Why Writing Contests For Teens Are Important      

      It is important for creative people to start as young as possible. If you want to go into business, public service, politics, or some other normal career, you don't really need to worry about it until college. Get good grades, have a fun childhood, and relax. With creative people, however, things are a little bit different. The sooner you get your start, the better. A lot of the most successful writers, artists, and musicians that I know made their first contacts when they were only adolescents and they started with writing contests for teens.

      This is why writing contests for teens are so important for aspiring writers. Adolescence is about the only time in life where everyone wants to hear your poetry. Not only do creative writing contests for teens allow them to make money and get recognition, but more importantly they give teenagers a sense of purpose. If these young writers can build their confidence and their talents at an early age, they can go on to do great things.

      Most schools have a lot of information about writing contests for teens. High school English teachers generally will announce the dates of the important teenage writing contests. The Scholastic Writing Awards is one of the biggest ones. If you can get national recognition in that contest, it will look very good on your college application and give you bragging rights to your friends. Most areas will also have a local writing contest for teens. When I went to high school, for example, the local Borders bookstore hosted a poetry contest. I ended up winning first prize in it, something which gave me the confidence to really take my writing to the next level.

      Of course, there are literally thousands of writing contests for teens out there. The problem is that not all of them are completely legitimate. It is important to pick and choose carefully. A small reading fee is not unusual, but don't pay more than 15 dollars or so. Also, read the fine print. Some so­called writing contests for teens aren't contests at all. They are essentially vanity publishing outfits. For the price of a reading fee, your teenager can win the chance to be published in an anthology, which you can then buy copies of.  This is fine if vanity publishing is something that interests you. It is not, however, a particularly good way to win money, awards, recognition. Good luck, and happy hunting!