John Estey Student Writing Competition
7th Annual Student Writing Competition
2026 Competition Prompt
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…”
—Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of Independence
Written 250 years ago, the Declaration of Independence formally severed ties between the United States and Great Britain. In it, the American colonists listed the crown’s offenses against them, which included unfair taxation, military oppression, and depriving citizens of fair trials. Written by Thomas Jefferson and edited by a committee of the Continental Congress including Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, the Declaration set out principles in writing that the new nation would strive to achieve for the following 250 years and beyond.
This prompt is a quote from the Declaration of Independence and can be used as a first line, a last line, a jumping-off point, an inspiration for your students’ work. They can use the entire quote or portions of it to write a fiction or nonfiction story, poem, song, scene, short monologue or other form of writing. Submissions should be 1,000 words or less regardless of format.
Please fill out the Intent-to-Participate form below by May 29 to enter the 2026 John Estey Student Writing Competition. Competition resources and information will be emailed to you upon filling out the Intent-to-Participate form.
- The 4Â winners of the Elementary Grade category will receive $500
- The 4Â winners of the Middle School category will receive $1,000
- The 4Â winners of the High School category will receive $2,000
Category Selection
- Elementary Grade Level (Grades 3-5)
- Middle School Grade Level (Grades 6-8)
- High School Grade Level (Grades 9-12)
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY
- Only 3 entries per category from one school.
- Teachers will be allowed to submit entries for multiple categories.
- A school with K-8 students can submit 6 entries (3 for Elementary and 3 for Middle School).
- A school that is a stand alone middle school or a high school can submit only 3.
- If multiple teachers in a school have their students compete, the school needs to pick the top 3 for the school.
- Homeschoolers are welcome to participate in the competition. Please indicate the school name as ‘Homeschool’ while filling out the form.
- International schools can participate in the competition. Please indicate your school’s city and country clearly in the school name field when filling out the form. Be advised, the AWM requires a teacher email and name to participate.
- International Homeschools are not eligible to participate.
- Private tutors are not eligible to participate.
- Past winners of the competition and relatives of Museum staff or board are not eligible to participate.
- Winners agree to be filmed reading their work and to be featured in a press release and on the American Writers Museum website.
- Fill out the Intent to Participate Form below. Please note: the intent to participate form DOES NOT have the submission link information. You must fill out this form to receive the submission link.
- Submission links will be sent out by the education staff to you directly starting Monday, March 3, 2026. Submissions will be accepted only via our submission link.
- Once you submit your written piece, you will receive an automated email confirming your submission.
- Winners will be contacted by August 17, 2026 before the names are announced to the public.
- March 3: Submission link and information is sent to participants, and continues as we receive more participant entries.
- May 29: Intent to Participate Form closes.
- June 3: Submission Deadline. Portal closes at 11:59 pm CDT. Reminders will be sent to participating teachers leading up to the deadline.
- August 17: Winners are notified via email.
- September 29: Winners are announced at the AWM’s annual benefit OnWord 2026.
Contact education@americanwritersmuseum.org with any questions
2026 JOHN ESTEY STUDENT WRITING COMPETITION INTENT TO PARTICIPATE FORM
Previous Winners
2025
- Ada Bartlett – Falk Laboratory School, PA
- Shira Kerchner – Beverly Farms Elementary School, MD
- Sienna Wong – Dilworth Elementary, CA
2024
- Charlotte Brunner – Fairview South School, IL
- Yueyi Wang – Rehoboth Elementary School, DE
- Annabelle Zhao – Hudson Way Immersion School, NJ
2023
- Siaansh Singh Bhadauria – Deerfield Elementary School, CA
- Aydin Soner – Homeschool, SC
- Aiza Liya Vattoth – Forest Park Elementary, AR
2022
- Olivia Bakal – Oakwood School, CA
- Evelyn Basken – Alcott College Prep Elementary School, IL
2021
- Catherine Huang – Collegewood Elementary School , CA
- Chloe Truong – Norwood Park School, IL
2020
- Sophiya Subba – Whittier Elementary School, IL
2025
- Samarth Agrawal – Thomas G. Scullen Middle School, IL
- Aarna Desai – Timberlane Middle School, NJ
- Faith Ducksworth – Krimmel Intermediate School, TX
2024
- Anessa Brown – Ridgedale Junior-Senior High School, OH
- Makayla Gholar – Ashburn Community Elementary School, IL
- Sofia Ou – Eastern Middle School, MD
2023
- Raymond Cai – Keystone School, TX
- Audriana Giudice – Lazar Middle School, NJ
- Taylor Haase – The Rhoades School, CA
- Chloe Lind – Ashley Hall School, SC
2022
- Alessandra Giordano – Lazar Middle School, NJ
- Alisha Walker – Lincoln Middle School, IL
2021
- Taskin Arisha – Castle Hill Middle School, NY
- Aisling Panjwani – Skinner North Classical School, IL
2025
- Alicia Fischi – Fayetteville-Manlius High School, NY
- Edward Lee – Bergen County Academies, NJ
- Lexie Lin – Sydney Girls High School, New South Wales, Australia
- Asmi Tyagi – Delhi Public School, Sector 30, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
2024
- Ruth Anderson – Homeschool, IL
- Ember Bahe – Navajo Preparatory School, AZ
- Svara Carmel Narasiah – Mont’Kiara International School, Kuala Lampur, Malaysia
2023
- Brooke Elwell – Eastern Camden County Regional High School, NJ
- Anita Raj – Eastern Camden County Regional High School, NJ
- Charity White – Carlisle School, VA
2022
- Elizabeth Boguslavsky – Glenbard South High School, IL
- Lana Olarte – Durham School of the Arts, NC
2021
- Katie Liske – Marian High School, NE
- Adina Tanner – Yeshiva University High School for Girls, NY
2020
- Nina Artwell – Niles North High School, IL
- Ysa Quiballo – Niles North High School, IL