Scientists will always be social, but their questions should never overpass human rights of liberty and dignity.

Constituição da República dos Estados Unidos do Brasil, Imprensa Nacional, 1934, Article 138-B

J. Pimentel, “¿Qué es la historia cultural de la ciencia?”, Arbor: Ciencia, Pensamiento y Cultura 186:743 (2010): 423, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/43530825_Que_es_la_historia_cultural_de_la_ciencia, (last accessed 25 August 2023).

The movement that inspired the Holocaust – Alexandra Minna and Natalie Lira [online video], TED-Ed, 10 March 2022, https://youtu.be/6zCpRVP1DgQ?si=-ivSuJuISZfhbfzy, (last accessed 3 August 2023).

 M. B. Adams et al., The Wellborn Science: Eugenics in Germany, France, Brazil, and Russia, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1990, p. 111-115.

L. Schwarcz, “Previsões são sempre traiçoeiras: João Baptista de Lacerda e seu Brasil branco”, História, Ciências, Saúde – Manguinhos 18:1 (2011): 226, https://www.scielo.br/j/hcsm/a/wRVg8H99n65JLwhF9BMbHpF/?format=pdf&lang=pt, (last accessed 17 August 2023).

 L. Tamano, “O primeiro Congresso Brasileiro de Eugenia (1929): as discussões em torno da eugenia no Brasil”, Tempo 28:3 (2022): 46, https://www.scielo.br/j/tem/a/DcvvfyG5x3B8wwJpgfm38jd/?format=pdf&lang=pt, (last accessed 9 August 2023).

 P. K. Wilson, “Eugenics”, Encyclopædia Britannica [website], 2023, https://www.britannica.com/science/eugenics-genetics, (last accessed 30 August 2023).

Adams, M. B. et al., The Wellborn Science: Eugenics in Germany, France, Brazil, and Russia, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1990. Cotrim, A., A eugenia em Miguel Couto, Undergraduate Thesis, Rio de Janeiro, Fundação Getúlio Vargas, 2012, https://www.academia.edu/44396365/A_Eugenia_em_Miguel_Couto, (last accessed 10 August 2023).

Galton, D. J., “Greek theories on eugenics”, Journal of Medical Ethics 24:4 (1998): 263-267, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1377679/, (last accessed 8 August 2023). 

Pimentel, J., “¿Qué es la historia cultural de la ciencia?”, Arbor: Ciencia, Pensamiento y Cultura 186:743 (2010): 417-424, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/43530825_Que_es_la_historia_cultural_de_la_ciencia, (last accessed 25 August 2023). 

Schwarcz, L., “Previsões são sempre traiçoeiras: João Baptista de Lacerda e seu Brasil branco”, História, Ciências, Saúde – Manguinhos, 18:1 (2011): 225-242, https://www.scielo.br/j/hcsm/a/wRVg8H99n65JLwhF9BMbHpF/?format=pdf&lang=pt, (last accessed 17 August 2023). 

Senkevics, A., “A cor e a raça nos censos demográficos nacionais”, UFJF [website], 2015, https://www.ufjf.br/ladem/2015/11/20/a-cor-e-a-raca-nos-censos-demograficos-nacionais-por-adrianosenkevics/, (last accesed 17 August 2023). 

Tamano, L., “O primeiro Congresso Brasileiro de Eugenia (1929): as discussões em torno da eugenia no Brasil”, Tempo 28:3 (2022): 31-55, https://www.scielo.br/j/tem/a/DcvvfyG5x3B8wwJpgfm38jd/?format=pdf&lang=pt, (last accessed 9 August 2023). 

Wilson, P. K., “Eugenics”, Encyclopædia Britannica [website], 2023, https://www.britannica.com/science/eugenics-genetics, (last accessed 30 August 2023). 

