New York Times Student Editorial Contest: A Complete Guide

Finding your voice as a young writer can be powerful, especially when it reaches a global audience. The New York Times Student Editorial Contest gives students exactly that opportunity: a national platform to share their opinions on the issues they care about most. 

If you’ve ever wanted your ideas to reach a wider audience, this writing contest is your chance. In this complete guide, you’ll learn what the contest is, how to enter, what winners receive, and how to write an open letter that stands out to The New York Times judges. 

• What Is the New York Times Student Editorial Contest?
• New York Times Student Editorial Contest Awards and Prizes
• How to Qualify for the New York Times Student Editorial Contest
• How to Enter the New York Times Student Editorial Contest
• How to Win the New York Times Student Editorial Contest
• New York Times Student Editorial Contest Previous Winners
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Takeaways

What Is the New York Times Student Editorial Contest?

The New York Times Student Editorial Contest gives students a national platform to make their voices heard on real-world issues. Although it is still widely recognized under this name, the contest was officially rebranded by The New York Times Learning Network as “Open Letters: Our Opinion Writing Contest.” 

This writing contest invites middle and high school students around the world to craft a persuasive editorial in the form of an open letter. You address a real person or organization that has the power to act on your chosen issue. Your letter should make a clear argument and be supported by credible evidence, including at least one source from The New York Times and one non-Times source.

The contest is open to students ages 13 to 19, regardless of nationality. Each entry is limited to 450–500 words, requiring concise, focused, and persuasive writing. Winning entries are published on the Learning Network’s official site, where they reach a wider public audience.

Past winning topics have ranged from global issues like climate change and gender equality to local community concerns such as school policies or access to hearing aids. What unites them all is a clear voice, strong reasoning, and the ability to inspire action.

New York Times Student Editorial Contest Awards and Prizes

At the New York Times Student Editorial Contest, top-performing students earn recognition for their outstanding writing, research, and persuasive argumentation. While the contest does not offer cash awards, its emphasis on publication in a major national outlet and official acknowledgement makes it one of the most respected writing competitions for students.

Below is a summary of the recognition given to selected participants each year:

Although medals, trophies, or monetary awards are not granted, publication through the New York Times Learning Network and formal recognition by the Times staff and educators serve as valuable academic credentials. Many students list the award on college or scholarship applications.

All results are officially announced on the New York Times Learning Network site approximately two months after the submission deadline.

How to Qualify for the New York Times Student Editorial Contest

If you’re preparing for the New York Times Student Editorial Contest, you’ll need to meet the eligibility criteria, follow the submission requirements, and submit before the deadline.

Below is a breakdown of how to qualify:

Eligibility

You must:

• Be a student in middle school or high school (generally ages 13–19).
• Not be enrolled as a full-time undergraduate college student.
• Have a parent or teacher submit on your behalf (if you are under the minimum age for independent submission, which varies by year)
• Not be the child or close relative of a New York Times employee.
• Submit only one editorial. (Team submissions may be allowed, but each student may appear only once.)

Submission requirements and format

Here’s what you’ll need to prepare:

• Write an open letter (the contest’s updated format) addressed to a person or group who can influence your chosen issue.
• Keep your entry to 500 words or fewer (title and sources excluded).
• Include at least one article from The New York Times and one non-Times source in your citations.
• Make sure your submission is original, unpublished elsewhere, and written solely by you.
• Submit only your first version. Revised or duplicate submissions will not be accepted.

Entry fee

There is no entry fee to join the New York Times Student Editorial Contest. Entry is free for all eligible students.

Deadline

For the 2025–2026 cycle, the “Open Letters” contest runs from February 25 to April 8, 2026. Be sure to submit your entry by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on April 8, 2026. However, ideally try to submit early to avoid last-minute technical issues.

How to Enter the New York Times Student Editorial Contest

Joining the New York Times Student Editorial Contest is straightforward, but it requires close attention to official rules and writing guidelines. This section will guide you through each stage to make sure your entry is eligible, properly formatted, and submitted on time.

Step 1: Review the contest structure.

Timeline: February–April

Before writing, take time to understand the contest’s updated format. The competition, now branded as “Open Letters: Our Opinion Writing Contest” by The New York Times Learning Network, invites middle and high school students worldwide to write open letters addressing real issues that matter to them.

Your letter should:

• Be written in English.
• Contain 500 words or fewer (excluding title and sources).
• Be persuasive, clearly structured, and backed by evidence.
• Address a specific person, group, or organization who can act on your issue.

