The New York Times holds a series of annual contests for students. Contest offerings vary by year but generally include challenges such as creating narratives, profiles, opinion pieces, reviews, podcasts, videos, illustrations and photo essays.
Here is the 2023-2024 contest schedule:
- ‘What High School Is Like in 2023’ Multimedia Challenge for Teachers and Teens
Contest Dates: August 16 - October 4, 2023
Show or tell us what it’s like to be an educator or a student in a secondary school right now by submitting writing, images, audio or video.
- 100-Word Personal Narrative Contest
Contest Dates: October 4 - November 1, 2023
Write a short, powerful story about a meaningful experience from your life in 100 words or less.
- Review Contest
Contest Dates: November 1 - December 6, 2023
Review a 2023 book, movie, restaurant, album, theatrical production, video game, dance, TV show, art exhibition or any other kind of work The New York Times critiques.
- One-Pager Challenge
Contest Dates: December 6, 2023 - January 10, 2024
Make a one-pager in response to any article, video, graph, photo essay or podcast published in The Times in 2023 (or early 2024).
- ‘How to …’ Informational Writing Contest
Contest Dates: January 10 - February 14, 2024
Write a short description of how to do any task, including quotes from an interview with one expert.
- ‘Where We Are’ Photo Essay Contest
Contest Dates: February 14 - March 13, 2024
Make a photo essay about a community that interests you.
- Vocabulary Video Contest
Contest Dates: February 28 - March 27, 2024
Produce a 15-second video about the meaning of one of our Words of the Day.
- Open Letter Contest
Contest Dates: March 13 - May 1, 2024
Write a letter to a specific person or group who can efffect change on an issue that matters to you.
- Podcast Contest
Contest Dates: April 17 - May 15, 2024
Make an original podcast of five minutes or less that informs or entertains listeners.
- Summer Reading Contest
Contest Dates: June 7 - August 16, 2024
We ask, “What got your attention in The Times this week?” for 10 weeks, and you answer in writing, video, illustration or audio.
- Weekly Current Events Conversation
Contest Dates: All School Year
Respond to our daily writing prompts. Each week we publish a selection of student comments.
Location(s)
- Remote
Schedule
- Year-round
Cost/Compensation
- Free
Eligibility Requirements
- All contests are open to students around the world ages 13 to 19 who are in middle school or high school, except “What High School is Like in 2023,” which is open only to secondary students. College students cannot submit entries.
- Students ages 19 or under who have completed high school but are taking a gap year or are otherwise not enrolled in college can participate.
- The children and stepchildren of New York Times employees are not eligible to enter these contests, nor are students who live in the same household as those employees.
- Students’ entries must be original and fundamentally their own. An entry must not be published elsewhere at the time of submission, including in a school newspaper, on a radio station’s website or in a literary magazine.
Deadline
Deadlines vary by contest, see the full schedule here.
Application or Entry Requirements
- On the day each contest begins, New York Times will add a link here so students and teachers can submit entries. All contests except Summer Reading begin and end on Wednesdays.
- Students can enter as many contests as they want, but they can submit only one entry per contest. (The Summer Reading Contest, however, offers a fresh opportunity to submit each week for 10 weeks).
Notifications of Decisions
Financial Aid Details
Other Dates to Keep in Mind
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The New York Times (NYT) is one of the most highly circulated and well-recognized newspapers in the world. Founded in 1851 and based in New York City, The Times is published daily in print and digital formats, and its website is one of the most-read news sources around the world. The Times now also releases a free weekday podcast called The Daily. Its long history of in-depth reporting and investigative journalism includes breaking major stories such as the Watergate scandal and the Pentagon Papers. NYT is the recipient of the most Pulitzer Prizes of any news organization and has a significant influence on American politics.
