85% of Aralia Students Place in Top Writing Competitions
Creative Writing & Arts
1. Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are the most prestigious regional and national level competitions in creativity for middle and high school students. Scholastic offers one of the most inclusive range of categories for creative work, including niche categories like architectural design, ceramics, science fiction writing, novel writing, and more. Scholastic Art & Writing Awards receive more than 330,000 submissions each year, and Aralia students have a strong track record of winning top prizes including National Gold and Silver Medals. Read more on when the Scholastic Awards are in 2024, how to submit to Scholastic, and Scholastic 2023 winners.
Time
Submissions open: September 2024
Deadline: December 2024. Check the specific deadline based on your competition region.
Location: All students
Requirements
Eligibility:
Grades 7-12 are welcome to submit to Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
How to submit:
Create an account and document your work. Submit digital photographs of your artwork. Do not mail your artwork to Scholastic. Each art category has different requirements for how many images are necessary and from what angles. Additionally, each writing category has different requirements for word limits. Select one of the 28 art and writing categories that best describes your piece. See categories below.
Entry fee:
$10 per individual entry, $30 per portfolio. Graduating seniors can submit a portfolio including multiple pieces. Participants can submit as many pieces as they’d like to multiple categories, with a few exceptions. Each student can submit maximum 16 pieces for the Photography category and a maximum of 2 art portfolios and a maximum of 2 writing portfolios.
Awards
At the regional level, students can win the Gold Key, Silver Key, or Honorable Mention award. At the national level, students with the Gold Key compete for the Gold Medal, Silver Medal, and scholarship awards of up to $12,500. Gold Medal Portfolio winners receive $12,500 and Silver Medal Portfolio winners receive $2,000. Gold Key recipients may also win an American Voices & Visions Award, presented to one nominee from each region.
Students who won at the national level are invited to New York City to meet renowned guests such as Oprah Winfrey, Tim Gunn, Alec Baldwin, Tituss Burgess, Amy Schumer, Kelly Clarkson, Zac Posen, Mayim Bialik, Tschabalala Self, Nick Cannon, Jamie Lee Curtis, Derek Luke, Kinsale Drake, Tina Fey, and Rose Byrne.
See all Scholastic Art & Writing Awards 2023 winners. Read the Scholastic 2023 Gold Medalist winning critical essay piece by an Aralia student. Learn more about how to prepare for Scholastic Awards.
2. Write the World
Write the World is a series of free, monthly, online writing competitions for all high school students worldwide. Since its launch at Harvard University in 2012, this academic award has welcomed over 110,000 teens and educators from 125 countries to its competitions and community portal. Every month, Write the World has a new themed writing competition, including but not limited to fun novel genres such as personal narrative, poetry, food writing, flash fiction, and songwriting. Prompts are fairly open-ended, and students have the creative freedom to express their talents. In addition to competitions, Write the World has a global online portal where student writers, educators and expert writers have posted over 215,000 pieces of writing in a forum format.
December 2024’s competition topic is the People’s Choice Award 2024, where community members nominate winners instead of the usual judges panel. The prompt is: To know a place is to know its stories. Write about a person, place, or thing (such as an object, food, myth, sport, tradition, etc) that is important in the place where you have lived. The word limit is 1,000 words. Past competition topics have covered poetry, environmental writing, fairytales, op-ed, personal essay, flash fiction, and more.
Time
December 2 to December 23, 2024
Winners announced January 10, 2025.
Requirements
Eligibility:
13 to 19-year-old high school students from all countries and schools.
How to submit:
Make a Write the World account and browse current and upcoming competitions. Write the World lets participants submit a draft for review by published authors, writing teachers, and educational professionals—just click “Request an Expert Review” before the appropriate deadline. You can also publish your draft for peer review by community members—just click “Publish for Peer Review.” The word limit for Write the World People’s Choice Award 2024 is 1,000 words.
Entry fee:
Free
Awards
One winner receives $100. In other months, runner-ups can win $50 and best peer-reviewed pieces can win $50. The competition also recognizes Finalists and publishes winning student work the official Write the World website. In 2023, an Aralia student was recognized as a Finalist in Write the World Poetry & Spoken Word Competition 2023.
Read winning work from Write the World 2023 Winners in Short Story, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Nature & Environmental Poetry, Flash Fiction and Write the World 2024 Winners in Poetry & Spoken Word, Environmental, Fairytales & Myths, Op-Ed, Songwriting.
