Primary School (K–5) Writing & Reading Contests Directory
Published · Grade band: Primary (K–5) · Topic: Writing & Reading
Most contest directories start at middle school. Writing competitions for elementary students exist — several of them excellent — but they tend to live buried inside state humanities council websites, PBS affiliate pages, and PTA newsletters rather than consolidated anywhere. This page pulls the major K–5 writing and reading options into one place.
A note before you bookmark anything: these programs shift registration windows and sponsorship arrangements more often than math contests do. Always verify current dates, eligibility, and submission requirements directly with the sponsoring organization before planning around them.
Letters About Literature — the national reading-response contest
Letters About Literature is a national reading and writing contest sponsored by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, administered through state humanities councils. Students read a book, poem, or speech, then write a personal letter to the author explaining how the work changed their thinking. Entries are judged at the state level first, with state winners advancing to national consideration.
The grade band runs Level I (grades 4–6), Level II (grades 7–8), and Level III (grades 9–12). For a K–5 audience, Level I is the entry point, beginning in fourth grade. Deadlines are set state by state and typically fall between late November and late January for the current school year — meaning a student in, say, Texas will have a different deadline than one in Oregon. The state humanities council in your state administers the local competition; find your state’s program through the Library of Congress Letters About Literature page.
The appeal of this contest is the format itself. A personal letter asking “how did this book change you?” is an authentic writing task, not a prompt that exists only for competitive purposes. Students who enjoy it tend to read more carefully and more personally afterward.
PBS Kids Writers Contest — the illustrated story format
The PBS Kids Writers Contest is run through participating PBS member stations rather than centrally, which means availability and deadlines vary significantly by region. The format typically invites students in grades K–3 to write and illustrate an original story — a combination that makes it more accessible to younger writers who are stronger with pictures than with prose alone.
Because it is station-based, the practical step is to check whether your local PBS affiliate runs the program and what its current submission window looks like. National prizes and publication recognition have varied over the years; confirm current prize structure with your local station.
Reading Olympics — team reading, not writing
Reading Olympics (also called Battle of the Books in many states) is a team-based reading competition in which student teams read a common book list and then answer questions in a quiz-bowl format. It is not a writing contest, but it belongs on this list because it is frequently the first “competition” a young reader encounters, and because strong readers who do Battle of the Books in third and fourth grade are disproportionately likely to show up in writing contests in sixth and seventh.
The program runs through school libraries, public libraries, and state library associations rather than through a single national organizer. Search “Battle of the Books [your state]” or ask your school librarian — most elementary schools with an active library program participate.
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards — begins in seventh grade, not fifth
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are the gold standard of K–12 creative writing competition, but they begin at grade 7 in most categories, not grade 5. They are included here because parents of strong elementary writers frequently ask about Scholastic, and the answer is: mark your calendar for middle school, not now. The youngest eligible students are in seventh grade.
If your fifth-grade writer is already producing work that would compete well, the best preparation for Scholastic is simply to write — Letters About Literature and the PBS contest offer lower-stakes contexts to develop the habit.
A note on in-school programs: Young Authors
Many school districts run a Young Authors program in which students write and bind original books that are shared at a Young Authors celebration or fair. This is not a competitive program in the national sense, but for grades K–3 it is often the first experience a child has of writing for an audience. Ask your child’s teacher whether the district participates.
Comparing the options
- Earliest entry: PBS Kids Writers Contest (K–3) and Young Authors reach the youngest students; Letters About Literature starts at grade 4.
- Individual vs. team: Letters About Literature and PBS are individual; Battle of the Books is team-based.
- Writing vs. reading: Letters About Literature and PBS require original writing; Battle of the Books is a reading-comprehension quiz format.
- National reach: Letters About Literature is the most consistently national; Battle of the Books and PBS operate through regional affiliates.
- Pipeline to middle school: Students who do Letters About Literature in 4th–5th grade are well-positioned for Scholastic Art & Writing starting in 7th grade.
How to choose for your child
For a child in grades 4 or 5 who is a strong reader and writes with genuine feeling, Letters About Literature is the best contest on this list. The format is authentic, the stakes are low, and the experience of reading deliberately enough to write a personal letter is worth more than any prize.
For younger children in grades K–3, the PBS station contest (where available) or a school Young Authors program is the right on-ramp. For social readers who enjoy the team dynamic, Battle of the Books builds reading stamina and the habit of talking about books in a competitive context.
The deeper principle at this age is that the best preparation for any writing contest is reading widely and writing regularly. The contest is the occasion, not the curriculum.
About this directory: Meli Review publishes a directory of academic contests for students from primary school through university. Contest details were accurate to the best of our review at publication; organizers change dates and program structures regularly, so always confirm with the official sources linked above. The Melic Review literary archive (1999–2008) is also preserved at this site.