essay writing competition examples

Will you join us in lighting the way for tomorrow's leaders?

Past winning essays, 2024 winning essay by ruby mcintee, 2023 winning essay by jeremy haynes, 2022 winning essay by theodora mcgee, 2021 winning essay by anna dougherty, 2020 winning essay by noah durham, 2019 winning essay by elazar cramer, 2018 winning essay by jeffrey seaman, 2017 winning essay by daud shad, 2016 winning essay by zhen tu, 2015 winning essay by matthew waltman, 2014 winning essay by ben wolman, 2013 winning essay by jamie baer, 2012 winning essay by patrick reilly, 2011 winning essay by kevin kay, 2010 winning essay by michael reed, 2009 winning essay by margo balboni, 2008 winning essay by laura schapiro, 2007 winning essay by maia gottlieb, 2006 winning essay by ben loffredo, 2005 winning essay by allie comet, 2005 winning essay by kevin zhou, 2004 winning essay by avram sand, 2004 winning essay by will schmidley, 2003 winning essay by michael sloyer, 2002 winning essay by emily ullman, 2001 winning essay by tyler boersen, 2001 winning essay by stephanie dziczek, 2000 winning essay by peter buttigieg.

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.

MEET THE WINNERS

We were thrilled to receive a record-breaking level of entries to the 2024 competition with 34,939 entries from all Commonwealth regions. Our winners this year are from Malaysia, Singapore, and Uganda. Find out more about them below and read their winning pieces!

ABOUT THE 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. Find out more.

140 YEARS OF THE QCEC

In 2023, The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition celebrated 140 years. To celebrate we released a commemorative publication with Bloomsbury publishing, The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition: 140 Years of Excellence,

NEWS AND STORIES

Her Majesty The Queen hosts a reception for winners of The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition 2024

Empowering Young Voices: Reflections from Write Around the World Workshop in Maun, Botswana

Meet the winners of The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition 2024!

What a time to be a QCEC Judge!

Empower youth through literacy and entrepreneurship in rural communities of Rwanda with the Rwanda Opportunities Organization (RwandOpp)

Launch of The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2024 – ‘Our Common Wealth’

QCEC Winners' Week 2023

QCEC 2022 Junior Winner Madeleine Wood reflects on her winning entry

Hiya Chowdhury looks back on how the competition has changed her life

Meet the winners of The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition 2023

QCEC 2021 Junior Runner-up from India shares her experience of Winners Week and receiving her award

QCEC 2021 Junior Winner Aditi Nair shares her experience of Winners Week

Amaal Fawzi, Senior runner-up of the QCEC 2022, shares her experience of entering the competition

'Woven Legacy': A poem to mark the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla

Sawooly Li, Senior Winner of the QCEC 2022 shares her experience of entering the competition

Meet The Winners Of The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition 2022

Celebrating Commonwealth writing with HRH The Duchess of Cornwall

Winners Of The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition 2021

The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition 2020

The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition 2019

Looking to publish? Meet your dream editor, designer and marketer on Reedsy.

Find the perfect editor for your next book

1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy. Come meet them.

Best Writing Contests in 2024

Showing 428 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

National Poetry Competition 2024

The Poetry Society

Genres: Poetry

The competition, run by The Poetry Society since 1978, is one of the world’s most prestigious prizes for a single unpublished poem. Judged by Stephen Sexton, Romalyn Ante, John McAuliffe. Open to all poets worldwide aged 18+.

Runners-up receive £2,000 and £1,000. Commended entries receive £500

💰 Entry fee: $8

📅 Deadline: October 31, 2024 (Expired)

Black Orchid Novella Award

Wolfe Pack & Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine

Genres: Crime, Mystery, and Novella

Novellas are an important part of Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe's opus. To celebrate this format, the Wolfe Pack and Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine have partnered to sponsor the Black Orchid Novella Award. Each entry must be an original, unpublished work of fiction that conforms to the literary tradition of the Nero Wolfe series.

Publication in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine

📅 Deadline: May 31, 2024 (Expired)

Craft your masterpiece in Reedsy Studio

Plan, write, edit, and format your book in our free app made for authors.

Learn more about Reedsy Studio .

Historical Fiction Challenge

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

For this short story challenge, all participants will be randomly assigned a period in history. As soon as you receive your assignment, you'll have until the closing time to research, write, and submit a short story of no more than 4,000 words, set during this historical period.

