Opportunity Guide I Summer, Enrichment & Activities Guide

Developing as a writer requires writing a lot. There are opportunities available to encourage and motivate young writers and help them develop their craft.  If writing poems, plays and stories excites your child, encourage her submit her writing for publication in a school or special interest magazine. There are more than a few online literary and writing magazines that publish writing by and for children and teens.

For a child that likes competitions, many historical organizations and various nonprofits (e.g., environmental groups) sponsor annual themed writing contests for children in various age/grade categories. For an older child who wants to improve and enhance her skills, there are specialized summer writing workshops and intensives that offer focused concentrations (e.g., science fiction, screenwriting, novel writing) and provide an opportunity for peer review.



  1. Summer courses for middle and high school students located on the Hofstra campus. Camp programs may include: journalism, foreign languages, sports broadcasting, math, diversity and writing.
  2. In a beautiful natural setting reminiscent of a traditional summer camp, the Idyllwild Arts Summer Program provides high caliber arts instruction and memorable arts immersion workshops to a diverse… Read more
  3. ICS maintains a listing of hundreds of academic competitions in order for students to get ranked in their ICS Global Academic Champions Ranking. Since 2012, ICS has been defining best-practices in… Read more
  4. Interlochen was founded in 1928 and is located in beautiful northwest lower Michigan. Each year, thousands of artists and arts patrons come to Interlochen to experience world-class educational and… Read more
  5. THESPIAN CRITICWORKS nurtures original student-written arts journalism. The pro-gram staff will choose up to six writers to attend the International Thespian Festival. Professional critics will help… Read more
  6. As the Midwest Torrance Center, we subscribe to creativity as the “highest form of mental functioning.” This framework was initiated and developed by E. Paul Torrance, known as the father of… Read more
  7. The Ithaca Writers Institute, a noncredit summer program for high school students, offers two weeks of intensive writing workshops on the campus of Ithaca College in the Finger Lakes region of… Read more
  8. Jackson Hole Writers is once again partnering with the Teton County Library to offer writing sessions for middle-graders (10-13), though older students are always welcome to attend. A young open… Read more
  9. Our summer program for high school students (ages 15 to 18) is modeled after St. John’s discussion-based, interdisciplinary method of teaching the great books. A hands-on introduction to college life… Read more
  10. The world leader in gifted education since 1979, Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth is a nonprofit dedicated to identifying and developing the talents of academically advanced pre-college… Read more
  11. In Profiles in Courage, John F. Kennedy recounted the stories of eight U.S. senators who risked their careers to do what was right for the nation. These leaders demonstrated political courage by… Read more
  12. he purpose of this annual writing contest, named in honor of Willamette Writer’s founder, Kay Snow, is to help writers reach professional goals in writing in a broad array of categories and to… Read more
  13. The Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers recognizes outstanding young poets and is open to high school sophomores and juniors throughout the world. The contest winner receives a full… Read more
  14. Young Writers is an intensive two-week workshop for intellectually curious, motivated high-school students who value writing. Our goal is to help students develop their creative and critical… Read more
  15. The Mission of the Kids Philosophy Slam is to give kids a voice and to inspire kids to think by unlocking their intellectual and creative potential through a unique and powerful philosophical forum… Read more
  16. A Summer, Residential Creative Writing Program for High School Students High school students can join a supportive community of young creative writers in our residential summer program on the… Read more
  17. Letters About Literature is a reading and writing contest for students in grades 4-12. Students are asked to read a book, poem or speech and write to the author (living or dead) about how the book… Read more
  18. Each year, the Lewis Center for the Arts sponsors contests and scholarships for high school students. Past and current contest categories have included poetry and play writing.
  19. In 2005, Classical archaeologists Regan & Amy Barr founded The Lukeion Project. Now with a much larger teaching faculty, we offer 6 years of Classical Latin & 7 years of Greek, Classical… Read more
  20. Maine Media Workshops + College is recognized as one of the world’s leading media arts education centers for filmmaking, photography, writing, and book arts & design. Our MFA program was recently… Read more
  21. Founded in 1921 and housed in the Michigan State University School of Journalism, the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association is a nonprofit organization composed of scholastic journalism teachers… Read more
  22. The Michigan Math and Science Scholars program is designed to offer a pre-college experience exposing students to a breadth of curricula offered at the University of Michigan while introducing high… Read more
  23. Every year, Mississippi State University offers summer camps designed to educate and inspire kids from elementary through high-school. Our camps give kids the opportunity to further their knowledge… Read more
