Literature programs for high schoolers.
32 programs indexed in literature. 18 are free or pay a stipend. 4 prioritize under-resourced or underrepresented students. This page updates whenever we add a new literature program.
All literature programs
- SelectiveThe Adroit JournalAdroit Journal Summer Mentorship
Free online mentorship pairing teen writers with established poets and prose writers.
📍 Online⏱ 6 weeks📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12 - ModerateBard College at Simon's RockBard College at Simon's Rock Young Writers Workshop
A 3-week residential program where students engage in creative and analytical thinking through literature and history.
📍 Annandale-on-Hudson, NY⏱ 3 weeks📅 April 1🎓 Grades 10–12 - SelectiveBennington CollegeBennington Young Writers Awards
A prestigious creative writing competition for students to win cash prizes and publication.
📍 Online📅 January 12🎓 Grades 9–12 - ModerateBennington CollegeBennington Young Writers Workshop
One-week residential writing workshop with Bennington faculty.
📍 Bennington, VT⏱ 1 week📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12 - ModerateBrown UniversityBrown Pre-College
On-campus and online courses across the liberal arts.
📍 Providence, RI⏱ 1-7 weeks📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12 - ModerateCatapultCatapult High School Writing Workshop
Multi-genre writing workshops for high school students in the creative hub of NYC.
📍 New York, NY⏱ 2 weeks📅 April 1🎓 Grades 10–12 - SelectiveCommonwealth FoundationCommonwealth Short Story Prize
Global short-fiction prize open to writers from Commonwealth countries.
📍 Commonwealth countries📅 November🎓 Grades 11–12 - SelectiveDavidson InstituteDavidson Fellows
Scholarships of USD 10K, 25K, and 50K for students under 18 with significant work in STEM, literature, music, or philosophy.
📍 Online application⏱ Project-based📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12 - SelectiveEunoia ReviewEunoia Review
Open submissions literary journal accepting student poetry and prose.
📍 Online⏱ Year-round📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 7–12 - SelectivePoetry SocietyFoyle Young Poets of the Year
International poetry award for ages 11-17; free to enter.
📍 Online⏱ Annual📅 July🎓 Grades 7–12 - SelectivePoetry Society (UK)Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award
International poetry prize for writers aged 11–17.
📍 Global📅 July🎓 Grades 9–12 - SelectiveVariousFreedom Summer Collegiate
Free college-prep program in the Mississippi Delta taught by graduate students. Travel and housing covered.
📍 Mississippi⏱ 4 weeks📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12 - ModerateHarvard UniversityHarvard Pre-College Program
Two-week residential program in 50+ disciplines.
📍 Cambridge, MA⏱ 2 weeks📅 January🎓 Grades 10–12 - Highly SelectiveHollins UniversityHollins University Hollinsummer
Two-week creative writing program for high school women writers.
📍 Roanoke, VA⏱ 2 weeks📅 May🎓 Grades 10–12 - ModerateInterlochen Arts CampInterlochen Writers Retreat
Creative writing intensive at the storied Interlochen arts camp.
📍 Interlochen, MI⏱ 3-6 weeks📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12 - SelectiveUniversity of IowaInternational Writing Program Between the Lines
Two-week international creative writing program pairing US and international teen writers.
📍 Iowa City, USA + International cohorts📅 March🎓 Grades 10–11 - ModerateUniversity of IowaIowa Young Writers' Studio
Premier creative writing program from the Iowa Writers' Workshop. Need-based aid available.
📍 IA (nationwide eligibility)⏱ 2 weeks (summer)📅 February🎓 Grades 10–12 - ModerateKenyon CollegeKenyon Review Young Writers Workshop
Intensive creative writing workshop with published authors. Need-based scholarships.
📍 OH (nationwide eligibility)⏱ 2 weeks (summer)📅 March🎓 Grades 10–12 - Highly SelectivePaideia InstitutePaideia Institute Living Latin in NYC
Two-week intensive Latin program in New York City for high schoolers, with site visits and immersive translation.
📍 New York, NY⏱ 2 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12 - SelectiveUniversity of PennsylvaniaPenn Manuscript Journal
Undergraduate humanities journal welcoming exceptional HS work.
📍 Online⏱ Year-round📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12 - Highly SelectivePioneer AcademicsPioneer Academics (Aid)
Accredited college-level research with US professors. Need-based aid up to full tuition.
📍 Remote (nationwide)⏱ 15 weeks📅 Multiple cycles🎓 Grades 10–12 - SelectiveNational Endowment for the Arts (NEA)Poetry Out Loud
A national poetry recitation competition that begins in high school classrooms and ends in a national final.
📍 Nationwide⏱ Academic Year📅 January 10🎓 Grades 9–12 - SelectivePolyphony LitPolyphony Lit Editorial Internship
International literary magazine staffed by high school students; editors and writers worldwide.
📍 Online⏱ Academic year📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12 - Highly SelectivePrinceton University PressPrinceton University Press Junior Reviewers
Various junior reviewer / reader programs and writing contests in the humanities.
📍 Online⏱ Self-paced📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12 - SelectiveRoyal Commonwealth SocietyThe Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition
The world's oldest international schools' writing competition; open to any student in the Commonwealth aged 18 or under.
📍 Global📅 June🎓 Grades 7–12 - SelectiveAlliance for Young Artists & WritersScholastic Art & Writing Awards
The longest-running recognition program for creative teens in the US — writing, visual art, photography, film.
📍 Remote (nationwide)⏱ Year-long competition📅 December-January (regional)🎓 Grades 9–12 - Highly SelectiveUniversity of the SouthSewanee Young Writers' Conference
A rigorous two-week writing workshop where students live at Sewanee: The University of the South and work with acclaimed authors.
📍 Sewanee, TN⏱ 2 weeks📅 January 15🎓 Grades 10–12 - Highly SelectiveSt. John's CollegeSt. John's College Summer Academy
Rigid university-level philosophy and great books program for high school students.
📍 Annapolis, MD / Santa Fe, NM⏱ 2 weeks📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 11–12 - SelectiveStone SoupStone Soup Magazine
Magazine of writing and art by children and teens up to age 14.
📍 Online⏱ Year-round📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 5–9 - ModerateSusquehanna UniversitySusquehanna Advanced Writers Workshop
One-week residential workshop in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, publishing.
📍 Selinsgrove, PA⏱ 1 week📅 May🎓 Grades 10–12 - SelectiveAmy Lowell TrustThe Amy Lowell Poetry Traveling Scholarship
One of the most valuable writing scholarships for high school seniors, based on a portfolio.
📍 Online📅 January 21🎓 Grade 12 - ModerateDemidecWorld Scholar's Cup
Team academic tournament — debate, collaborative writing, quiz bowl, and scholar's bowl — with regional, global, and Tournament of Champions rounds at Yale.
📍 Regional rounds worldwide⏱ 2–3 days per round📅 Rolling · regional dates🎓 Grades 9–12