Seminars, essay contests, and humanities programs for deep readers and writers.
Programs in this collection (7)
The Concord Review: The Concord Review. Competition, Worldwide. Submit a history research essay, typically 5,000 to 10,000 words or more with Turabian endnotes, written in English before you finish secondary school. The $70 submission fee includes a year of the eBook edition, and about 5% of papers are published.
NYT Student Editorial Contest: The New York Times. Competition, Worldwide. Write a 450-word editorial on an issue you care about.
Yale Young Global Scholars: Yale University. Summer Program, New Haven, Connecticut, USA. A two-week residential academic program on Yale's campus in New Haven for current high school sophomores and juniors from any country. Students choose academic tracks in science and technology, politics, law and economics, or global challenges, and attend one of three sessions in June and July. Tuition is $7,500 per session and covers on-campus housing, meals and materials but not travel. Need-based aid covers up to full tuition, and local commuters get a $1,000 discount.
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards: Scholastic. Competition, USA. A national competition in which students in grades 7-12 who are at least 13 years old submit original art and writing in 28 categories through an online portal. Entrants must live in the U.S. or a U.S. territory or military base, and some students outside the U.S., including teens at U.S.-accredited schools abroad, also qualify. Entries cost $15 each or $40 per portfolio, fee waivers are available for financial need, and only graduating seniors may enter the Art Portfolio.
Student Writing Contest: The National WWII Museum. Competition, USA. An annual writing contest from The National WWII Museum for U.S. students in grades 7 to 12, with Junior (grades 7 to 9) and Senior (grades 10 to 12) divisions. For 2026-27, students write a sonnet, villanelle or free verse poem about an everyday soldier's wartime life, tied to the exhibit Drawn to Combat: Bill Mauldin & the Art of War. Entries need at least five sources and an annotated bibliography. Each division awards $750, $500 and $250 for the top three places.
Freedom and Citizenship: Columbia University. Fellowship, Manhattan, New York, USA. A free Columbia program for New York City students entering their senior year of high school, with preference for low-income and first-generation college applicants. Scholars take a summer seminar on political philosophy, get support with college applications, and complete a year-long civic leadership project. Scholars who complete the year receive a $2,500 stipend.
High School Bioethics Project: NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Summer Program, New York, USA. A free bioethics education project from the Section of Medical Ethics at NYU Langone, offering high school lesson plans and case studies on topics such as organ donation, genetic testing, CRISPR, and vaccines. High school interns help faculty build the lesson plans, and students from all schools are encouraged to apply. The materials can be used freely in classrooms for non-commercial purposes.