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Penguin Random House Creative Writing Awards is sponsored by Penguin Random House in partnership with We Need Diverse Books. This program awards college scholarships to public U. S.
high school seniors nationwide for original literary compositions in various genres, including poetry, spoken word, fiction, personal essay/memoir, or in response to a book bans prompt.
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U.S. Creative Writing Awards - Social Impact at Penguin Random House U.S. Creative Writing Awards Young writers are our future, and we believe in investing in the next generation of readers and authors. In partnership with We Need Diverse Books, we host our annual Creative Writing Awards, looking for writing with a strong, clear voice by high school seniors who are daring and original. Applications are now closed.
We are thrilled to announce the winners of the 2026 Creative Writing Awards, including the inaugural winner of the Chinua Achebe Award for Freedom of Expression. The Chinua Achebe Award for Freedom of Expression is a new creative writing prize honoring the celebrated author’s powerful legacy.
Open to public high school students, the award invites applicants to respond to the prompt: “Tell us about one banned book that changed your life and why. ” A first-place prize of $10,000 will be awarded for the most original and compelling literary composition. We are passionate about encouraging the next generation of readers and authors and promoting diverse voices and stories.
For more than 30 years, we have supported this mission through the Penguin Random House Creative Writing Awards, which in 2019 entered into an innovative new partnership with We Need Diverse Books. Through this program, we award college scholarships of up to $10,000 each to six U.S. high school seniors nationwide.
In addition, honorable mentions receive “creativity kits,” which include a selection of Penguin Random House titles and writing resources. Creative Writing Award winners have gone on to become professional and award-winning authors. The Chinua Achebe Award for Freedom of Expression is one of six creative writing awards given by Penguin Random House.
Other categories include the James Baldwin Award for Fiction , the Michelle Obama Award for Memoir , the Amanda Gorman Award for Poetry , and the Maya Angelou Award for Spoken Word . In recognition of the Creative Writing Awards previously being centered in New York City, the competition will award an additional first-place prize to the top entrant from the NYC area. Please find the full press release here .
Since 1993, this program has awarded more than $3 million to public high school students for original poetry, memoir/personal essay, fiction/drama, and spoken word compositions. This signature program continues to empower and celebrate hundreds of young writers each year and underscores our unwavering commitment to identifying and nurturing new literary talent.
In addition to scholarships, Penguin Random House hosts a virtual development week for the Creative Writing Awards winners each summer that includes one-on-one virtual meetings with Penguin Random House editors, networking workshops, a panel about career opportunities in publishing, and fireside chats with Penguin Random House authors. The week concludes with a virtual awards ceremony.
VIEW THE 2026 WINNERS HERE A selection of the 2026 winning entries will be available to read soon. To read a selection of previous years’ winning entries, click on the year: 2025 , 2024 , 2023 , 2022 , 2021 , 2020 , 2019 For more information please visit Penguin Random House Creative Writing Awards – Scholarship America . Applications are now closed.
Our U.S. College Scholarship Award Winners Michelle Obama Award for Memoir Chinua Achebe Award for Freedom of Expression Amanda Gorman Award for Poetry James Baldwin Award for Fiction The Places We Go in the Dark Maya Angelou Award for Spoken Word Amanda Gorman Award for Poetry To Build a Better Black Woman Freedom of Expression Award Unveiling the Silence: How a Banned Book Gave Me a Voice Maya Angelou Award for Spoken Word Black Education in America James Baldwin Award for Fiction Michelle Obama Award for Memoir Freedom of Expression Award The Impact of A Wrinkle in Time Amanda Gorman Award for Poetry Woodbridge Academy Magnet School Maya Angelou Award for Spoken Word Michelle Obama Award for Memoir Poetry (NYC Entrant Award) Amanda Gorman Award for Poetry Cafecito para dos, sin leche Maya Angelou Award for Spoken Word Michelle Obama Award for Memoir What I Wish I Knew: A Suburban Black Girl's Guide Poetry (NYC Entrant Award) Frank McCourt High School Global History 2: 10/26/2020 West Windsor Plainsboro High School South Amanda Gorman Award for Poetry Thomas Jefferson HS for Science and Technology Conversation Starter: How is your English so Good?
Maya Angelou Award for Spoken Word West Bloomfield High School Valley Stream North High School Poetry (NYC Entrant Award) Hunter College High School Scripps Ranch High School
According to the current listing, eligibility includes: Current high school seniors at a public high school in the United States graduating Spring of 2026, 21 years of age and under, planning to enroll in an accredited two-year or four-year college, university, or approved v…. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
The current listing shows up to $10,000 college scholarships. Verify award ceilings, matching requirements, and allowable costs in the official notice.
Penguin Random House Creative Writing Awards is funded by Penguin Random House in partnership with We Need Diverse Books. Verify program details on the funder's official page before applying.
Start from the official opportunity page linked in this listing — it carries the sponsor's submission instructions.
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