  24. Sponsored by Hollins University, the Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest is in its fifty-fourth year. The contest awards prizes for the best poems submitted by young women who are sophomores or juniors in… Read more
  25. Student Writing Awards Achievement Awards in Writing (for 11th grade students) This school-based writing program encourages high school students in their writing and publicly recognizes some of the… Read more
  26. The National Federation of State Poetry Societies (NFSPS) is a non-profit organization, exclusively educational and literary. Its purpose is to recognize the importance of poetry with respect to… Read more
  27. Every year National History Day® frames students’ research within a historical theme. National History Day is a year-long academic program focused on historical research, interpretation and creative… Read more
  28. National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is a fun, empowering approach to creative writing. The challenge: draft an entire novel in just one month. Why do it? For 30 wild, exciting, surprising days… Read more
  29. Since 1989, the National Student Leadership Conference has invited a select group of outstanding middle school and high school students to participate in its fast-paced, high-level, interactive… Read more
  30. The National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts) was established in 1981 by Lin and Ted Arison. YoungArts’ signature program is an application-based award for emerging artists ages 15–18 or in grades 10… Read more
  31. The New England Young Writers’ Conference (NEYWC) at Bread Loaf is a four day writing-focused workshop for high school students in New England and from around the country. The long weekend is packed… Read more
  32. 6-Week, 1-Week, & Everything In Between NYU’s varied array of high school programs offer flexibility and options that can be tailored to your individual needs and schedule. Most programs are… Read more
  33. College Prep: Experience college life at Northwestern University this summer in the College Prep Program. High school sophomores and juniors can take undergraduate courses for college credit, or… Read more
  34. Talent Search Assessment - A research-validated program, Northwestern University’s Midwest Academic Talent Search (NUMATS) utilizes above-grade-level testing to identify academic ability, measure… Read more
  35. At A Novel Idea, we believe in the transformative power of language. We believe that words can change minds, change hearts, change our lives, and change the world. That's a tall order for anyone, let… Read more
  36. The OddContest is an annual competition for speculative (science fiction, fantasy, or horror) stories or prose poems no longer than 500 words. The contest has been sponsored since 2008 by Odyssey Con… Read more
  37. ONE TEEN STORY is an award-winning quarterly literary magazine that features the work of today’s best teen writers (ages 13-19). One Teen Story publishes 4 stories a year and accepts submissions from… Read more
  38. Polyphony Lit is an international student-run literary magazine for high-school writers. The title is a combination of the Greek term meaning many voices, and the abbreviation for High School.… Read more
  39. Pratt PreCollege programs provide high school students with rigorous college level art, design and creative thinking courses, modeled after Pratt Institute’s undergraduate offerings. Classes are… Read more
  40. Come to Putney this summer and do what you love to do - whether it’s something you wish you could do all the time - like filmmaking, theater, or drawing, or something you’ve never tried before and… Read more
  41. Quill and Scroll conducts two major competitions each year. Writing, Photo and Multimedia Contest and Blogging Competition Currently enrolled high school students are invited to enter the… Read more
  42. Since 2014, we at RCLA have been directing the Rachel Carson Intergenerational Sense of Wonder/Sense of the Wild Contest and continue to regard it as a worthwhile way to honor this great American’s… Read more
  43. Every summer, high school students from around the world come to Ringling College for an intense four-week art and design program that lets them experience a taste of college-level work and earn… Read more
  44. River of Words® (ROW) is a program of The Center for Environmental Literacy and a part of the Kalmanovitz School of Education. Acknowledged pioneers in the field of place-based education, River of… Read more
  45. The Robinson Center’s Summer Program provides an intensive, inspirational, and in-depth learning experience for students prepared to take on the challenge. The Summer Program offers a rich variety of… Read more
  46. Summer at Roxbury Latin means growth and skill-building, fun and excitement, making new friends and doing what you love. With more than 25 athletic, academic and artistic enrichment programs to… Read more
  47. The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) invites all high school students (9th through 12th grades) interested in the American Revolution to participate in the George S.… Read more
  48. Summer students connect their passions with the wider world and see firsthand how their endeavors improve our community. They work closely with top-notch professors, getting real-time feedback,… Read more
  49. SCAD Summer Seminars SCAD Summer Seminars offer workshops for high school students who have completed their freshman, sophomore or junior years. (Secondary school students ages 14-19 are able to… Read more
  50. The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are the nation’s longest-running and most prestigious recognition program for creative teens in grades 7–12. Through the Scholastic Awards, teens in grades 7–… Read more