Explore student competitions.

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Rated Intermediate, Voice of Democracy combines essay writing with vocal delivery: students must shape a personal response to an annual civic theme and make it work as a short audio performance. Eligible grades 9-12 students submit through a participating local VFW Post under the official residency rules. Strong entries need an authentic point of view, a tightly structured script, memorable supporting detail, and controlled delivery within three to five minutes.

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Rated Advanced, An international high-school writing award for poetry, fiction and nonfiction. Students in grades 9 to 12 submit one original English-language entry online after review by a sponsoring teacher or mentor. The strongest entries need a distinctive voice, disciplined craft and meaningful revision within a strict 1,500-word limit and a selective two-stage review.

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A UK short story competition where children write an original story of up to 500 words. Open to children aged 5–11 living in the UK, with separate categories for ages 5–7 and 8–11. Rated Beginner Level, with difficulty mainly coming from originality, storytelling and expressing a complete idea within a short word limit.

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A UK poetry competition where students write an original poem on any theme and in any style. Open to young people aged 12–18 living in the UK. Rated Advanced Level, with difficulty mainly coming from originality, poetic technique and competitive judging.

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A UK poetry competition where primary-school pupils create an original poem in any style. Open to children aged 4–11 through participating UK schools. Rated Beginner Level, with difficulty mainly coming from creativity, self-expression and developing an original poem.

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An international academic writing competition where students analyse a contemporary global issue in a research-based article. Open to students in Grades 7–12 worldwide. Rated **Advanced Level**, with difficulty mainly coming from independent research, evidence-based analysis and the finalist oral defence.

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Rated Beginner, The Scripps National Spelling Bee is the final stage of a school and regional pathway built around live oral spelling and vocabulary study. Students must meet the 2027 grade, age and school-enrollment rules and qualify through the pathway serving their area. The greatest demands are sustained vocabulary preparation, precise recall and composure during a live elimination format.

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Rated Intermediate, A worldwide sustainability competition inviting students to answer the 2027 El Niño brief through writing, art, music, video or another original medium. Students ages 7–18 enter through a Teacher Champion in primary or secondary categories; schools, homeschools and individual students may use this route. Strong responses combine a distinctive point of view with real topic understanding and disciplined communication within a short written, visual or time-based format.

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Rated Advanced, Ireland’s national environmental journalism competition asks young people to investigate a local issue, report solutions and share the work with a real audience. Open to individuals or groups aged 11–25 in participating Green-Schools secondary schools and Green Campus third-level institutions. Success depends on credible research, a clear local-to-global story, a practical solution and thoughtful dissemination across article, photo, video, reel or podcast formats.

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Rated Advanced, Concern Debates is a long-form schools programme in which students repeatedly research and argue global-justice motions rather than preparing for a single one-off speech. Senior-cycle schools across the island of Ireland register teams of four to six students through a teacher. The season rewards evidence-led argument, rapid rebuttal, coordinated team roles, confident delivery, and the resilience to improve across many rounds.

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Rated Intermediate, A worldwide literary-analysis essay contest centred on Ayn Rand’s novella Anthem. Enrolled middle- and high-school students aged 13 or older apply and submit an original response online. A strong entry must interpret a precise prompt, use the novel accurately and turn philosophical ideas into a coherent, well-supported argument.

QUICK SUMMARY

A UK short story competition where young writers submit an original work of fiction of up to 1,000 words. Open to young people aged 14–18 living in the UK. Rated Advanced Level, with difficulty mainly coming from originality, narrative craft and highly competitive national judging.