14 Humanities Competitions for High School Students

If you’re a high school student interested in writing, history, or philosophy, consider joining a humanities competition!

These competitions allow you to explore advanced concepts and develop practical skills across essay writing, debate, and critical analysis. You will have the chance to work with real texts and sources, learn to build clear arguments, and explore how humanities ideas connect to fields like law, media, and government. Many humanities competitions also include mentorship, collaborative projects, and opportunities to present your work, helping you gain early exposure to real-world academic practices.

What do humanities competitions for high school students include?

Humanities competitions offer many academic opportunities that help you gain in-depth knowledge across writing, history, and philosophy. Many respected organizations, universities, and journals host these competitions, giving you access to experienced judges and useful feedback. 

You’ll get the opportunity to work on hands-on tasks, from writing original essays and debating current issues to analyzing primary sources and presenting independent research projects. Some competitions also include workshops, live debate rounds, and publishing opportunities, allowing you to see how humanities work applies in real-world settings. 

To make your search easier, we’ve narrowed down our list to 15 humanities competitions for high school students that you can explore!

Key Takeaways

• 14 humanities competitions span a wide range of formats, from individual essay contests like the Concord Review to team-based events like the National Economics Challenge, to live speech and debate at the National Speech & Debate Tournament.
• Most competitions on this list are free to enter, though a few charge fees. The Harvard International Economics Essay Competition costs $20 for US applicants and $30 for international applicants, and We the People National Finals carries a participation fee of $7,500.
• Format diversity is notable across this list. National History Day allows submissions as a paper, documentary, exhibit, website, or performance, and the Ocean Awareness Contest accepts visual art, creative writing, poetry, film, music, and dance, giving students multiple ways to express their research or argument.
• Humanities competitions are a strong way to build writing, research, and argumentation skills across many disciplines, but they are not the only path for a student interested in independent research. Those who want to pursue a longer research project might consider Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs, a mentored virtual research program with 600+ specializations across subjects like political theory, data science, and biology.

1. National History Day

National History Day is a history research competition that invites high school students to investigate a historical topic connected to an annual theme. You will begin by selecting a topic and conducting research using primary and secondary sources from libraries, archives, museums, interviews, and digital collections. Based on your findings, you can develop a historical argument and present it as a paper, documentary, exhibit, website, or performance. As part of the project, you will also prepare an annotated bibliography and a process paper documenting your research and project development. Entries advance through regional and affiliate contests, with top projects qualifying for the National Contest, where students present their work to judges and receive detailed feedback.

2. The Concord Review History Essay Contest

The Concord Review is a quarterly journal that publishes history research papers written by high school students. To participate, you must submit an original history paper that is typically between 4,000 and 6,000 words, although longer submissions are also accepted. Papers can focus on any historical topic and must be supported by substantial research using primary and secondary sources, with citations and endnotes following academic conventions. Submitted papers undergo editorial review, and selected essays will be published in the journal alongside work from students around the world. The publication has featured research on topics ranging from ancient civilizations and political movements to military history and social change.

3. National Economics Challenge

The National Economics Challenge is a team-based economics competition organized by the Council for Economic Education for high school students in the United States. The competition tests your knowledge of microeconomics, macroeconomics, international economics, and current economic events through a combination of individual assessments, team challenges, and quiz-bowl-style rounds. You can compete in teams of three or four students and advance through state, semifinal, and national rounds. As a participant, you will compete in one of two divisions: the Adam Smith Division for students enrolled in AP, IB, honors, or advanced economics courses, and the David Ricardo Division for students with limited economics coursework. In the national semifinal round, you are required to complete a 45-question assessment covering core economics concepts and current events. Teams that advance to the National Finals take part in critical-thinking case challenges and live quiz bowl competitions.