💰 Entry fee: $17

📅 Deadline: October 28, 2022 (Expired)

James Jones First Novel Fellowship

Wilkes University

Genres: Fiction and Novel

A prize of $10,000 is given annually for a novel-in-progress by a U.S. writer who has not published a novel. Runners-up will receive $1000. A selection from the winning work is published in Provincetown Arts.

💰 Entry fee: $33

📅 Deadline: March 15, 2024 (Expired)

Western Writing Contest

FanStory.com Inc.

Share your Western story for this writing contest. Share your story that has a clear western theme. Your old west story can earn you a cash prize.

Winning stories will be features on the FanStory.com welcome page.

💰 Entry fee: $10

📅 Deadline: December 21, 2024

TWFest One-Act Play Contest

Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival

Genres: Script Writing

The TWFest One-Act Play Contest is aimed at emerging or previously unpublished playwrights, encouraging original work not previously published or performed. It promotes new voices in playwriting while providing opportunities for recognition and publication.

Professional Staged Reading at the next Festival, VIP Festival pass ($600 value), Publication in Bayou Magazine, Photo and bio on their website for ~1 year, Interview in their newsletter. Top finalists receive a LitPass ($100 value) to the Festival.

💰 Entry fee: $25

📅 Deadline: October 01, 2024 (Expired)

SFPA Poetry Contest

Science Fiction Poetry Association

The SFPA Poetry Contest promotes speculative poetry, rewarding quality works while raising funds for the organization. The contest includes categories for poems of varying lengths—Dwarf (1-10 lines), Short (11-49 lines), and Long (50+ lines). 2024's judge is Stephanie M. Wytovich.

Second: $75 Third: $25 Winners are published on the SFPA website.

💰 Entry fee: $3

📅 Deadline: August 31, 2024 (Expired)

Annual Short Story Contest

We are looking for stories (of any genre) ranging between 1,000 and 3,000 words, with strong characters, a well-crafted plot and realistic dialogue (where used). Make us laugh, make us cry, but most of all, make us feel!

£200 for 2nd place, £100 for 3rd place

📅 Deadline: February 29, 2024 (Expired)

Solas Awards

Travelers' Tales, a division of Solas House, Inc.

Genres: Essay, Non-fiction, and Travel

The Solas Awards honor excellence in travel writing, with cash prizes and publication opportunities. Entries must be original, true stories with specific word count guidelines. The contest runs annually, with winners announced on March 1 each year.

Silver: $750 Bronze: $500 Certificates of merit for Gold, Silver, and Bronze winners in other categories; $100 honorarium for publication in books.

💰 Entry fee: $35

📅 Deadline: September 21, 2024 (Expired)

Ironclad Creative Short Story Competition

Ironclad Creative CIC

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

The Ironclad Creative Short Story Competition is held quarterly, encouraging original short stories based on a provided prompt. The latest competition had a theme of '7.12am' and featured multiple prize-winning entries. The organization aims to support writers, especially those with low incomes and neurodivergent backgrounds.

2nd: £50 3rd & 4th: £25 10 short-listed entries ge4t publication

📅 Deadline: April 30, 2024 (Expired)

The Carolyn Readers' Choice Awards

North Texas Romance Writers

Genres: Romance

The Carolyn Readers Choice Award contest is open to all authors of traditional, e-published, and self-published books. Romances featuring characters of all races, creeds, ethnicities, genders, and sexualities or with disabilities or containing spiritual/religious elements are welcome to enter. Please enter the category that best suits your entry over all.

Digital medallion for runners up

📅 Deadline: March 01, 2024 (Expired)

Surrey International Writers ' Conference Writing Contest

Surrey International Writers' Conference Society

Genres: Short Story

The contest invites short stories in any genre, with a word count of 2,500 to 4,000 words. First prize is $1,000 and publication in Pulp Literature, while Honourable Mentions receive $150 and potential publication.

Winner gets publication in Pulp Literature, subject to editorial review. Honourable Mention: $150

💰 Entry fee: $15

📅 Deadline: September 15, 2024 (Expired)

The Masters Review Novel Excerpt Contest

The Masters Review

The Masters Review hosts an annual Novel Excerpt Contest seeking self-contained excerpts up to 6,000 words. The contest emphasizes strong narrative voice and character development, primarily in literary fiction. The winner receives a cash prize, online publication, and a consultation with a literary agent.

2nd: $300 | 3rd: $200 Online publication and an hour-long consultation with a literary agent.

💰 Entry fee: $20

📅 Deadline: October 27, 2024 (Expired)

True Story Contest

Genres: Non-fiction and Short Story

Share a true story about your life. Write about any event that happened in your life that you would like to share. Cash prize to the winner.

