U.S. Creative Writing Awards Scholarship

The U.S. Creative Writing Awards Scholarship by Penguin Random House awards up to $10,000 each to six high school seniors nationwide who demonstrate exceptional creative writing talent. Winners also participate in a virtual development week that includes one-on-one meetings with Penguin Random House editors, networking workshops, and author chats. The program celebrates literary achievement among public school students and provides a pathway into the publishing world. Applications typically open in October each year.

Open to current high school seniors at public high schools in the United States who are graduating in spring of the award year and plan to enroll in an accredited two- or four-year college, university, or vocational-technical school the following fall.

Applicants must submit one original literary composition in English in one of the eligible genres: poetry, spoken word, fiction, personal essay/memoir, or a book bans prompt. Applications are submitted online through Scholarship America, and the application closes when 1,000 submissions are received or by January 15, whichever comes first.