Updated October 2026
TL;DR
This guide explores Harvard essay competitions for high school students, comparing their topics, fees, deadlines, and eligibility, and helps you find one that fits your interests. The options range from a 500-word creative essay to a policy case that you present live on Zoom. Fees range from $10 to $95, while one competition is free as well. Most accept students in grades 9 to 12 from around the world, although one is limited to students in Greece. If you’d like to take your research beyond an essay competition, you can also explore the Horizon Academic Research Program.
For a lot of students, Harvard is the dream. Getting in is a long road, but you don’t have to wait until college to get a first taste. Harvard essay competitions let you write for readers at Harvard, compete with students from around the world, and see how your ideas hold up against a real rubric. This guide compares seven of them so you can see what each one asks for, what it costs, and when the next deadline falls. If you’d like a closer look at campus life too, see our list of Harvard summer programs for high school students.
What do Harvard essay competitions for high schoolers include?
Most ask you to research a topic, build an argument, and send it in by a deadline. Along the way, you practice finding reliable sources, writing a clear thesis, backing it with evidence, citing your work, and trimming everything down to a word limit. Topics cover politics, economics, law, international affairs, journalism, and philosophy. A few contests add a second round, like an expanded finals essay or a live defense in front of judges. Prizes run from certificates and website features to publication, mentorship credit, and book awards.
Which Harvard essay competition fits you?
| If you want | Look at |
| A short, structured contest you can enter from anywhere, with creative, argumentative, and journalistic tracks | Harvard Crimson Global Essay Competition |
| To write about international affairs and defend your article live | HIR Academic Writing Contest |
| To argue an economics question with evidence | Harvard International Economics Essay Contest |
| To write about law and the Constitution | Harvard Undergraduate Law Review High School Essay Contest |
| To write opinion pieces on politics and society, alone or with classmates | Harvard Political Review Essay Competition |
| To write a policy case and defend it on Zoom | Harvard Political Review Global Policy Case Competition |
| To write philosophy in Greek | Panhellenic Philosophical Essay Competition |
If you want contests beyond Harvard, our lists of free essay competitions for high school students and essay contests for high school students cover plenty more.
When are the deadlines for Harvard essay competitions?
The next few months are busy. Late registration for the Harvard Political Review Global Policy Case Competition closes November 1, 2026, with essays due November 6. The HIR Academic Writing Contest takes articles for its fall and winter cycle until January 2, 2027, and the Harvard International Economics Essay Contest closes January 5, 2027.
Registration for the Harvard Crimson Global Essay Competition runs until February 10, 2027. The Law Review contest, the Political Review Essay Competition, and the Panhellenic Philosophical Essay Competition have not posted 2027 dates, so you’ll see TBA below along with last cycle’s timing.
Harvard Essay Competitions for High School Students
1. Harvard Crimson Global Essay Competition
Location: Online (fully virtual)
Cost: $15 early bird (October 1 to December 15, 2026) | $20 regular (December 16, 2026 to February 10, 2027)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published
Program Dates: October 1, 2026 to March 31
Application Deadline: February 10
Eligibility: Ages 10 to 18 and enrolled in secondary or high school in February to March 2027, or graduated and not starting university before September 2027
The Harvard Crimson Global Essay Competition is one of the best-known contests for creative, argumentative, and journalistic writing. It runs two rounds, so your 500-word regional essay can grow into a 1,000 to 1,500-word piece if you reach the global finals. Top winners earn publication, Crimson mentorship credit, and a place on the Harvard Crimson Summer Journalism Course.
Who is it right for? Students who want a short, structured contest with a creative or journalism option.
2. HIR Academic Writing Contest
Location: Online (finalists present at a virtual Defense Day)
Cost: A registration fee is required before you submit. The amount is shown after registration
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Program Dates: Fall and winter cycle: articles due January 2, 2027, with Defense Day on February 5, 2027. Spring and summer 2027 cycles: TBA (previous spring cohort: articles due May 31)
Application Deadline: January 2
Eligibility: Senior contest for grades 9 to 12 (a separate junior contest exists for grades 7 and 8)
The HIR Academic Writing Contest asks for a short-form article on international affairs under one of three themes: Global Culture in the Digital Era, Security in a Multipolar World, or Technology, Innovation, and Power. The Harvard International Review scores every entry, and top scorers get invited to Defense Day, where you give a 15-minute presentation and answer judges’ questions. Prizes include certificates and a Bronze Medal, with your name on the HIR site, for the global top 20 percent.