Learn how Aralia can help you prepare for upcoming Write the World competitions!
Math & Economics
3. AMC
American Mathematics Competition (AMC) is an internationally acclaimed math competition to challenge and identify the best young mathematicians in middle and high school. Each year, over 300,000 students from over 30 countries compete in AMC. The three division levels are AMC 8 (for students grades 8 and below), AMC 10 (grades 10 and below), and AMC 12 (grades 12 and below).
Time
AMC 12 A Competition Date: Nov. 6, 2024
AMC 12 B Competition Date: Nov. 12, 2024
AMC 10 A Competition Date: Nov. 6, 2024
AMC 10 B Competition Date: Nov. 12, 2024
AMC 8 – January 22-28, 2025
Requirements
Eligibility:
Typically, students in grades 6 to 12 participate in AMC, but the competitions are open to all grades. All nationalities and schools are welcome to participate.
AMC 8 is best for students studying math at an 8th grade difficulty level.
AMC 10 is best for students studying math at a 10th grade difficulty level.
AMC 12 is best for students studying math at a 12th grade difficulty level.
How to enter:
Schools across the country are formally registered to administer the AMC contests. Search for a participating school near you.
Entry fee:
AMC 10 and AMC 12 Registration fee: $76 regular
AMC 8 Registration fee: $73 regular
Awards
Certificate of Distinction: award for a perfect score.
AMC 8 Winner Pin: award for highest-scoring student(s) at each school.
Gold/Silver/Bronze Certificate for Outstanding Achievement: award for top 3 students in each school section.
AMC 8 Honor Roll Certificate: award for high scoring students.
AMC 8 Merit Certificate: award for high scoring students in 6th grade or below.
Maryam Mirzakhani AMC 10 A Awards and Certificates: award for top-performing girls in AMC 10 A. Prize money includes $5,000 combined.
Students who perform exceptionally in AMC 10 and/or 12 may be invited to more prestigious competitions including American Invitational Mathematics Examination aka AIME I/II, United States of America (Junior) Mathematical Olympiad aka USAMO/USAJMO, and International Mathematical Olympiad aka IMO, which is widely acknowledged as the indisputable top math award for high school students.
AIME Qualification: award for top scorers qualifying for AIME.
AMC 10 and AMC 12 Distinguished Honor Roll: award for outstanding scores.
AMC 10 and AMC 12 Certificates: award for high achievements.
Students passionate about math or applying to math related majors in college are likely expected to have excelled in the AMCs. Learn more about AMC and how it can benefit your college application.
4. National Economics Challenge
National Economics Challenge is the only annual economic competition for high school students. The National Economics Challenge welcomes nearly 10,000 participants from 45 U.S. states every year. This competition tests high school students on microeconomics, macroeconomics, and global economics. It is hosted by the Council for Economic Education.
Time
Online registration deadlines differ per state—check your state.
National Semifinals are held online April 22-26, 2024
National Finals are held in-person in NYC June 1-3, 2024
Requirements
Eligibility:
High school students in the U.S.
How to enter:
Students work in teams of 3-4. First, choose one of two divisions: the David Ricardo division is for first time competitors who have taken a maximum of one economics class; and the Adam Smith division is for returning competitors and AP/IB/Honors students in economics.
In the first round, students must qualify through local state competitions. Exams differ by state; in MA, the exam is a 30-question rapid fire exam. Each state champion moves to the second round. Next in the Semi-Finals National Challenge, state champions complete a 45-question online quiz. The top four teams from the semifinals move up to the third round, Finals National Challenge. These finalists are invited to NYC on a fully funded (free!) trip to compete in five more competition rounds.
At the Finals National Challenge, the first three rounds are individual competitions with 20 minutes for 15 multiple choice questions. In order, the rounds are Microeconomics Round, Macroeconomics Round, and International Economics and Current Events Round. In the fourth round, the Critical Thinking Round, student competitors develop a solution and analysis to a current economic problem. Finally, the fifth and final round of the Finals National Challenge of the National Economics Challenge is the Quiz Bowl. This round is also done in teams; students select one spokesperson to present the team’s answer to the judges. The Quiz Bowl contains 22 questions, each with 30 seconds of discussion time.