Constituição da República dos Estados Unidos do Brasil, Imprensa Nacional, 1934, Article 138-B. The movement that inspired the Holocaust – Alexandra Minna and Natalie Lira [online video], TED-Ed, 10 March 2022, https://youtu.be/6zCpRVP1DgQ?si=-ivSuJuISZfhbfzy, (last accessed 3 August 2023)

Why Apply To The Immerse Education Essay Competition? 

Are you a highly motivated student aged 13-18? Have you ever wanted to experience studying in Cambridge or Oxford? 

The Immerse Education essay competition allows you the chance to submit an essay for the chance to be awarded a scholarship to the award-winning Cambridge summer school . 

How To Apply To The Immerse Education Essay Competition? 

The Immerse Education annual essay competition is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to win a scholarship to a Cambridge or Oxford summer school . 

If you’re aged 13-18 and you’re interested in applying to the Immerse Education essay competition then please visit our essay competition page for more details.

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Federal Trade Commission sues to block Tapestry's $8.5B acquisition of Capri

N EW YORK (AP) — The Federal Trade Commission sued to block Tapestry, Inc.’s $8.5 billion acquisition of Capri Holdings Ltd., saying that the deal would eliminate direct head-to-head competition between the fashion companies' brands like Coach and Michael Kors in the so-called affordable luxury handbag arena.

The agency also said Monday that the deal, a nnounced in August 2023 , threatens to eliminate the incentive for the two companies to vie for employees and could depress employees’ wages and workplace benefits. The combined Tapestry and Capri would employ roughly 33,000 people worldwide, the agency said.

“With the goal to become a serial acquirer, Tapestry seeks to acquire Capri to further entrench its stronghold in the fashion industry,” said Henry Liu, director of the FTC’s bureau of competition in a statement.

The move is the latest by the FTC to take a more aggressive position on antitrust issues.

In February, the FTC sued to block the $24.6 billion merger between grocery giants Kroger and Albertson's, saying the lack of competition would lead to higher grocery prices and lower wages for workers. The supermarket chains said Monday they will sell more of their stores in an effort to quell the federal government’s concerns.

Kroger and Albertsons announced their planned merger in October 2022. The companies said it’s necessary so they can better compete with Walmart, Amazon and other big rivals.

Tapestry's and Capri's portfolio of brands cover a wide array of items from clothing to eyewear to shoes. Tapestry has been on an acquisition binge for the past several years, and already owns Kate Spade New York, Stuart Weitzman and Coach. Capri owns the Versace, Michael Kors and Jimmy Choo brands.

Specifically, Tapestry’s Coach and Kate Spade brands and Capri’s Michael Kors brand are close rivals in the handbag market. The FTC said that they continuously monitor each other’s handbag brands to determine pricing and performance, and they each use that information to make strategic decisions, including whether to raise or reduce handbag prices.

Once completed, the new entity would be the fourth largest luxury company in the world, with a combined market share of around 5.1% of the luxury goods market, according to research firm GlobalData PLC. In the Americas, the company will become the second largest luxury player behind LVMH, with a combined share of 6% of the luxury goods market, GlobalData said.

Both Capri and Tapestry said they strongly disagreed with the FTC’s decision.

“The market realities, which the government’s challenge ignores, overwhelmingly demonstrate that this transaction will not limit, reduce, or constrain competition, ” Capri said in a statement on its website. “Tapestry and Capri operate in the fiercely competitive and highly fragmented global luxury industry. Consumers have hundreds of handbag choices at every price point across all channels, and barriers to entry are low. ”

Capri said it intends to “vigorously defend this case in court alongside Tapestry and complete the pending acquisition.” It said the U.S. FTC is the only regulator that hasn't approved the transaction.

Tapestry said that “there is no question that this is a pro-competitive, pro-consumer deal and that the FTC fundamentally misunderstands both the marketplace and the way in which consumers shop. ”

“Tapestry and Capri operate in an intensely competitive and highly fragmented industry alongside hundreds of rival brands, including both established players and new entrants.” Tapestry said in a statement.

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Biden Administration Releases Revised Title IX Rules

The new regulations extended legal protections to L.G.B.T.Q. students and rolled back several policies set under the Trump administration.