Who is it right for? Students who follow world news and don’t mind defending an argument out loud.
3. Harvard International Economics Essay Contest (HIEEC)
Location: Online
Cost: $25 if your school is in the United States; $35 if outside the United States. An optional written feedback add-on costs $20
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published. The organizers report hundreds of essays from dozens of countries each year.
Program Dates: Opens October 26. Finalists and winners are announced in early to mid-March
Application Deadline: January 5
Eligibility: High school students worldwide, including homeschooled students. Grades 9 to 10 and grades 11 to 12 compete in separate divisions. Individual entries only
HIEEC lets you pick an official prompt or write on an economics question of your own. This year’s prompts ask whether AI is behind the weak job market for young workers, whether caps on international students help host countries, whether payment systems should be free, who should pay for climate damage to homes, and what minimum wages do to inequality. Essays run up to 1,500 words and are judged anonymously, with analysis, creativity, research, and structure worth five points each. In each division, 3 winners have their essays published on the Harvard Undergraduate Economics Association site.
For more economics options, see our list of economics essay competitions for high school students.
Who is it right for? Students who like turning a news headline into an evidence-backed argument.
4. Harvard Undergraduate Law Review High School Essay Contest
Location: Online
Cost: $10 entry fee. Fee waivers are available on request
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published. The Law Review says the contest draws hundreds of entries from four continents
Program Dates: TBA
Application Deadline: TBA
Eligibility: Full-time students in grades 9 to 12
The Harvard Undergraduate Law Review asks for a 750- to 1,000-word argumentative essay on a yearly theme, built around a law, a case, or a piece of the legal system. The last theme was “Privacy in the Digital Age,” and it called for specific legal case studies. Entries are scored on issue identification, argument, structure, style, and citations, so a clear thesis matters as much as a clever one. Winning pieces appear on the Law Review website and its social channels, and the winner gets an autographed book.
Who is it right for? Students who read court cases for fun or want to practice legal argument.
5. Harvard Political Review Essay Competition
Location: Online
Cost: $45 by January 15, $65 by March 1, $85 by March 15. Fee waivers are available for low-income students through a school counselor or principal
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published
Program Dates: TBA
Application Deadline: TBA (previous cohort: priority January 15, regular March 1, late March 15)
Eligibility: Grades 9 to 12 (high school category). Enter alone or on a team of 2 to 5 students from the same school.
The Harvard Political Review wants opinion essays written the way its own writers write them: 800 to 1,200 words in AP style. The recent cohort prompts ranged from the future of higher education to America’s 250th anniversary. On a team, each member answers a different prompt, and the team score comes from its top two individual scores. Everyone gets feedback and a one-hour live training with HPR members, and the top three global essays are featured on the HPR website.
Who is it right for? Students who want to write opinion pieces, alone or with classmates.
6. Harvard Political Review Global Policy Case Competition
Location: Online (final round live on Zoom)
Cost: $75 priority (August 1) | $85 regular (October 1) | $95 late (November 1, 2026) per student. Fee waivers are available.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Top 8 high school teams reach the final round
Program Dates: Essays due November 6. Live defense: December 6
Application Deadline: November 1
Eligibility: Grades 9 to 12 (Years 10 to 13). Teams of 1 to 5 students from the same school
Here you act like a policy analyst. You write an 800 to 1,200-word article that either evaluates a policy already in place or proposes a new one for a problem you care about. Finalists get 3 minutes to present and 5 minutes of questions from judges, which tests whether your evidence holds up under pressure. Honor and Merit certificates go to the top 25 and top 50 percent, and the Global Champion and two runners-up earn medals and a feature on the HPR website.
Who is it right for? Students who like data, public policy, and thinking on their feet.
7. Panhellenic Philosophical Essay Competition
Location: First phase at locations across Greece | final round at the University of Patras
Cost: Not specified
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Hundreds of students take part, and about 20 reach the final round
Program Dates: TBA (previous cohort: final round April 4 to 5)
Application Deadline: Not listed on the official page (TBA)
Eligibility: High school students in Greece. The competition is held in Greece.k
Philosophy contests rarely have a Harvard center behind them, and this one does. The University of Patras runs it, and Harvard’s Center for Hellenic Studies in Greece supports it with book prizes for winners. The yearly theme sets the puzzle (2026 was “Love”), and the top two finalists go on to the International Philosophy Olympiad. The center also offers one full scholarship place in its summer program in Nafplio to the winner of the competition’s international leg.