📅 Deadline: December 15, 2024

One Line Poem Contest

Share a one line poem to enter this poetry contest. Cash prize to the winner. How creative can you get with one line to work with.

📅 Deadline: August 24, 2024 (Expired)

HOLT Medallion Contest

Virginia Romance Writers

Genres: Fiction and Romance

The Virginia Romance Writers Chapter of the Romance Writers of America® is pleased to announce the 27th Annual HOLT Medallion competition for the best romantic fiction. Entries must be a single work of romance fiction, with an original copyright date (not a release date) of January-December 2021 regardless of format (e-book or print).

Certificate and a pewter HOLT medallion

💰 Entry fee: $30

📅 Deadline: January 15, 2024 (Expired)

Black Voices in Children's Literature

Free Spirit Publishing

Genres: Children's

The Black Voices in Children’s Literature Writing Contest aims to celebrate and elevate black voices in children's literature. It encourages submissions that reflect diverse perspectives and experiences.

📅 Deadline: July 22, 2024 (Expired)

Global Experience Travel Writing Contest

Genres: Travel

Have you been marked by travel? If so, tell us how. Engaging with the genre of creative nonfiction, seize upon memorable incidents from your travel history — study abroad, domestic travels, even your discovery of Northfield. Entertain us. Make us laugh. Move us. Help us travel with you.

📅 Deadline: April 07, 2024 (Expired)

Celebration Day Writing Contest

The Celebration Day Competition gets children to connect with the oldest person they know and interview them about the person who inspired them most growing up. They will retell the story in a creative way to win their work being read out on camera by a star-studded collection of celebrity guests, an iPad, and a £100 Amazon voucher. You must be aged between five and 18 to enter the competition, or be a teacher, and can live anywhere in the world.

£100 Amazon Voucher

Celebrities reading out winning entries, publication on website.

📅 Deadline: June 21, 2022 (Expired)

Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest

Ayn Rand Institute

Genres: Essay

The Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest is open to all high school, college, and graduate students worldwide. Participants write essays based on prompts related to Ayn Rand's novel _Atlas Shrugged_. The contest has seasonal entry rounds with unique prompts, and essays must be between 800 and 1,600 words. The winning essays demonstrate a strong grasp of the book's themes.

Annual Grand Prize of $25,000 Seasonal prize winners: 1st place: $3000 2nd place: $2000 3rd place: $1000

📅 Deadline: June 14, 2024 (Expired)

Annual Contest Submissions

So To Speak

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Flash Fiction, LGBTQ, Non-fiction, and Poetry

So to Speak is a feminist literary journal seeking diverse voices, focusing on intersectional feminism. They publish twice a year, accepting submissions of fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and visual art, with a particular emphasis on marginalized perspectives.

All accepted contributions will receive a $100 prize.

💰 Entry fee: $4

📅 Deadline: November 15, 2024 (Expired)

First Chapter + Synopsis Competition

Fiction Factory

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Novel, Romance, Science Fiction, and Young Adult

Have you completed the first draft of your novel? Are you ready to pass it on to a fresh pair of eyes, to see if you are on the right track? Is your all-important first chapter ready for submission to an agent? Whatever your plans, your first chapter must shine – it must grab your readers or quickly lose their interest.

£500 + an appraisal

💰 Entry fee: $22

The Montreal International Poetry Prize

Department of English at McGill University

The Montreal International Poetry Prize promotes original poetry, encouraging a global readership and exploring diverse English forms. The contest rewards a single poem, up to 40 lines, with the aim of building an anthology showcasing shortlisted works.

Shortlist published in The Montreal Poetry Prize Anthology

📅 Deadline: May 15, 2024 (Expired)

John Steinbeck Award for Fiction

Reed Magazine

Genres: Fiction

The John Steinbeck Award for Fiction recognizes exceptional works of fiction. Aesthetically, they are open to most styles and approaches, including experimental and literary. All works should be stand-alone short stories, not chapters of a longer work.

Entry includes a free copy of the latest edition of Reed.

📅 Deadline: November 01, 2024 (Expired)

Dream Quest One Poetry Contest

Andre L. West

The Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest aims to inspire and encourage poets and writers worldwide, showcasing their creativity. The contest is open to all, allowing multiple entries in both poetry and writing categories.

Winners may have their works published on the Dare to Dream pages.