Entry fee:
Free
Awards (for National Finals)
1st place: $1,000 cash prize
2nd place: $500 cash prize
3rd place: $250 cash prize
4th place: $125 cash prize
Learn how you can prepare for the National Economics Challenge with Aralia Education. Another economics competition you can consider is the LSE Economics Society Essay Competition, where Aralia students won second and third place for best essay in 2024.
Science & Technology
5. American Computer Science League ACSL
Since 1978, the American Computer Science League (ACSL) online competitions have attracted around 6,000 K-12 students to test their computer science knowledge and programming skills. There are four contests each year, and students are invited to Finals depending on their performance in the four contests. Read more information on how ACSL works.
Time
Contest #1: available Nov. 4, 2024; closes Sunday January 12, 2025 @ 11:59pm EST
Contest #2: available Jan. 6, 2025; closes Sunday March 2, 2025 @ 11:59pm EST
Contest #3: available Feb. 3, 2025; closes Sunday April 13, 2025 @ 11:59pm EDT
Contest #4: available March 3, 2025; closes Sunday May 18, 2025 @ 11:59pm EDT
Invitational Finals: Saturday, May 24, 2025
Requirements
Eligibility:
All students K-12th grade located in the U.S.
How to enter:
The ACSL contests are held on HackerRank, which is commonly used in job interviews for programmers (applicants are usually given a problem to solve live or within a short time span). Students compete in four divisions: Senior division (9th-12th graders with programming experience), Intermediate division (9th-12th graders with no experience), Junior division (6th-9th graders), Classroom (computer science but without programming for all K-12th graders), and Elementary division (3rd-6th graders). Students compete in teams for the contests and are individually invited to participate in the Invitational Finals.
Entry fee:
$150 for 1st team (all divisions except Elementary*)
$75 fee for each additional team in the same division
*Elementary division: $100 primary team registration fee and $50 for each additional team
$30 registration fee for finals
Awards
ACSL competition winners are awarded team and individual prizes. After the first four contests, top scoring students and teams from each division in each state will receive certificates from ACSL. For ACSL Invitational Finals, top scoring students of each division will be awarded a prize and certificate. Additionally, team advisors may award ACSL MVP certificates to the team member of their choosing.
In the 2023-2024 ACSL competition, Team Aralia won Gold in the Intermediate division, ranking top 10% worldwide. If you’re interested in competing in American Computer Science League contests with guidance from Aralia Education, check out our ACSL class.
Unlock Your Writing Potential: Students in Our Writing Competition Preparation Class Are More Likely to Secure Awards
Foreign Language
6. National Spanish Examinations
The National Spanish Exam (NSE) is an online standardized test used to measure Spanish proficiency in 6-12 graders. The National Spanish Exam is formatted into two sections: the 38-question Achievement section tests vocabulary and grammar, while the 28-question Proficiency section tests reading and listening. There are 7 difficulty levels: Level 01 and Level 1 are open to grades 6th and above, Level 2 for 7th grade and above, Level 3 for 8th grade, Level 4 for 9th grade, Level 5 for 10th grade, and Level 6 for grade 11th and above.
Time
Registration: Nov. 1, 2024 – Feb. 7, 2025
Exam Time: Mar. 3 – Apr. 14, 2025
Requirements
Eligibility:
6th – 12th-grade Spanish classroom learners in the U.S.
How to enter:
This academic award is administered through your Spanish teacher and is usually taken during class. Talk with your Spanish teacher about when your class will be taking the National Spanish Exam.
Entry fee:
$5 per student
Awards
Premio de Oro (Gold Medal ≥95th percentile)
Premio de Plata (Silver Medal ≥85th percentile)
Premio de Bronce (Bronze Medal ≥75th percentile)
Mención Honorifica (Honorable Mention ≥50th percentile)
Perfect Score
In 2024, over 80,000 students participated in the National Spanish Exam, and only 403 students received the Perfect Score award. Earning a Perfect Score would put you at the top 0.5% of Spanish learners in the U.S. and a Gold Medal would put you at the top 5%. These impressive awards would speak miles for your skills and work ethic in studying Spanish. A Perfect Score medal on the National Spanish Exam can make you a stand-out college applicant, when coupled with things like leadership roles in Spanish language/culture clubs, 5s on AP Spanish exams, study abroad experience in Spanish-speaking countries, and/or art projects on Spanish culture.
