AWL Annual Writing Competition

Competition Rules

At American Writing League, we support aspiring writers through tips, resources, and an annual writing competition exclusively for unpublished young student writers residing in the United States.

The American Writing League (AWL) sponsors the annual Essay Writing Competition, open to all students who are enrolled and in good academic standing at an accredited middle school, high school, or college in the United States during the academic year in which the article is submitted. The submissions that are judged first, second, and third best, provided that they are of publishable quality and meet the standards of the competition, may, at the discretion of the editors, be published in the online version of a sponsoring publication.

Additional awards may be awarded at the discretion of the American Writing League, and the American Writing League reserves the right to award some, all, or no prizes, depending on its determination of quality of submissions. Entries that do not qualify for awards may also be considered for publication in future issues of our sponsoring publications.

To enter, the student should submit an application and an original piece of writing in Word format via the form on the American Writing League website. The student should include a brief biography, including current school, state of residence, grade, and expected year of graduation.

Essays submitted will be judged on the following criteria:

• Relevance to the category for which the essay is submitted

• Timeliness of the topic or theme

• Originality

• Quality and style of writing

• Clarity and conciseness

Applications and manuscripts must be submitted by 8:00 pm ET on September 1. All submissions remain the property of the writer, but by submitting a manuscript, the student is deemed to consent to its publication, whether or not a prize is awarded. Students will be required to submit a $25 entry fee. Students who are unable to pay the entry fee should apply for a fee waiver at the time of submission. The AWL strives to ensure that all students may participate in the competition regardless of financial status.

Plagiarism and AI- or computer-generated content will also result in disqualification. Entries written in a language other than English and entries that contain inappropriate content will be disqualified. Inappropriate content, as determined by the judges, includes but is not limited to the use of profane, vulgar, derogatory or offensive words.

Students may submit entries for up to three categories but may only submit one entry per category.

The decisions of the judges are entirely their own, and are final and binding.

Winners will be announced on or after November 1 on the AWL website.

This Contest is void where prohibited by law.

Young writers need to be encouraged to write - just write - with no restrictions on form, style or content.

Kelley Armstrong

"

Contact Us

Reach out for tips, resources, or competition inquiries today!