Bennington College Young Writers Awards

The 2026-27 window runs from 9:00 a.m. ET on 1 September 2026 to 11:59 p.m. ET on 1 November 2026, and there is no entry fee at all. Winners are normally announced on the college's website the following spring. The form closes on the hour, so California families should note the time zone: 11:59 p.m. Eastern on 1 November is 8:59 p.m. Pacific that same evening.

Any student in grades 9 through 12 anywhere in the world may enter, with no nationality restriction, writing in English, and students at Irvine Unified School District high schools face no extra hurdle here. Students who have already graduated are not eligible, so a gap-year student cannot enter. Work must be the student's own original writing - no collaborations or ghost-writing. Ninth and tenth graders are genuinely welcome, and distinguished recognition is given by grade level as well as by genre.

You may enter all three, but only one piece per genre. Fiction: one short story or a standalone excerpt, up to 1,500 words. Nonfiction: a personal or creative nonfiction essay or standalone excerpt, also up to 1,500. Poetry: one to three poems totalling 1,500 words. At that length a full novel-scale plot will not fit, so writing one scene thoroughly beats compressing a large story - and never recycle one piece into two categories.

Yes, and the amounts are substantial. The college states that winners who are admitted and enroll receive a full-tuition scholarship for four years, worth more than $240,000; finalists receive $25,000 a year for four years, totalling $100,000; and newly this cycle, distinguished writers receive half-tuition scholarships. You still have to apply and be admitted - it is an enrollment scholarship, not an admission guarantee. For students not considering Bennington, only the cash prizes apply.

No, and the policy is absolute: no AI tools may be used to brainstorm, create, draft, revise or collaborate in any way, and all entries are reviewed for authenticity and originality. That rules out even using AI to fix grammar or smooth sentences, which is considerably stricter than the Scholastic Awards policy. For real feedback, students can turn to an English teacher, a writing club, or EDUBUS's Irvine-based creative writing coaching outside of school.

Yes. The submission guidelines call for a sponsoring teacher's approval and the form asks for that teacher's details, so give your English teacher a week or two of notice rather than chasing an email address on deadline night. The teacher's role is to confirm the work is the student's own, not to revise it - this requirement is the counterpart to the contest's strict no-AI policy.

1 November is also most ED and EA deadlines, and splitting attention usually damages both. Two workable plans: draft over the summer of junior year and only revise in September, or as a senior enter just one genre you are confident in rather than all three. For Irvine students the steadier long-term answer is to start entering in ninth or tenth grade so the award is behind you before application season arrives.

Bennington requires original student work and its posted rules do not state a blanket ban on simultaneous entry, but they do not explicitly permit it either. The safe move is to read the current official guidelines on previously published or submitted work and email the college if anything is ambiguous. If a piece has been formally published somewhere that took exclusive rights, do not enter it.