Test takers at or above the 75th percentile can apply for exclusive scholarships to Spanish Language and Cultural Immersion Programs and college funds. NSE offers three options: KCB Global Citizen Scholarship, Junior Travel Abroad Scholarship, and Senior Scholarship (students can win $2,000 or $1,000 for college).
Learn how to prepare for the National Spanish Exam.
7. National Latin Exam
The National Latin Exam (NLE) is a school-administered paper and online exam allowing students to demonstrate their knowledge of Latin and the Roman world. Students can choose between eight difficulty levels: Introduction to Latin, Beginning Latin, Beginning Latin with Reading Comprehension, Intermediate Latin, Intermediate Latin with Reading Comprehension, Advanced Latin Prose, Advanced Latin Poetry, and Advanced Latin with Reading Comprehension.
Time
Registration opens: Monday, August 26, 2024
Deadline for registration for paper exams: Friday, January 24, 2025
Deadline for registration for online exams: Friday, February 14, 2025
Examination window: Monday, February 24 – Friday, March 14, 2025
Results, answer key, and awards packet mailed by: April 20, 2025
Requirements
Eligibility:
Any Latin student (either currently or previously enrolled in a Latin course) at any school across the world, from any grade level and including college students and graduate school students.
How to enter:
The National Latin Exam is administered in schools and is available as a paper exam or an online exam. Talk with your Latin teacher about when your class will be taking the National Latin Exam.
Entry fee:
Schools in the U.S. and Canada: $8 per exam ($15 fee for 1-10 exams, $25 fee for 11+ exams) – can take online or paper exam
Other schools: $10 per exam per exam ($50 fee for all exams) – must take online exam
Awards
Perfect Paper: Golden certificate with winner’s name
First place: Gold medal and Summa Cum Laude certificate
Second place: Silver medal and Maxima Cum Laude certificate
Third place: Magna Cum Laude certificate
Fourth place: Cum Laude certificate
Perfect Paper winners and Gold Medalists will be featured in the national publication, Torch U.SThe .
National Latin Exam Special Book Award is given to students who have earned their 4th or subsequent gold medal and students who have earned their 3rd perfect score on different exams.
The National Latin Exam is a prestigious exam that’s well-recognized across the world. In 2023, over 107,000 students took the National Latin Exam; hence, winning awards and scholarships from this exam will look very impressive on your college resume!
In 2024, Aralia students won 8 Gold Medals, 5 Silver Medals, and 1 Bronze Medal, a tremendous increase from 2023 when Aralia students won 1 Perfect Score and 2 Gold Medals. Learn how you can best prepare for the National Latin Exam.
Debate & History
8. National History Day
National History Day is one of most prestigious, and one of the longest-standing, historical research competitions in the United States. Each year, over 600,000 students tackle a different competition theme and develop their research, analytical, and presentation skills through projects. The 2025 National History Day competition theme is Rights & Responsibilities in History. Participants projects should discuss the following questions: Who decides who has rights? Does everyone have the same rights? Who decides on the limits individuals should or should not have? Why? What led to establishing certain rights, and to whom were they given? How have people, governments, or institutions decided what parameters should be set to enforce responsibilities? How are such decisions justified?
Students’ historical research projects compete at the regional level competitions and then are invited to the National Contest at the University of Maryland, College Park. From over 600,000 student participants, less than 3,000 exceptional students are invited to the National Contest. This is an excellent opportunity to be in the top 0.5% of history students in the world.
Time
Registration opens: Monday, October 7, 2024
Registration deadline: Friday, December 20, 2024
Submission deadline for papers, websites, documentaries, and all written works: Friday, February 25, 2025, 8:00 AM
Requirements
Eligibility:
All students in 6th – 12th grade, including international students.
How to enter:
National History Day competition students compete individually or form teams of 2-5 members in either the Junior (6th to 8th grade) or Senior (9th to 12th grade) Division. National History Day competition research projects may be one of five categories: Documentary (10-minute film), Exhibit (display board), Paper (1500-2500-word essay), Performance (10-minute live drama, music, or other performance art presentation), or Website (multimedia website made on NHD website editor). There are three main stages to the National History Day competition: 1) Present projects at the school-level competition, 2) Best projects move on to the regional/state-level competitions, and 3) Top 10 projects (two projects from each of the five categories) are invited to compete at the national competition.
Entry fee:
Regional competitions: $10 entry fee per student (varies by state).
National contest: $160 registration fee per student.
