Young Writers Summer Online Workshops

You are eligible to apply if you will be between 16 and 18 years old at the time of the program and will be a rising junior or rising senior in high school, or a recent high school graduate. Rising sophomores are not eligible to apply, even if they are already 16. Most of our participants are rising juniors and seniors, but we occasionally accept talented students who have just graduated high school before the program begins. Students who are current high school sophomores but will not turn 16 until after the program are eligible to apply.

International students are welcome to apply as are students who have participated in our Young Writers workshops in the past.

Young Writers participants are a diverse group, representing a wide range of academic and personal interests. You should apply for the Young Writers program if you like to work with other people, are open to experimenting with new approaches, are willing to be playful and take some risks as a learner, and are interested in the process of learning.

You will need to create a free Submittable account in order to apply, which you can do on our application page. A complete application consists of the following:

• The online application form on Submittable
• A 300-word statement, essay, story, or poem that illustrates why and/or how writing has been meaningful in your life (you may be as straightforward or creative with this prompt as you like, but you cannot exceed 300 words)
• A high-school transcript, to be uploaded with the application form (we accept official and unofficial transcripts)
• Financial aid information and optional supporting financial aid documentation (if you will be applying for need-based financial aid)

We do not accept supplemental materials.

Applications must be submitted by April 13th, 2026, at 11:59 pm PST. We do not accept late applications.

How do I submit my transcript?

We strongly prefer that you upload a copy of your transcript when you submit your online application form. We accept both official and unofficial transcripts. Unofficial transcripts may include a scanned copy or photograph of a recent report card, a screenshot of an online report card, or any other document that clearly shows your name and all of your high-school grades and classes thus far.

If you are unable to upload a transcript with your application, you may upload a document in place of your transcript that indicates how we can expect to receive your transcript: email (yw@kenyonreview.org), fax (740-427-5522), or mail (Kenyon Review Young Writers, Finn House, 102 W. Wiggin St., Gambier, OH 43022)

The total cost of the Summer Online Workshop is $995, which covers program tuition and all program activities. In order to enroll in the program, accepted students must submit full tuition payment and enrollment forms by May 18th.

We offer need-based financial aid for families who cannot afford the costs of the program. Financial aid decisions are made on a case-by-case basis. Financial aid decisions are made in conjunction with admissions decisions; however, acceptance decisions are not affected by aid requests.

In order to apply for need-based financial aid, please fill out the “Financial Aid” section of the online application form.

The selection committee pays particular attention to the 300-word statement. We are looking for students who show promise and passion for writing. We strive to admit a diverse group of students with a wide range of academic and personal interests.

Admissions decisions will be announced via email in early May. Be sure to add submittable.com to your address book and/or check your spam folders for email confirmations and notifications that we may send via Submittable.

Young Writers Online is a selective program. To keep class sizes small, we are not able to admit all applicants and must turn away many talented writers each year. If you are not accepted to the Summer Online Workshop, we encourage you to apply for future workshop if you are interested and eligible.

Submitting your application early does not provide any advantage. All applications are reviewed together after the deadline, and decisions are released at the same time. We aim to notify applicants by the end of March, though timing may vary depending on the number of applications received.

Due to the number of applications we receive each year, we cannot comment on individual applications or offer feedback on application essays.

Groups of 12-14 students meet online with an instructor in synchronous workshops for three and a half hours each day. Workshop time is spent freewriting, responding to writing prompts and assignments, discussing assigned readings, and sharing and discussing one another’s work.

Everyone in the workshop, including instructors, writes and shares work every day. The workshop is ungraded and student work is not evaluated in any formal sense. Instead, instructors emphasize techniques for responding to work in ways that will help the writers recognize their strengths, potential, and avenues for productive revision. 

Evening events will take place most days from 6:00-7:00 p.m. EDT. These events will include visiting readers, craft talks, open mics, and informal social gatherings. Attendance at most of the evening events will be optional, but strongly encouraged. In addition to daily workshops and evening events, students will meet individually with their instructor for a one-on-one conference during the workshop week.

Our instructors are talented writers and teachers from around the country who have a long association with The Kenyon Review and the Young Writers program. Many of our instructors have been published in The Kenyon Review and several are Kenyon College alums. Most have advanced degrees in creative writing and teach high school and/or college during the academic year. Because many of our instructors have been teaching in the program for several years, they are a strong team with a deep understanding of the curriculum and philosophy of the Young Writers program.

Yes. You may apply for both residential and online Young Writers Workshops, but you may only attend one Young Writers Workshop per summer. If you have already applied for the Young Writers Summer Residential Program, you may use the same application materials for the Young Writers Summer Online application. See the application form for details. For more information about the residential workshop, please visit the Young Writers Summer Residential Workshop page.