Phyliss J. McCarthy Scholarship for Excellence in Writing

Entries will be accepted until July 23rd, 2020. On August 6th, 2020, a grand prize scholarship winner ($1,000) and two runners up ($50) will be announced, and (pending author approval) their stories will be featured on the Learncurious website and blog. Entrants must be current or rising (2020-2021) high school juniors or seniors to win.
2020 Prompts:
In 3000 words or fewer, respond to one of the following prompts:

• NARRATIVE: Tell a story about someone coping with loss or taking a leap of faith.
• META: Describe a major turning point in your evolution as a writer.
• WACKY: Complete the 20 Mad-Lib-style fill-in-the-blanks below, then craft a story that includes each of your chosen words at least once.

​
(singular noun)
(item found on a nature hike)
(positive personality trait)
(action verb)
(number between 1934-2019)
(color)
(type of food)
(plural noun)
(location)
(animal)
(verb ending in -ing)
(mode of transportation)
(plural noun that ends with an apostrophe)
(TV show)
(adverb)
(random word you like the sound of)
(contraction)
(article of clothing)
(adjective)
(something comforting)

Entrants must be current or rising (2020-2021) high school juniors or seniors to win. US citizens and international students are welcome to apply.

On August 6th, 2020, a grand prize scholarship winner ($1,000) and two runners up ($50) will be announced, and (pending author approval) their stories will be featured on the Learncurious website and blog. Prize money is intended to help with college application costs, test-taking fees, college visits, or first-year college expenses.

Please apply using the submission form on our website.
Thank you!