All submissions are reviewed by editors and educators affiliated with The New York Times Learning Network and evaluated based on originality, argument strength, clarity, and use of credible sources.

Step 2: Check your eligibility.

Timeline: February–March

To qualify, you must be a student between the ages of 13 and 19 and enrolled in middle or high school at the time of submission. Essays must be original, unpublished, and written entirely by you. Only one entry per student is allowed.

If you are under the minimum age to submit independently, a teacher or parent may submit on your behalf through the official online portal.

Entries found to include plagiarism, AI-generated content, or uncredited collaboration will be disqualified.

Step 3: Choose your topic.

Timeline: Late February–Early March

Instead of fixed prompts, the New York Times Student Editorial Contest allows full creative freedom. You can write about any issue you care about, from global environmental policies to local school programs, as long as your letter:

• Addresses a real audience that can take action.
• Makes a clear, evidence-based argument.
• Draws from at least one article from The New York Times and one non-Times source to strengthen your claims.

Past winners have written about diverse topics, including book bans, climate action, hearing aid accessibility, and gender representation in media.

Step 4: Plan, write, and edit your open letter.

Timeline: March 

Start drafting early so you can revise and refine your writing before the deadline. Follow this structure:

• Introduction. Identify the problem or issue and establish its importance.
• Body paragraphs. Present evidence, examples, and reasoning to support your stance.
• Conclusion. Address your audience directly and propose an actionable solution.

When editing, focus on conciseness and tone. Every sentence should serve your argument. Read your letter aloud to check flow and clarity.

Before submission, double-check:

• Word count (500 or fewer).
• Proper citations for all sources.
• Inclusion of a clear title and audience identification.

Step 5: Submit your entry.

Timeline: April 8 (Deadline at 11:59 p.m. PT)

Once your essay is finalized, submit it through the official New York Times Learning Network submission form (the submission form is closed for now, but it will open again once the 2026 contest round starts). You’ll be required to provide your name, age, school, and a short description of your topic.

There is no entry fee, and all eligible students may participate. Each student may submit only one letter.

Make sure to submit before 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on April 8, 2026 since late entries are not accepted.

Step 6: Wait for the announcement of results.

Timeline: June–July 

After the contest closes, judges spend several weeks reviewing submissions. The New York Times Learning Network publishes the results on its official website.

Each year, the site lists Winners, Runners-Up, and Honorable Mentions. Winning and selected essays are published online with the author’s byline, while additional entries may be cited for distinction.

This recognition helps you build a strong writing portfolio and enhances your academic credentials for college applications and scholarships.

How to Win the New York Times Student Editorial Contest

Winning the New York Times Student Editorial Contest means writing an open letter that is thoughtful, persuasive, and emotionally engaging. Judges look for entries that demonstrate strong critical thinking, a personal voice, and a clear sense of purpose.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you craft a winning submission:

1. Understand the format.

Before you begin, study the structure of an open letter. It should read like a personal letter directed to a real person or organization but with the persuasive tone of an editorial. Unlike a traditional essay, it directly addresses its audience using “you.”

Keep in mind: the contest limits entries to 500 words or fewer, so every sentence must carry weight. Review the official rules and past winning essays to understand how successful writers balance argument, emotion, and brevity.

2. Read selected examples.

Explore previous winners published on the New York Times Learning Network. Notice how each letter begins with a strong opening, introduces a specific issue, and offers a call to action.

Reading real examples can teach you how to:

• Hook readers within the first few lines.
• Incorporate research naturally.
• Maintain a respectful yet persuasive tone.

Look for diversity in style and topic. Past winners have written about accessibility, environmental policy, and even local school reforms.

3. Decide whom you’d like to write to and what you want to say.

Your letter must be directed to a person, group, or institution that has the power to make real change. Be specific. Instead of addressing “society,” consider writing to your local mayor, a school superintendent, or a company executive.

Once you know your audience, define your message clearly. What problem do you want them to fix? What action are you urging them to take? Clarity of purpose is what separates a good entry from a great one.

4. Write your first draft as a letter, not an essay.

Approach your piece as a genuine letter. Use a conversational tone while maintaining structure and evidence-based reasoning. Avoid academic stiffness—the best entries sound like real people writing passionately about real issues.

Start with a compelling hook, state your argument clearly, and guide your reader toward an achievable solution. Each paragraph should build on the one before it, leading to a natural conclusion.

5. Make sure the tone fits your audience and purpose.

Your tone should reflect both respect and urgency. If you’re addressing a policymaker, be professional but assertive. If you’re writing to a company or organization, balance critique with constructive suggestions.

