By Will Geiger

Will Geiger is the co-founder of Scholarships360 and has a decade of experience in college admissions and financial aid. He is a former Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at Kenyon College where he personally reviewed 10,000 admissions applications and essays. Will also managed the Kenyon College merit scholarship program and served on the financial aid appeals committee. He has also worked as an Associate Director of College Counseling at a high school in New Haven, Connecticut. Will earned his master’s in education from the University of Pennsylvania and received his undergraduate degree in history from Wake Forest University.

Updated: August 31st, 2021

Writing is an extremely important part of success in high school, college, and life in general. For some students, writing is also an intricate part of who they are and how they express themselves. If you are someone who loves English class and is genuinely excited about a new creative writing assignment, then you should keep reading! Writing scholarships, creative writing scholarships, and essay scholarships are great ways to put your talent to use.

Jump ahead to:

• Top writing scholarships in 2021
• Top creative writing scholarships in 2021
• Resources for writing scholarship essays
• Summary of top writing and scholarships in 2021
• Upcoming essay scholarships

Keep on reading to learn about the top scholarships for writers and creative writers including eligibility, award amounts, and deadlines!

Top writing scholarships in 2021

$500 “Wise Words” Scholarship

• Eligibility: Students of any education level who submit a short essay about a favorite quote
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: September 30, 2021

$500 Act Locally Scholarship 

• Eligibility: High school and undergraduates with an interest in volunteering or working to better their local community through social, environmental, or economic change
• Amount: $500
• Deadline: October 29, 2021

Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest

• Eligibility: Students in grades 11t and 12, undergraduate, and graduate students who write a 800 – 1,600 word essay
• Amount: Up to $10,000 (many prizes!)
• Deadline: September 27, 2021

Questbridge National College Match Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to high school seniors
• Amount: Full funding (including tuition, room, and board) for four years
• Deadline: September 28, 2021

Delete Cyberbullying Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school seniors, college students, community college students, or graduate students who write an essay about cyberbullying
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: December 31, 2021

Gen and Kelly Tanabe Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school students, college students, graduate students, and adult learners
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: December 31, 2021

Ted Rollins Eco Scholarship 

• Eligibility: Undergraduate students and high school seniors planning on earning a business or sustainability degree
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: December 31, 2021

Unpakt College Scholarship

• Eligibility: College and graduate students who submit an essay about moving
• Amount: $100, $500, and $1,000 scholarships
• Deadline: December 31, 2021

Zippia’s Teacher Dream Job Scholarship

• Eligibility: College, university, associates program, junior college, vocational school, or high school students living in the United States who is planning on a teaching career 
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: December 31, 2021

Women’s Army Corps Veterans’ Association Scholarship

• Eligibility: Female high school seniors who are the child, grandchild, niece or nephew of an Army Service Woman.
• Amount: $1,500
• Deadline: February 2, 2022

Achievement Awards in Writing (NCTE)

• Eligibility: Juniors in the current academic school year are eligible to be nominated by their school’s English department (ask your teachers to nominate you if you qualify!)
• Amount: No cash award, but incredibly prestigious! 
• Deadline: February 15, 2022

Anthem Essay Contest

• Eligibility: Students in 8th through 12th grade who write a 600 – 1,200 word essay
• Amount: Up to $2,000 (many prizes!)
• Deadline: April 28, 2022

The Fountainhead Essay Contest

• Eligibility: Students in 11th and 12th grade who write a 800 – 1,600 word essay
• Amount: Up to $5,000 (many prizes!)
• Deadline: April 28, 2022

Greater Than Gatsby Annual Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school seniors accepted to college, undergraduate and graduate students in the USA
• Amount: $10,000
• Deadline: May 1, 2022

Rover Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school seniors and college student who write an essay about the impact of technology on their lives 
• Amount: $2,500
• Deadline: May 1, 2022

HelpTeaching.com Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school and college students who submit a educational short story or informational article (400-800 words) for young students
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: June 1, 2022

Ethel Hayes Destigmatization of Mental Health Scholarship

• Eligibility: Students at every level of education who write a short essay about mental health
• Amount: $900 
• Deadline: June 14, 2022

Solar Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school seniors, college and graduate students with an interest in solar energy
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: July 1, 2022

Creative writing scholarships

Are you a writer who loves fiction, poetry, and screenplays? If so, you can put those talents to use by applying for creative writing scholarships.

Creative writing scholarships are a subset of writing scholarships that support students who enjoy writing poetry, fictional stories, plays, and generally using their imagination to guide their writing.

