Grade Eligibility
Rising Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors
Geographic Eligibility
US, International
Discipline
Poetry, Fiction, Nonfiction
Judging Format
Jurors, Criteria based: literary merit
Entries
~5,000
Percent Awarded
<1%
Registration Cost
No entry fee
Important Dates
November 1, 2025
The Bennington Young Writers Awards, hosted by Bennington College, is a free international writing competition for students in grades 9–12 accepting individual submissions in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction — with a strict 1,500-word limit and one entry per student per year. Drawing approximately 5,000–6,000 submissions annually, it awards cash prizes up to $2,000 and is among the most prestigious writing competitions available to high school students worldwide.
First place: $2,000
Second place: $1,000
Third place: $500 (All winners and their sponsors receive cash prizes)
The Young Writers Award (YWA) distinguished writer designation will be awarded to entries from each category by grade level and receive $250.
YWA finalists and winners are also eligible for undergraduate scholarships at Bennington.
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