Creative Writing Scholarship Competition
Are you the next Stephen King or J.K. Rowling? Make your literary mark at Thea Foundation first, and you could win thousands of dollars in scholarships for college, then your future is yours to write!
Each year, dozens of students from across the state of Arkansas submit their prose to Thea Foundation’s Creative Writing Scholarship Competition, and our panel of judges, which in the past has included acclaimed authors Jay Jennings, Phillip McMath, Paula Morell, Janis Kearney and others, selects five phenomenal pieces.
NEW: Virtual Q&A Sessions for the 2021 Thea Scholarship Competitions
We want to help clarify any questions or concerns about the 2021 scholarship competition season. Zoom Q&A sessions are available with Paul Leopoulos, Thea Foundation Co-Founder and Scholarship Coordinator, beginning Saturday, October 10. All interested teachers, parents, and students are invited to participate. Register for the best date that works for you here.
SENIOR SCHOLARSHIPS
1st Place – $4,000
2nd Place – $3,500
3rd Place - $3,000
4th Place - $2,500
5th Place - $2,000
ONLINE REGISTRATION and UPLOAD DEADLINE
Noon - Friday, January 22, 2021
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Word Count: Maximum 1,000 words
Style: Fictional short story, prose, or poetry
Theme: This year's theme is "What it means to be me." Judges will consider interpretation of the theme in judging written works.
Format ***Important***: All submissions must be typed and double-spaced, with 1-inch margins and 12-point Times New Roman font. Each page must be numbered at the bottom, and include the title of the short story or poem at the top. Your name and school must be included at the top left corner of the first page only. Please no title pages. You need to convert your entry into a PDF format file before you upload.
Entries formatted incorrectly will be disqualified from the competition.
Originality: All entries must be original works; no plagiarism or copyright infringement.
You may submit only one entry to the competition.
Registration and Upload (A two step process)
Each applicant must register online using the link below. After you have registered you need to upload your creative writing entry. Your upload may be at a different time if needed but be sure you upload your entry and headshot before the deadline.
Naming your entry and headshot files
You may upload your creative writing entry at anytime before the deadline. Be sure you have converted your entry into a PDF formatted file and your headshot into jpg file. Be sure you name the file according to these instructions.
e.g. Entry Name: "last name" "first name" "entry"
leopoulos_paul_entry.pdf
e.g. Headshot: "last name" "first name" headshot
leopoulos_paul_headshot.jpg
Both files may be uploaded at the same time using the button below.
Deadline Noon - Friday, January 22, 2021
Deadline Noon - Friday, January 22, 2021
You MUST Regiater & Upload
To see our 2019 winners, click here!
Rules and Regulations
By visiting this page you understand that this information has been available to you starting August 19, 2020, and that failure to read this information or register for a scholarship before the registration deadline is to no fault of the Thea Foundation. The Thea Foundation makes every attempt possible within its means to notify students, parents, teachers, counselors, and the general public of the availability of its scholarship competitions and will not allow late registration predicated on the notion that an individual party was not aware of the information regarding deadlines.
Registering for a Thea Foundation Scholarship Competition requires students to register online via a gravity form. Students may only register through the specific portal that the Foundation has created for each scholarship competition. Thea staff will not register students for scholarship competitions.
The Foundation recognizes that issues may arise during the registration process either from faulty equipment, user error, or issues beyond the control of either the registrant or the Foundation. The Foundation makes available the registration for their scholarship competitions many months in advance to provide time to those having technical difficulties during the registering process.
Only high school seniors enrolled in either public, private or home schools in Arkansas are eligible to register for a Thea Foundation Scholarship Competition. A high school senior means any student who is currently completing the 12th grade in public or private school or any home school student who lists the 11th grade as their last grade level completed on their Notice of Intent to Home School on file with the Arkansas Department of Education for the current school year.