Here are the top creative writing scholarships that you can apply for:

Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

• Eligibility: Scholarships are open to students ages 13 and up in grades 7 through 12. Public/private school and homeschooled students in the U.S., Canada, or American schools worldwide are welcome to apply.
• Amount: $1500 to $10,000
• Opens: September 1, 2021, but start planning now!

Engineer Girl Writing Contest 

• Eligibility: The contest is open to individual girls and boys in the following three competition categories: Elementary School Students (grades 3-5), Middle School Students in (grades 6-8), or High School Students (grades 9-12)
• Amount: $250 to $500
• Deadline: February 1, 2022

HelpTeaching.com Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school and college students who submit a educational short story or informational article (400-800 words) for young students
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline: June 1, 2022

College-specific creative writing scholarships

Some colleges and universities may also offer specific scholarships to student with a talent in creative writing! Check with the colleges on your list for these college-specific creative writing opportunities!

Note that some of these scholarships may have requirements for winning students that stipulate that they take a certain number of creative writing classes when enrolled in the college.

Scholarship essay resources

Since essay scholarships have a writing component, they tend to get fewer submissions than other scholarships with less stringent requirements. Luckily, we have created a number of resources to help you write an authentic, successful essay:

• How to start your scholarship essay (with examples)
• How to write a “why do you deserve this scholarship?” essay
• What’s the best scholarship essay format?
• How to write a 250 word essay
• How to write a 500 word essay

Summary of top writing and scholarships:

1. $2,500 The Heart of the Game Scholarship
2. $500 “Wise Words” Scholarship
3. $500 Act Locally Scholarship
4. Writing With a Purpose Scholarship
5. Gen and Tanabe Scholarship
6. Atlas Shrugged Essay Scholarship
7. Questbridge National College Match Scholarship
8. Delete Cyberbullying Scholarship
9. Gen and Kelly Tanabe Scholarship
10. Ted Rollins Eco Scholarship
11. Unpakt College Scholarship 
12. Zippia’s Teacher Dream Job Scholarship
13. Women’s Army Corps Veterans’ Association Scholarship
14. Achievement Awards in Writing (NCTE)
15. Anthem Essay Contest
16. The Fountainhead Essay Contest
17. Greater Than Gatsby Annual Scholarship
18. Rover Scholarship
19. Engineer Girl Writing Contest
20. HelpTeaching.com Scholarship
21. Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
22. Ethel Hayes Destigmatization of Mental Health Scholarship
23. Solar Scholarship

Upcoming Essay Scholarships

$10,000 Bubba Wallace Live to Be Different Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school and undergraduate students who share about a time when they encountered adversity and what they did to overcome it
• Amount: $10,000

AMPLIFY Digital Storytellers Scholarship

• Eligibility: The scholarship is open to students at every level (including high school) who share about digital writing 
• Amount: $500

Denny’s Hungry for Education Scholarships

• Eligibility: All high school and college students with at least a 2.5 GPA who share their ideas to fight childhood hunger
• Amount: $1,000 to 3,000
• Opens: September 7, 2021

Haiku Competition 2020

• Eligibility: Anyone in the world, any age or background, with a passion for haiku writing may participate!
• Amount: $100

John J. DiPietro COME OUT STRONG Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school seniors who will attend college in 2021 and current undergraduate students in any field of study. Writing an essay about how a role-model influenced you required. 
• Amount: $3,950

Kaplun Essay Contest

• Eligibility: Students who are in grades 7 through 12 who submit an essay about their Jewish faith 
• Amount: $500 to $1,800
• Opens: Late September 2021

One Move Ahead Chess Scholarship

• Eligibility: Open to chess players of all ages
• Amount: $1,000

Princeton Prize in Race Relations

• Eligibility: Open to all high school students who are involved in an activity that promotes positive race relations.
• Amount: $1,000
• Opens: January 1, 2022

Richard G. Zimmerman Journalism Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school seniors interested in journalism
• Amount: $5,000

Shawn Carter Scholarship Fund

• Eligibility: High school, college, or vocational students
• Amount: $1,500 to $2,000

TrophyCentral Sportsmanship & Compassion Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school seniors with a 3.25 GPA or above who writes the most moving essay about sportsmanship 
• Amount: $1,000

“What Moves You” Scholarship

• Eligibility: High school students who share a motivational quote that inspired them to pursue their goals
• Amount: $500

Writing With a Purpose Scholarship

• Eligibility:  High school seniors or undergraduate African American students looking to get into journalism
• Amount: $1,646