By Zach Montague and Erica L. Green

Reporting from Washington

The Biden administration issued new rules on Friday cementing protections for L.G.B.T.Q. students under federal law and reversing a number of Trump-era policies that dictated how schools should respond to cases of alleged sexual misconduct in K-12 schools and college campuses.

The new rules, which take effect on Aug. 1, effectively broadened the scope of Title IX, the 1972 law prohibiting sex discrimination in educational programs that receive federal funding. They extend the law’s reach to prohibit discrimination and harassment based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and widen the range of sexual harassment complaints that schools will be responsible for investigating.

“These regulations make it crystal clear that everyone can access schools that are safe, welcoming and that respect their rights,” Miguel A. Cardona, the education secretary, said in a call with reporters.

The rules deliver on a key campaign promise for Mr. Biden, who declared he would put a “quick end” to the Trump-era Title IX rules and faced mounting pressure from Democrats and civil rights leaders to do so.

The release of the updated rules, after two delays, came as Mr. Biden is in the thick of his re-election bid and is trying to galvanize key electoral constituencies.

Through the new regulations, the administration moved to include students in its interpretation of Bostock v. Clayton County, the landmark 2020 Supreme Court case in which the court ruled that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects gay and transgender workers from workplace discrimination. The Trump administration held that transgender students were not protected under federal laws, including after the Bostock ruling .

In a statement, Betsy DeVos, who served as Mr. Trump’s education secretary, criticized what she called a “radical rewrite” of the law, asserting that it was an “endeavor born entirely of progressive politics, not sound policy.”

Ms. DeVos said the inclusion of transgender students in the law gutted decades of protections and opportunities for women. She added that the Biden administration also “seeks to U-turn to the bad old days where sexual misconduct was sent to campus kangaroo courts, not resolved in a way that actually sought justice.”

While the regulations released on Friday contained considerably stronger protections for L.G.B.T.Q. students, the administration steered clear of the lightning-rod issue of whether transgender students should be able to play on school sports teams corresponding to their gender identity.

The administration stressed that while, writ large, exclusion based on gender identity violated Title IX, the new regulations did not extend to single-sex living facilities or sports teams. The Education Department is pursuing a second rule dealing with sex-related eligibility for male and female sports teams. The rule-making process has drawn more than 150,000 comments.

Under the revisions announced on Friday, instances where transgender students are subjected to a “hostile environment” through bullying or harassment, or face unequal treatment and exclusion in programs or facilities based on their gender identity, could trigger an investigation by the department’s Office for Civil Rights.

Instances where students are repeatedly referred to by a name or pronoun other than one they have chosen could also be considered harassment on a case-by-case basis.

“This is a bold and important statement that transgender and nonbinary students belong, in their schools and in their communities,” said Olivia Hunt, the policy director for the National Center for Transgender Equality.

The regulations appeared certain to draw to legal challenges from conservative groups.

May Mailman, the director of the Independent Women’s Law Center, said in a statement that the group planned to sue the administration. She said it was clear that the statute barring discrimination on the basis of “sex” means “binary and biological.”

“The unlawful omnibus regulation reimagines Title IX to permit the invasion of women’s spaces and the reduction of women’s rights in the name of elevating protections for ‘gender identity,’ which is contrary to the text and purpose of Title IX,” she said.

The existing rules, which took effect under Mr. Trump in 2020, were the first time that sexual assault provisions were codified under Title IX. They bolstered due process rights of accused students, relieved schools of some legal liabilities and laid out rigid parameters for how schools should conduct impartial investigations.

They were a sharp departure from the Obama administration’s interpretation of the law, which came in the form of unenforceable guidance documents directing schools to ramp up investigations into sexual assault complaints under the threat of losing federal funding. Scores of students who had been accused of sexual assault went on to win court cases against their colleges for violating their due process rights under the guidelines.