Who is it right for? Students in Greece who enjoy untangling big questions in writing.
How much do Harvard essay competitions cost?
| Program | Cost |
| Harvard Crimson Global Essay Competition | $15 early bird, $20 regular |
| HIR Academic Writing Contest | Registration fee required (amount on the form) |
| Harvard International Economics Essay Contest | $25 US school, $35 outside the US, plus optional $20 feedback |
| Harvard Undergraduate Law Review High School Essay Contest | $10, waivers on request |
| Harvard Political Review Essay Competition | TBA (2026: $45 to $85) |
| Harvard Political Review Global Policy Case Competition | $75 to $95 |
| Panhellenic Philosophical Essay Competition | No fee listed |
If you’re a junior, you could register for the economics contest in the fall, enter the international affairs contest by January 2, and still have until February 10 for the Crimson contest.
5 Tips to Write a Stronger Contest Essay
1. Pick the contest that matches how you write.
Some contests want creative or journalistic writing, some want opinion pieces, and some want evidence-heavy analysis. Use the table near the top to match the format to your strengths, because you’ll write a better essay in a style that already feels natural to you.
2. Read the judging criteria before you outline.
The economics contest scores analysis, creativity, research, and structure, with five points for each. The Law Review contest looks at issue identification, argument, structure, style, and citations. Build your outline around those headings, and you’ll know what each paragraph is supposed to do.
3. Follow the file and format rules exactly.
The economics contest wants one PDF with no name or school on it. The Law Review contest asked for Times New Roman 12, double-spaced, with the file named “Last Name_First Name_Summer2026” in 2026. The political review contests use AP style. These are easy points to lose, so check them against the official page before you submit.
4. Start your research early.
The economics prompts come out October 26 and entries close January 5, which gives you about ten weeks. The policy case contest moves faster, with essays due November 6 and a live defense on December 6. A longer runway gives you time to read your sources properly instead of skimming them the night before.
5. Keep the topic going after the deadline.
A good contest essay often leaves you with a question you can’t shake. If that happens, our guide on what you can do with a high school research paper shows where a longer project can go, and our guides to publishing research in high school and submitting a paper to competitions and conferences cover the next steps. If you’re weighing the bigger picture, here are 8 reasons research experience helps your college application. Mentored research is what a program like Horizon is built for.
Still not satisfied and want to research your own question?
An essay contest rewards a tight argument in 500 to 1,500 words. If you want more room to dig into one subject, the Horizon Academic Research Program is a selective online research program where you work with a PhD scholar or professor to write a 20-page, university-level research paper on a topic you choose.
You can join a small-group Professor Seminar or work 1:1 in a PhD Lab, and Horizon lists more than 600 research specializations across STEM, social sciences, and the humanities. You can also browse more options in our list of Harvard research programs for high school students.
What you might still be wondering about these Harvard essay contests
It depends on the contest. Most give you official prompts or a yearly theme, and a couple let you choose your own policy area or your own question. Look at the prompt list early, since a theme can shape how much research you need.
Mostly solo. A couple of the political and policy contests let you team up with classmates from your own school, in groups of up to five, while the rest take individual entries.
Yes. The deadlines are spread from late fall through spring, so you can often fit in two or three, and you should check each contest’s rules before reusing an essay. For more options to fill your calendar, see our list of writing competitions for high school students.
Most are single essays between about 500 and 1,500 words. If you’d like to work on a topic at greater length, the Horizon Academic Research Program pairs you online with a PhD scholar or professor to write a 20-page paper on a question you choose.
It varies a lot. Some contests give certificates and a feature on a website; others add publication, medals, mentorship credit, or a book prize; and one includes a place on a summer journalism course. Reading the prize list first helps you decide which one is worth your time.
Sometimes. A few give every entrant feedback, others share rubric comments only with finalists, and one sells written judge comments as an optional add-on. Check the feedback policy before you pay an entry fee.
Image source: Horizon Academic Research Program