📅 Deadline: September 30, 2024 (Expired)

Folly Short Story Prize 2024

Folly Journal

Genres: Fiction, Humor, and Short Story

The Folly Short Story Prize encourages entertaining, comedic, and well-crafted stories, aiming to engage readers with original works. The winner receives a cash prize and publication in Folly Journal.

Runner-up: $500 NZD Winner published in Issue 2 of Folly

💰 Entry fee: $6

SFWP Literary Awards

Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, Novel, and Novella

We are seeking fiction and creative nonfiction of every genre. The contest is open to authors who have not been published by a major press. We publish in English, but the contest is open to writers from anywhere in the world. The early-bird entry fee (December 15th-February 15th) will be $25.

Two runner ups will be selected, each receiving $700.

📅 Deadline: July 15, 2022 (Expired)

The Plough Prize

The Plough Arts Centre

The Plough Prize is an international poetry competition open for poems in English, limited to 40 lines on any subject. The contest emphasizes anonymity in judging, with a focus on quality.

2nd place: £500 3rd place: £250 Highly Commended poems may be recognized.

📅 Deadline: March 31, 2024 (Expired)

Inspiring Fiction's Crime and Speculative Fiction Contest

Inspiring Fiction

Genres: Fiction, Short Story, Crime, Mystery, Science Fiction, and Thriller

Inspiring Fiction’s first crime and speculative fiction short story contest is on the theme ‘Secrets’. The winner and shortlisted entries will be published in the fourth issue of Tangled Web Magazine.

Publication

📅 Deadline: July 31, 2023 (Expired)

The Letter Review Prize for Books

The Letter Review

Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Short Story, and Flash Fiction

The contest is open quarterly, allowing submissions in categories including Short Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Unpublished Books. Winners receive a cash prize and publication.

$1000 USD shared by 3 winners

Publication in Letter Review and consideration for the Pushcart Prize.

Anthology Short Story Competition 2024

Anthology Magazine

The Anthology Short Story Competition aims to recognize and encourage creative writing by providing a platform for publication. It is open to original and previously unpublished short stories in English, with no restrictions on theme or style. Stories should not exceed 1,500 words.

Second place: €250 Third place: €150 Winning story published in Anthology magazine.

📅 Deadline: September 05, 2024 (Expired)

The Loraine Williams Poetry Prize

The Georgia Review

The Loraine Williams Poetry Prize is an award for a single poem, to be published in The Georgia Review. The winner will receive an honorarium of $1,500 and an expenses-paid trip to Athens, Georgia, to give a public reading with the judge. We are pleased to announce that Hanif Abdurraqib will serve as the final judge for the 2023 Loraine Williams Poetry Prize.

Expenses-paid trip to Athens, Georgia

Rhyming Poetry Contest

Write a poem of any type that has a rhyme scheme.

📅 Deadline: August 12, 2024 (Expired)

Fairytales & Myths Competition 2024

Write the World

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, and Flash Fiction

The competition invites young writers aged 13-19 to explore themes of fairytales and myths, honing their creativity and writing skills in a structured environment.

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

📅 Deadline: March 04, 2024 (Expired)

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" ( Click here )
"The Non-Sexy Business of Writing Non-Fiction" ( Click here )
"How to Write a Novel" ( Click here )
"Understanding Point of View" ( Click here )
"Developing Characters That Your Readers Will Love" ( Click here )
"Writing Dialogue That Develops Plot and Character" ( Click here )
"Stop Procrastinating! Build a Solid Writing Routine" ( Click here )

On Editing:

"Story Editing for Authors" ( Click here )
"How to Self-Edit Your Manuscript Like a Pro" ( Click here )
"Novel Revision: Practical Tips for Rewrites" ( Click here )
"How to Write a Novel: Steps From a Bestselling Writer" ( Click here )
"How to Write a Short Story in 9 Simple Steps" ( Click here )
"100 Literary Devices With Examples: The Ultimate List" ( Click here )
"20 Writing Tips to Improve Your Craft" ( Click here )
"How to Write Fabulous Dialogue [9 Tips + Examples]" ( Click here )
"8 Character Development Exercises to Write 3D Characters" ( Click here )

Bonus resources

200+ Short Story Ideas ( Click here )
600+ Writing Prompts to Inspire You ( Click here )
100+ Creative Writing Exercises for Fiction Authors ( Click here )
Story Title Generator ( Click here )
Pen Name Generator ( Click here )
Character Name Generator ( Click here )

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.

Join a community of over 1 million authors

Reedsy is more than just a blog. Become a member today to discover how we can help you publish a beautiful book.