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How to Enter
Entering, step by step.
Every contest is free and submitted online during its open window. Here is exactly how the process works — from picking the right contest to the moment you hit submit — plus the rules and the mistakes that cost students a place.
01 · The process
Five steps to a submitted entry.
Confirm eligibility & pick the open contest
Contests run one at a time across the year. Check the calendar, confirm you fall within the age range (roughly 13–19), and choose the contest that is currently open.
Read the official rules and the rubric
Each contest page publishes its full rules, a judging rubric, and examples of past winners. Read all three before you write — the rubric tells you exactly what judges reward.
Draft early, then revise hard
Start well before the deadline. Get feedback from a teacher, parent or mentor, then cut. The strongest entries are revised many times; the constraint (a word count, a time limit) is part of the craft.
Submit on the official Learning Network form
Entries are submitted through the contest’s online form on nytimes.com during the open window, which usually closes late in the evening U.S. Pacific time on the deadline day. Submit early to avoid last-minute problems.
After you submit
Judging takes several weeks. Winners, runners-up and honorable mentions are announced on the Learning Network, and many winning entries are published on nytimes.com. There is nothing more to do but wait — and start the next one.
02 · The rules that matter
Read these before you write.
- Original work
- Your entry must be your own, created for this contest, and not previously published (including on a personal blog or social media).
- Length limits
- Each contest sets a strict limit — e.g. exactly 100 words for the memoir, about 400 for an open letter, roughly five minutes of audio. Going over can disqualify an otherwise strong entry.
- Using A.I.
- The work and thinking must be your own. Follow each contest’s stated policy on A.I. tools, and disclose any use where the rules ask you to. When in doubt, write it yourself.
- Citing sources
- If you quote, paraphrase or use data, facts or images from others, credit them as the rules require. Photo and audio entries must use material you have the right to use.
- Deadlines
- Entries must be submitted before the contest closes — typically late evening U.S. Pacific time. Late entries are not accepted, so don’t wait for the final hour.
- One entry
- Usually one entry per student per contest. Some contests permit group entries; confirm before you plan collaborative work.
03 · Deadlines
The season at a glance.
Typical windows for the 2025–2026 season. Confirm exact open and close dates on each contest’s official page before you submit.
| Contest | You submit | Window |
|---|---|---|
| Growing Up With A.I. | Writing / art / audio / video | Fall |
| My Tiny Memoir | 100-word narrative | Late Oct – early Dec |
| Local Lens | Photo essay + captions | Dec – mid Jan |
| My List | Review of 3–5 works, up to 600 words | Mid Jan – late Feb |
| Open Letters | Open letter, up to 500 words | Late Feb – early Apr |
| Audio Stories | Podcast up to ~5 min | Apr – mid May |
| Voice & Choice | Weekly response | June – Aug |
04 · Tips by format
Submitting each kind of entry.
- Written entries
- Paste plain text into the form and check the live word count before submitting — the limit is exact. Titles usually don’t count toward it, but confirm on the contest page. Proofread once more inside the form; copy-paste can drop characters or formatting.
- Photo essays
- Prepare your images at a reasonable resolution, in the order you want them read, and write each caption before you upload. Make sure every photo is your own, and that anyone clearly identifiable is comfortable being shown.
- Audio & podcast
- Export a clean file in a common format, keep it under the time limit with a few seconds to spare, and listen back end to end for levels and dead air. Have any music or clips cleared for use.
- Multimedia & review
- For Growing Up With A.I., choose the single medium that best serves your idea rather than combining several. For My List, settle your grouping first — the connection between your picks is half the entry.
05 · After you submit
What happens next.
Once the window closes, judging takes several weeks. Entries are typically read in rounds by Learning Network staff, Times journalists and educators, with the strongest advanced and re-read before the final selections are made. There is nothing more for you to do but wait — and, ideally, start drafting for the next contest.
Results are announced on the Learning Network, grouped into winners, runners-up and honourable mentions. Because the runner-up and honourable-mention lists are usually far longer than the winners’ list, many more students are recognised than the headline number suggests — and any of those is a real, citable credit. Selected entries are published on nytimes.com.
Whatever the outcome, keep your entry and your submission confirmation. A finished, submitted piece is something you can show a teacher or an admissions reader, revise for the next contest, or simply measure your next attempt against.
06 · Avoid these
Common reasons entries get cut.
- ×Going over the word or time limit, even by a little.
- ×Submitting work that was published elsewhere first, or isn’t fully your own.
- ×Missing the deadline by waiting until the final hour.
- ×Ignoring the actual prompt or rubric and writing what you wanted instead.
- ×Using sources, images or audio without permission or credit.
- ×Submitting a first draft with no revision.
Want a second pair of eyes before you submit?
Message us on WhatsApp — we help with contest registration, one-on-one topic coaching, and full guidance to the deadline.
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