Awards
Earning a spot at the National Contest puts you in the top 0.5% of history students worldwide! Students can also receive certificates, medals, trophies, special awards, and scholarships, with national winners often earning significant prizes, including college scholarships. At National History Day 2023, $150,000 in scholarships were awarded at the National Contest, and over 100 students won $250 to $1000 cash prizes.
In 2023, Aralia student won first place at the National History Day Massachusetts regional competition, advancing to the National Contest. Learn more about how to prepare for the competition.
9. National Speech & Debate Association Honor Society
The National Speech & Debate Association Tournament is the world’s largest, most prestigious, and acclaimed speech and debate tournament, commonly known as the NSDA National Championship. 6,700 middle school and high school students from 1,500 schools competed for 42 championship titles at NSDA Nationals 2024.
Students compete in NSDA contests at different locations throughout the year to earn NSDA merit points. Students with at least 75 points are invited into the nationwide-renowned, prestigious NSDA Honor Society. “Students who are members of the National Speech & Debate Association’s Honor Society stand out in the college admissions process.” –College Counselor (NSDA Website).
Time
June 15 to June 20, 2025 in Des Moines Area, Iowa
Requirements
Eligibility:
9th – 12th grade student. NSDA is a membership-based organization, so your school must have an NSDA membership for you to compete in NSDA events.
How to enter:
To qualify for NSDA Nationals, students must attend other debate tournaments called National Qualifiers, for a chance to compete at the National tournament. The most common way to qualify to compete in NSDA Nationals is through competing in and earning points at NSDA District Tournaments, including District Congress in the Senate or the House, Speech or Debate event, NM District World Schools Debate. Students who didn’t qualify through the above-listed NSDA District Tournaments may participate in a Last-Chance Qualifier.
Awards
All Americans: 25 top student point earners in the country.
Academic All Americans: multiple top high school student point earners with a 3.7/4.0 GPA
District Student of the Year: top graduating senior from each district.
William Woods Tate, Jr., National Student of the Year: number 1 top student of the year. Only awarded to one student.
Speaking and Service Award: students who earned 200 service points in a year.
Four-Time Competitor Award: graduating seniors who competed at NSDA Nationals all four years of high school.
Prepare for NSDA with Aralia Education. We prepare our students well with in-class, live speeches and debates, as well as class-wide critiques. Our students are encouraged to be self-driven and take charge of their learning, while guided by expert teachers with records for bringing out the best in their students. Students will be trained in all sorts of debate and speech events and, due to our intimate class sizes, will also be able to get insightful, individualized, constructive feedback.
Standardized Test Scores
10. United States Presidential Scholars Program
The U.S. Presidential Scholars is an invitation-only program nominating students with exceptionally high scores on the SAT and ACT. This exceedingly selective, prestigious award comes directly from the U.S. Department of Education and is regarded as one of the highest honors an American high school senior can win. Students must take the SAT or ACT between August 2021 to October 2024 and have listed a graduation date between January and August 2025. Top-scoring students are vetted and invited to apply for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Award.
Time
Invited students submit application materials by 6:00pm ET February 22, 2024.
Online National Recognition Program held in June 2025.
Requirements
Eligibility:
Graduating high school seniors who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents (green card holders).
How to win:
Score exceptionally well on the SAT or the ACT. All eligible students are automatically considered, but students must receive an invitation to apply to the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. Nominated students submit essays, self-assessments, secondary school reports, and transcripts. Candidates are evaluated on their academic achievement, personal characteristics, leadership and service activities, and an analysis of their essays. Learn more about the selection process.
Entry fee: Free.
Awards
U.S. Presidential Scholars win a Presidential Medallion and receive commendations during the online National Recognition Program.
Out of all the tens of thousands of students in the U.S. who take the SAT and ACT each year, only around 3,600 students are nominated for the U.S. Presidential Scholars award. From there, around 620 semifinalists are selected and recognized and up to 161 students are named U.S. Presidential Scholars, one of the nation’s highest honors for high school students. Receiving recognition even as a semifinalist is incredibly difficult and impressive on college applications.
Win Top Awards with Aralia Education
Unlock your academic potential with online classes at Aralia Education. Our team of instructors from top-ranking American prep schools provide expert guidance to high school students eager to make great accomplishments. Explore the impressive awards of Aralia students—and imagine what you could accomplish with us!
