This Student writing Contest Is for the Bold, the Witty, and the Brilliant
- Legacy Writing Contests
- Jul 8, 2025
- 2 min read
If you’ve ever been told your writing is “too much,” “too clever,” or “too dramatic”... good news: that’s exactly what we’re looking for.
The Oscar Wilde Legacy Contest is unlike any other writing contest for students. It doesn’t reward quiet, safe stories—it rewards bold voices, biting wit, and fearless characters who tell the truth (usually with a smirk). Inspired by the legendary playwright, essayist, and iconoclast Oscar Wilde, this contest invites you to blend satire, elegance, and social insight into a short piece of original fiction.
What Makes This Contest Different?
Most contests ask for restraint. This one rewards style.
Most contests want drama. We want dialogue.
Most contests favor earnestness. We dare you to use irony, charm, and flair.
Your submission should be between 700–1,000 words and channel Wilde’s spirit: stylish yet sincere, theatrical yet thoughtful, humorous yet sharp as a blade.
How to Align Your Writing with Wilde’s Style
Example 1: The Private School Party That Unravels a Reputation
Write a short, dialogue-heavy scene at a modern-day elite school where characters politely destroy each other with wit and veiled insults—think The Picture of Dorian Gray, set at a debate club afterparty.
Example 2: A Satirical Look at Success
Create a fictional awards ceremony where every winner gives a speech that accidentally exposes their own vanity. Use Wildean irony to critique fame, wealth, or social status—beautifully and bitingly.
Why Enter?
This is your chance to write with style, intelligence, and edge. Winners receive international recognition, digital awards, publication in the Legacy Anthology, and we forward top submissions to youth journals and other literary platforms.
If you’re ready to write something dazzling, daring, and devastatingly clever…
Next Deadline: September 30, 2025. Wit waits for no one.
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