Scholarship Value: $10,000
Awards Available: 6
Award Deadline:
Jan 15, 2026
Penguin Random House has established a scholarship program for high school seniors with outstanding creative writing skills who plan to continue their education in college.
Eligibility
Applicants to the Penguin Random House Creative Writing Awards Program in Partnership with We Need Diverse Books must:
- Be current high school seniors at a public high school in the United States graduating Spring of 2026
- Be 21 years of age and under
- Plan to enroll in an accredited two-year or four-year college, university, or approved vocational-technical school Fall 2026
- Submit one original literary composition in English in one of the following genres of poetry, spoken word, fiction, personal essay/memoir, or book bans prompt.
- All submissions must be typed, double-spaced with a minimum 12 point font size and no longer than 10 pages.
- All submissions with multiple pages must be numbered with a page number and total number of pages (Ex. 1/3, 2/3, 3/3).
- A four-page minimum is recommended for the fiction genre.
- Spoken word entries must upload a typed entry along with an emailed audio format file.
- Only one entry per student may be submitted and considered.
- Freedom of Expression entries must write about the provided topic.
- Book bans are on the rise in America, driven by new laws and regulations limiting the kinds of books young people can access—and books by and/or about LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities are disproportionately targeted. Penguin Random House and We Need Diverse Books believe books change lives, and that everyone deserves to see themselves in a book.
- Freedom of Expression Prompt: In the face of these book bans and attacks on free expression, we are celebrating the power of books and stories. Tell us about one banned book that changed your life and why.
Awards
Awards will be distributed as follows:
- $10,000 Maya Angelou Award for Spoken Word
- $10,000 Amanda Gorman Award for Poetry
- $10,000 James Baldwin Award for Fiction
- $10,000 Michelle Obama Award for Memoir
- $10,000 Chinua Achebe Award for Freedom of Expression
Up to one hundred (100) Honorable Mention recipients will receive a Creativity Kit gift from Penguin Random House.
In recognition of the Creative Writing Awards previously being centered in New York City and as an extension of our longtime work with local schools there, we will also offer an additional first-place prize of $10,000 to the top entrant from the NYC area.
Penguin Random House hosts a virtual development week each summer for the Creative Writing Awards winners. This immersive experience includes one-on-one virtual meetings with PRH editors, networking workshops, a panel on career opportunities in publishing, and fireside chats with PRH authors. PRH and WNDB will also amplify and celebrate winners via social media and local media outreach. The six scholarship winners are encouraged to actively participate in the professional development week and engage in media outreach.
How to Apply:
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Scholarship Value: $10,000
Awards Available: 6
Award Deadline: Jan 15, 2026