4. Harvard International Economics Essay Competition (HIEEC)

The Harvard International Economics Essay Competition (HIEEC) is an annual economics writing competition hosted by the Harvard Undergraduate Economics Association (HUEA) for high school students worldwide. If competing, you can choose one of four economics-focused prompts and submit an original essay of up to 1,500 words. Recent topics have explored issues such as carbon offset markets, universal basic income, remote work and labor markets, and blockchain-based public finance systems. The competition requires you to apply economic theory to contemporary policy questions, evaluate competing perspectives, and support your arguments with evidence and research. Essays are reviewed by HUEA judges, with top submissions advancing to final adjudication by an economist. The competition publishes a list of finalists, winners, and highly commended participants, and selected winning essays may be published online.

5. National Speech & Debate Tournament

The National Speech & Debate Tournament is the annual championship tournament of the National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) and is one of the largest academic competitions for high school students in the United States. You must first qualify through an NSDA district tournament or the Last Chance Qualifier, making the tournament more selective than open-entry competitions. Students compete in a wide range of events, including Public Forum Debate, Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Policy Debate, Congressional Debate, World Schools Debate, Original Oratory, Informative Speaking, Extemporaneous Speaking, and interpretation events. Depending on your event, you may deliver prepared speeches, debate current policy issues, analyze evidence, respond to questions, or perform literary works before panels of judges. The tournament consists of multiple preliminary and elimination rounds held over nearly a week. 

6. Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

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The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards recognize creative work by students in grades 7–12 across a wide range of writing categories. If you enter, you can submit original work in categories such as Critical Essay, Journalism, Personal Essay & Memoir, Poetry, Short Story, Flash Fiction, Novel Writing, Screenplays & Scripts, and Speculative Fiction. Submissions must meet specific requirements; for example, Journalism and Personal Essay & Memoir entries must be between 500 and 3,000 words, while Novel entries consist of an excerpt of up to 3,000 words accompanied by a synopsis. Your work will first be reviewed at the regional level, where it may receive a Gold Key, Silver Key, or Honorable Mention, with Gold Key entries advancing to national judging.

7. Adroit Prizes for Poetry and Prose

The Adroit Prizes are annual creative writing competitions for outstanding poetry and prose by high school and undergraduate students. You may submit poetry portfolios containing up to five poems or prose portfolios containing up to three pieces of fiction or creative nonfiction. Entries will be reviewed by guest judges who are established authors and poets. Winning, runner-up, and finalist works are featured by The Adroit Journal, a literary magazine that publishes emerging and established writers. The competition accepts submissions from students around the world and allows both poetry and prose entries. 

8. We the People National Finals

The We the People National Finals is a civics and constitutional studies competition that serves as the culminating event of the We the People program. To qualify, your team must typically win a state-level competition or receive a wildcard invitation. During the competition, you will participate in simulated congressional hearings where student teams present prepared testimony on constitutional and civic issues before panels of judges acting as legislators. Each presentation includes a four-minute statement followed by questions from the judges, requiring teams to defend their arguments using historical evidence and constitutional principles. Teams are divided into groups that address different units of the We the People curriculum, covering topics related to government, democracy, and constitutional interpretation.

9. National High School Ethics Bowl

The NHSEB Student Case Competition is a writing competition that invites high school students to develop original ethics cases for potential inclusion in future National High School Ethics Bowl materials. You can write a case study between 500 and 700 words that presents a clear moral issue, is appropriate for high school students, and encourages thoughtful disagreement. Cases are expected to focus on ethical questions rather than primarily legal or professional disputes. Submissions must be original work, though properly cited source material may be incorporated when relevant. Eligible students submit their cases through the NHSEB application portal, where entries are reviewed for both competition awards and possible publication in future case sets.

10. The National Personal Finance Challenge (NPFC)

The National Personal Finance Challenge (NPFC) is a team-based financial literacy competition for high school students by the Council for Economic Education. You can compete as part of a team to demonstrate your understanding of personal finance topics, including earning income, spending, saving, investing, managing credit, and managing risk. The competition begins with an online 30-question challenge, with top-performing teams advancing through state-level rounds to the national competition. At the national level, your team will analyze a financial planning case study involving a fictional family and develop recommendations based on the scenario. The highest-performing teams then advance to a Quiz Bowl round that tests personal finance knowledge through live questioning.

