Penguin Random House, and We Need Diverse Books (WNDB), have opened submissions for the 2025 Creative Writing Awards. This is the first year the awards include the James Baldwin Award for Fiction, in honor of the 100th birthday of the literary legend and civil rights champion.
Baldwin’s celebrated works include GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN, GIOVANNI’S ROOM, and IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK. The venerable author, one of the most important of the 20th century, was honored in 2024 for what would have been his 100th birthday. His legacy of wisdom and courage will inspire today’s students to honor their identities and work for freedom for all.
The 2025 competition launched on October 1, 2024, and closes on January 15, 2025—or when 1,000 applications have been submitted. Current high school seniors who attend public schools in the United States, including the District of Columbia and all U.S. territories, and are planning to attend college in fall 2025, are eligible and encouraged to apply.
Six first-place $10,000 prizes will be awarded in the categories of: the Freedom of Expression Award, the Amanda Gorman Award for Poetry, the Maya Angelou Award for Spoken Word, the Michelle Obama Award for Memoir, and the new James Baldwin Award for Fiction. In recognition of the Creative Writing Awards previously being centered in New York City, the competition will award an additional first-place prize to the top entrant from the NYC area. Runners up will also be honored.
Established in 1993, the Penguin Random House Creative Writing Awards have awarded more than $2.9 million dollars to public high school students for their original compositions. In addition to scholarships, Penguin Random House hosts a virtual development week for the Creative Writing Awards winners each summer that includes one-on-one virtual meetings with Penguin Random House editors, networking workshops, a panel about career opportunities in publishing, and fireside chats with Penguin Random House authors. The week concludes with a virtual awards ceremony.
To apply and to read more about eligibility and rules, please visit this website.
Winners will be announced and posted on the Penguin Random House Creative Writing Awards website in early June.
Hear from this year’s winners and learn more about the program in the video below:
