Write the World Competitions: A Practical Guide

Write the World Competitions: A Practical Guide

This guide was checked on 2026-08-25.

Editorial overview

A strong competition choice should match the way a student likes to think and create, not simply the outcome. The most useful question is whether the task offers a worthwhile stretch: enough structure to make development visible, enough freedom for individual judgment, and a realistic preparation load alongside school and other commitments.

This guide focuses on the actual work behind the entry, the decisions that matter during preparation, and the evidence students can keep afterward. Families can use it to compare the opportunity with a student’s interests, available time, preferred feedback style, and willingness to revise a substantial piece of work.

Quick Facts

For current dates, eligibility and registration details, see the Write the World Competitions competition page.

Review Evaluation

Rated Intermediate. The main challenge is shaping an original response to a focused brief, using feedback selectively, and completing a polished revision within the monthly window.

What the entry involves

Each competition begins with a genre-specific brief. A useful first move is to identify the required form, intended audience, recommended length, and emotional or argumentative centre of the prompt. Drafting should then separate idea generation from line-level polishing. Writers benefit from producing enough material to discover the real subject of the piece before compressing it into a deliberate structure.

Individual online entry through a free Write the World account. The platform allows revision before judging, so feedback is most valuable when the writer can still make meaningful structural changes rather than only correcting punctuation.

Timing and feedback

Each monthly prompt follows its own timetable. Work backward from the published closing point: reserve early time for interpreting the brief, a middle period for drafting and feedback, and a last period for revision and a clean read aloud.

Peer comments and limited reviewer feedback can offer useful signals, but the writer still needs to decide which suggestions strengthen the intended piece. The submitted version should be coherent in its own voice, not a patchwork of every comment received.

Judging and outcomes

Awards and public features include the following: Cash prizes plus features on the organiser's blog and social media; recent competitions also identify a winner, runner-up, best peer review, and finalists. Regardless of placement, a carefully revised entry can become a strong portfolio sample and a record of how the writer responds to editorial input.

Key Takeaways

• Start by reading the current official brief and turning every requirement into a checklist.
• Choose an idea that can survive revision, not merely one that sounds impressive at first.
• Build time for feedback, verification, and a last compliance pass before submission.
• Keep drafts, research notes, and judging feedback as evidence of growth after the result.

Sources checked

• https://info.writetheworld.org/faqs
• https://info.writetheworld.org/publishing-for-students-teens
• https://info.writetheworld.org/teaching-writing-resources