Judges appreciate writers who can convey emotion without hostility. Empathy often strengthens persuasion—a calm, reasoned argument usually resonates more than a confrontational one.

6. Remember that an open letter is a type of opinion essay.

Even though the format is a letter, your argument should be built on logic and evidence. Support your claims with facts, data, and credible sources, including at least one article from The New York Times and one from another publication.

Blend your research with personal insight. Judges reward essays that connect lived experience with broader social issues, creating writing that feels both informed and authentic.

7. Edit your letter and submit.

Editing is just as important as writing. Review your letter several times for clarity, grammar, and flow. Read it aloud to hear how it sounds. Every word should serve your argument, so remove anything that doesn’t.

Before submission, confirm that:

• Your letter meets the 500-word limit.
• Your sources are properly cited.
• Your title is concise and meaningful.
• You’ve identified your intended recipient.

Once satisfied, submit your final version through the official New York Times Learning Network form before the April deadline.

New York Times Student Editorial Contest Previous Winners

Each year, the New York Times Student Editorial Contest (now branded as the Open Letters Contest) celebrates student writers who demonstrate originality, clarity, and powerful argumentation on issues that matter to them.

In 2025, the Learning Network received 9,946 entries from students worldwide. From these submissions, the judges selected 10 winners, 13 runners-up, 40 honorable mentions, and 139 additional finalists who reached the final round of judging.

Below is the list of the 2025 Winners and their essay titles:

The New York Times publishes only the winning essays, along with the names of runners-up, honorable mentions, and finalists, on the official Learning Network website. The essays of runners-up and finalists are not publicly released in full.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How many students participate in the New York Times Student Editorial Contest?

The New York Times does not publicly release participation numbers for every year of the contest, but it consistently draws thousands of submissions from around the world. In 2025, the New York Times Student Editorial Contest—officially titled the Open Letters Contest—received 9,946 entries from teenagers globally.

2. What makes the New York Times Student Editorial Contest different from other writing competitions?

Unlike many high school writing contests that focus on creative or analytical essays, the New York Times Editorial Contest emphasizes persuasive opinion writing through the format of an open letter. Students must address a specific person, group, or institution that can influence real change, making the contest uniquely focused on civic engagement and public discourse.

3. How do I enter the New York Times Student Editorial Contest?

Students can submit their open letters directly through the New York Times Learning Network submission form during the contest window. There is no nomination, entry fee, or qualifying round required. Entrants must follow all official contest rules, including the 500-word limit, original authorship, and proper citation format. Each student may submit only one letter per year, and all work must be unpublished and written entirely by the entrant.

4. When is the submission deadline for the New York Times Student Editorial Contest 2025?

For the 2025–2026 contest cycle, submissions are open from February 25 to April 8, 2026, with a final deadline of 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. Late entries are not accepted, so students are strongly encouraged to finalize and submit their open letters well ahead of time to avoid technical issues.

5. What do winners of the NYT Student Editorial Contest receive?

Winners are recognized on the New York Times Learning Network website, with their essays published under their bylines. In 2025, the contest honored 10 winners, 13 runners-up, 40 honorable mentions, and 139 finalists. While the contest does not offer cash prizes, being featured by The New York Times provides students with a valuable credential that strengthens both their academic and college application profiles.

Takeaways

The New York Times Student Editorial Contest gives students an opportunity to engage with real-world issues, strengthen their persuasive writing, and participate in global discussions through the art of the open letter. Here are the key takeaways to keep in mind:

• The New York Times Editorial Contest encourages students to express their opinions on meaningful topics that affect their communities and the wider world. By writing an open letter, participants learn how to communicate ideas clearly, argue effectively, and use evidence to support their stance—skills that are valuable across academic and professional fields.
• Each year’s contest highlights the power of youth perspectives in shaping public dialogue. The 2025 round, for example, featured nearly 10,000 entries from students around the world, showcasing diverse opinions on issues like education reform, climate action, gender equality, and technology ethics.
• Winners receive national recognition, with their essays published on The New York Times Learning Network under their bylines. In 2025, the NYT Student Editorial Contest honored 10 winners, 13 runners-up, 40 honorable mentions, and 139 finalists, demonstrating the contest’s selectivity and prestige.
• The best essays pair originality with solid research, using at least one New York Times article and one non-Times source to create a well-reasoned, evidence-based argument that connects personal insight with broader relevance.
• Working with a college application editor can help you make the most of your participation in the New York Times Student Editorial Contest. AdmissionSight can help you highlight achievements like this contest on your college applications, turning your writing skills and critical thinking into standout credentials for competitive universities.