Quill & Scroll Editorial Contest

Grades 9–13

About Quill & Scroll

The Quill and Scroll International Honor Society for High School Journalists was founded on April 10, 1926, at the University of Iowa by pollster George H. Gallup and a group of high school journalism advisers. It exists to encourage and recognise individual students’ achievements in journalism and school publications.

Today it is an international organisation with 14,611 chapters and more than 1.54 million members, reaching high schools across the United States and in other countries.

1926founded

14,611chapters

1.54M+members

$1,500top scholarship

Topic for the Year 2026–27

Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly common in education.

Report on how students and teachers use AI in your school or community, what opportunities it creates and what concerns it raises, and how schools should encourage responsible use.

The contest is open to students in Grades 9–13, in two classes:

Class	Grades
Class A	Grades 9–10
Class B	Grades 11–13

Guidelines:

Topic: “Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly common in education.”
Format: write a persuasive editorial essay in journalistic style: no more than 1,000 words, double-spaced, in Arial, using journalistic attribution style.
File: save the essay as a PDF, whichever word processor you use. The file name must include the student’s full name and grade.
Submission: email the PDF to internationalcontests@academicquests.com by November 8, 2026, 5:00 PM. Late entries are not accepted.

Important Note:

Plagiarism, including copying from published sources without citation, is strictly prohibited. All entries must be original and independently written.
The use of AI writing tools (e.g. ChatGPT, Bard, Jasper) to generate or edit entries is not permitted.
Any violation may result in disqualification, revocation of awards, and notification to the student’s institution.

Competition Cost: $12.00 (including applicable international transaction charges)

To confirm your registration, fill out the form by clicking Register Now below.
You will receive a confirmation email within 24 hours.
Payment is nonrefundable if you are unable to participate after registering.

Registration Commencement: September 10, 2026
Submission Deadline Date: November 8, 2026, 5:00 PM
Result Announcement Date: Mid-December 2026

Results will be posted on this page once Quill & Scroll announces them. Entries are judged by professional American journalists.

Judges award first, second and third place in each class, plus honorable mentions. At least 10% of all entries are recognised.
Recognised students may apply for Quill & Scroll scholarships worth US$500 to US$1,500.