The Biden administration’s rules struck a balance between the Obama and Trump administration’s goals. Taken together, the regulation largely provides more flexibility for how schools conduct investigations, which advocates and schools have long lobbied for.

Catherine E. Lhamon, the head of the department’s Office for Civil Rights who also held the job under President Barack Obama, called the new rules the “most comprehensive coverage under Title IX since the regulations were first promulgated in 1975.”

They replaced a narrower definition of sex-based harassment adopted under the Trump administration with one that would include a wider range of conduct. And they reversed a requirement that schools investigate only incidents alleged to have occurred on their campuses or in their programs.

Still, some key provisions in the Trump-era rules were preserved, including one allowing informal resolutions and another prohibiting penalties against students until after an investigation.

Among the most anticipated changes was the undoing of a provision that required in-person, or so-called live hearings, in which students accused of sexual misconduct, or their lawyers, could confront and question accusers in a courtroom-like setting.

The new rules allow in-person hearings, but do not mandate them. They also require a process through which a decision maker could assess a party or witness’s credibility, including posing questions from the opposing party.

“The new regulations put an end to unfair and traumatic grievance procedures that favor harassers,” Kel O’Hara, a senior attorney at Equal Rights Advocates. “No longer will student survivors be subjected to processes that prioritize the interests of their perpetrators over their own well being and safety.”

The new rules also allow room for schools to use a “preponderance of evidence” standard, a lower burden of proof than the DeVos-era rules encouraged, through which administrators need only to determine whether it was more likely than not that sexual misconduct had occurred.

The renewed push for that standard drew criticism from legal groups who said the rule stripped away hard-won protections against flawed findings.

“When you are dealing with accusations of really one of the most heinous crimes that a person can commit — sexual assault — it’s not enough to say, ‘50 percent and a feather,’ before you brand someone guilty of this repulsive crime,” said Will Creeley, the legal director of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.

The changes concluded a three-year process in which the department received 240,000 public comments. The rules also strengthen protections for pregnant students, requiring accommodations such as a bigger desk or ensuring access to elevators and prohibiting exclusion from activities based on additional needs.

Title IX was designed to end discrimination based on sex in educational programs or activities at all institutions receiving federal financial assistance, beginning with sports programs and other spaces previously dominated by male students.

The effects of the original law have been pronounced. Far beyond the impact on school programs like sports teams, many educators credit Title IX with setting the stage for academic parity today. Female college students routinely outnumber male students on campus and have become more likely than men of the same age to graduate with a four-year degree.

But since its inception, Title IX has also become a powerful vehicle through which past administrations have sought to steer schools to respond to the dynamic and diverse nature of schools and universities.

While civil rights groups were disappointed that some ambiguity remains for the L.G.B.T.Q. students and their families, the new rules were widely praised for taking a stand at a time when education debates are reminiscent to the backlash after the Supreme Court ordered schools to integrate.

More than 20 states have passed laws that broadly prohibit anyone assigned male at birth from playing on girls’ and women’s sports teams or participating in scholastic athletic programs, while 10 states have laws barring transgender people from using bathrooms based on their gender identity.

“Some adults are showing up and saying, ‘I’m going to make school harder for children,” said Liz King, senior program director of the education equity program at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. “It’s an incredibly important rule, at an incredibly important moment.”

Schools will have to cram over the summer to implement the rules, which will require a retraining staff and overhauling procedures they implemented only four years ago.

Ted Mitchell, the president of the American Council on Education, which represents more than 1,700 colleges and universities, said in a statement that while the group welcomed the changes in the new rule, the timeline “disregards the difficulties inherent in making these changes on our nation’s campuses in such a short period of time.”

“After years of constant churn in Title IX guidance and regulations,” Mr. Mitchell said, “we hope for the sake of students and institutions that there will be more stability and consistency in the requirements going forward.”

Zach Montague is based in Washington. He covers breaking news and developments around the district. More about Zach Montague

Erica L. Green is a White House correspondent, covering President Biden and his administration. More about Erica L. Green