11. The New York Times Summer Reading Contest

The New York Times Summer Reading Contest is a weekly writing and media competition that requires students to respond to journalism published by The New York Times. As a participant, you can choose an article, essay, podcast, video, graphic, photograph, or other Times content that captured your attention and explain why it stood out to you. Entries may be submitted as either a written response of up to 1,500 characters (about 250 words) or a video lasting up to 90 seconds. The contest runs for ten weeks during the summer, and you may submit one entry each week. Judges will evaluate submissions based on the originality of the response, evidence of close engagement with the source material, critical thinking, and personal reflection. Weekly winners will be recognized by The New York Times Learning Network and have their work featured online.

12. International Philosophy Olympiad

The International Philosophy Olympiad (IPO) is an international philosophy competition for high school students centered on the analysis of philosophical ideas through essay writing. You are required to qualify through national-level philosophy essay competitions, with each participating country typically sending up to two student representatives. During the Olympiad, you can choose one of four philosophical prompts and write an original essay within a four-hour time limit. Essays must be written in one of the competition’s official languages, namely, English, French, German, or Spanish, but not in the official language of your home country. Submissions will be evaluated based on relevance to the topic, philosophical understanding, coherence, argumentative strength, and originality. 

13. National Latin Exam Scholarship and Contest Program

The National Latin Exam Scholarships are a collection of scholarship and award opportunities offered to students who demonstrate achievement in Latin language and classical studies through the National Latin Exam. Several scholarships are available, including the Maureen O’Donnell Scholarship for Academic Excellence, which awards up to fifteen $2,000 scholarships annually to qualifying high school seniors who excel on advanced-level NLE exams. Additional opportunities support educational travel, future Latin educators, and students pursuing graduate study in Latin or Greek instruction. Many scholarships require you to continue studying Latin, classical Greek, or related subjects after high school. 

14. Ocean Awareness Contest

The Ocean Awareness Contest is a creative competition that challenges you to explore ocean and environmental issues through artistic and multimedia projects. Each year, the contest centers on a theme related to ocean conservation, climate change, and the relationship between people and the natural world. You can submit work in categories such as visual art, creative writing, poetry, film, music, dance, and multimedia projects. You may participate individually or as part of a group, depending on the category. Entries are evaluated on their engagement with the theme, originality, and overall execution.

One more option – Horizon Academic Research Program

If you’re looking for a competitive mentored research program in subjects like data science, machine learning, political theory, biology, and chemistry, consider applying to Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs! This is a selective virtual research program that lets you engage in advanced research and develop a research paper on a subject of your choosing. Horizon has worked with 1000+ high school students so far and offers 600+ research specializations for you to choose from. You can find the application link here!

Frequently Asked Questions

Which of these competitions are free to enter?

Most competitions on this list are free, including the National Economics Challenge, National High School Ethics Bowl aside from its school registration fee, the National Personal Finance Challenge, and the Ocean Awareness Contest.

Which competitions offer the largest scholarships or cash prizes?

The National Speech & Debate Tournament awards a combined $100,000 in scholarships across its many events, making it one of the most lucrative options on this list.

Which competitions focus specifically on economics or personal finance?

The National Economics Challenge and the Harvard International Economics Essay Competition both focus on economic theory and policy, while the National Personal Finance Challenge centers specifically on personal financial literacy topics like budgeting, credit, and investing.

Are any of these competitions team-based rather than individual?

Yes. The National Economics Challenge, We the People National Finals, and the National Personal Finance Challenge all require teams of three or more students, while competitions like the John Locke Institute Essay Competition and The Concord Review are submitted individually.

What if I am interested in a longer research project rather than a single competition entry?

These competitions are generally centered on a single essay, case, or performance, but students looking for a more extensive, mentored research experience might consider Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs, a selective virtual research program that pairs students with a mentor to develop an original research paper across subjects like political theory, data science, and biology.

Image source: University of Maryland