Young Writers Awards 2025-26 | Grades 9-11

Win cash prizes of up to $2000, along with Bennington scholarships up to full tuition ($60,000+) per year! 
Additional information about the Young Writers Awards (YWA) can be found here.

Students currently enrolled in Grades 9-11 (or the international equivalent) are invited to submit an entry to one category by the November 1 deadline, via the form below.

Students enrolled in Grade 12 must submit their YWA entry by first completing either the Common Application or Coalition Application (no app fees, non-binding, no supplemental essays required). Since so many YWA participants also apply to Bennington, this approach allows students to submit their college and YWA applications through a single process.

• Grade 12 entrants must submit their Common/Coalition application by November 1 to be eligible for YWA, but may select any application round (Early Decision, Early Action, Regular Decision, etc.)
• The application round a student selects will not impact their eligibility for YWA prizes 
• Check the box on the Bennington-specific info section to indicate your interest in the Young Writers Award.
• After your application has been processed, you'll receive an email with YWA submission instructions.

Entries must be typed (nothing handwritten or scanned), with a total submission limit of 1500 words.

• Fiction: a short story or stand-alone excerpt from a larger piece.
• Nonfiction: a personal or academic essay, or a stand-alone excerpt from a larger piece.
• Poetry: between 1-3 poems, with a combined limit of 1500 words.

Rules

• Please limit entries to no more than 1500 words.
• Entries must be your original work, created without any form of AI assistance.
• Entries must be submitted in English. US and international students are eligible to participate.
• Each page must clearly show the author's name.
• Entries must be reviewed and sponsored by a high school teacher, who will serve as a point of contact for the competition. For homeschooled students, please identify a non-parent mentor to serve as your writing sponsor.
• Students who have graduated from high school are not eligible.
• Students may submit an entry in only one category per year.

Winning entries will be published on the Award Winners page of the Bennington website, and may be linked via Newsroom article, press release, or recorded for audio access via the College's SoundCloud. Authors retain all other copyrights. For more information, please email ywa@bennington.edu, or visit our online FAQ.

* fields are required