Michelle Obama Award for Memoir (Penguin Random House Creative Writing Awards)
Direct application
$10,000
1 winner
Eligibility
Major
English Literature
Education level
High school
Enrollment
Full-time
Age
Age up to 21
About this scholarship
Public high school seniors in the U.S. and territories who are age 21 or under and planning full-time enrollment at a two- or four-year college may submit an original memoir or personal essay for the Penguin Random House Creative Writing Awards' Michelle Obama Award for Memoir. One $10,000 college scholarship is awarded.
Applications open October 1 and close January 15, or when 1,000 entries are received. Early submission is advised. The award recognizes Michelle Obama's commitment to mentorship and encouraging young people to tell their own stories.
Essay question
What else to submit
- One original memoir or personal essay in English, typed and double-spaced, in at least 12-point font, no longer than 10 pages
- Multi-page submission numbered with page number and total
- Submit one original memoir/personal essay in English (the 'essay' IS the memoir submission; there is no specific question or topic prompt for this category)
- Length: 'All submissions must be typed, double-spaced with a minimum 12 point font size, and no longer than 10 pages.' No word-count minimum or maximum is stated (a 4-page minimum is only RECOMMENDED
- Multi-page submissions must be numbered with page number and total (e.g., 1/3, 2/3, 3/3)
- Only one entry per applicant; work must be original/unplagiarized
- Eligibility: current U.S. public high school senior planning to enroll in an accredited college/university or vocational-technical school
- Judged on technical merit (25%), artistic expression (25%), voice (25%), originality (25%)
- Only one entry per applicant.
- Work must be original and unplagiarized.
- The competition closes when 1,000 entries are received, even if before January 15.