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    Young Writers Awards 2024-2025

    Students currently enrolled in the 9th-12th grades (or the equivalent for international students) during the academic year are invited to submit in one writing category by the November 1 deadline:

    > Poetry: three poems of any length and in any form. 
    Poems must be typed. Each page must clearly show the author's name.

    > Fiction: a short story 
    Short stories must be typed, double-spaced, and fewer than 1500 words. Each page must clearly show the author's name.

    > Nonfiction: a personal or academic essay.
    Stories and nonfiction must be typed, double-spaced, and fewer than 1500 words. Each page must clearly show the author's name.

    All entries must be original work. All entries must be reviewed, approved, and sponsored by a high school teacher. We will use your sponsoring teacher as a contact for the competition should we have any questions. For homeschooled students, please contact a mentor to sponsor your writing.

    Both US and international students are eligible to submit. All entries must be submitted in English. 

    Students who have graduated high school and are on a gap year are not eligible to submit.

    We understand and appreciate that you may be participating in multiple competitions with your YWA entry. Our expectation remains that you will submit in only one category for the YWA.

    Winning entries will be published under the Newsroom section and the Young Writers section on the Bennington College website in the spring and may be published via media requests in local newspapers or magazines. Authors retain all other copyrights. We are unable to return submissions. For more information, please email ywa@bennington.edu. You can check out our FAQ online.

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