Every generation needs voices to tell its stories and imagine its next chapters, and that’s exactly what the Creative Writing Awards by Penguin Random House has sought to foster. A scholarship program operating for over a quarter of a century, these Awards have bestowed millions of dollars to public high school students for their writing work across a range of forms, including poetry, memoir/personal essay, fiction/drama, and spoken-word compositions.
This year, Penguin Random House and their partner We Need Diverse Books will again award five (5) U.S. high school seniors up to $10,000 in scholarship money through the Creative Writing Awards. The chosen recipients will join the esteemed ranks of previous winners, many of whom went on to forge careers as professional and award-winning authors.
If you are a high school-level creative writer with a piece that you feel must be heard, the Creative Writing Awards program offers your work the opportunity to achieve the recognition and audience it deserves!
Creative Writing Awards Details
- Targeted Group: Current high school seniors enrolled in a public school in the U.S. and graduating in Spring 2022
- Degree Type: Scholarship money may be applied to any accredited two-year or four-year college, university, or approved vocational-technical school starting in Fall 2022
- GPA Requirement: N/A
- Study Requirement: N/A
- Award Amounts:
- $10,000 to one winner in each of the following categories: Spoken-Word, Poetry, Fiction/Drama, Personal Essay/Memoir
- $10,000 to top entrant from NYC area
- A “Creativity Kit” to fifty Honorable Mention recipients
- Other Requirements:
- Submission requirements for writing samples may be found here: https://learnmore.scholarsapply.org/penguinrandomhouse/ONLY THE FIRST 1000 applicants are eligible for consideration.
More About the Creative Writing Awards
As part of its mission to empower and amplify a diversity of young writers, the Creative Writing Awards ensures equal consideration for all applicants regardless of race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, gender, disability, or national origin. Every submission is reviewed through a multi-level selection process with judges from both Penguin Random House and We Need Diverse Books.
Last year, 900 students across 700 high schools and 48 U.S. states/territories entered the competition. The winners from this class, along with those from previous years, have been invited to participate in a professional-development day at Penguin Random House to meet publishing executives and receive mentorship from professional editors!
Wondering How to Find More Scholarship Opportunities?
For students, the scholarship process can often feel overwhelming – from finding opportunities to keeping track of deadlines to applying. That’s why Scholar’s App was made. It’s an all-in-one, free-to-use scholarship application management service that helps you find and win scholarships like this one!
If you are a counselor, Scholar’s App can also help you to connect your students with scholarship opportunities instantly!
And finally, Scholar’s App allows scholarship donors and administrators to take their scholarships to the next level. List your opportunity, collect completed applications, collaborate with your review committee, send award notifications, and most importantly, connect with qualified candidates! Create a free account to start improving the applicant submissions you receive now!