Every year, HSLDA offers quarterly contests in art, poetry, photography, and essay writing, open to all homeschooled students (ages 7–19). Through its contests, HSLDA hopes to offer homeschooled students the opportunity to hone their skills in a fun and creative setting that invites them to think outside the box and be rewarded for excellence.

Art Contest

December 1–February 1 (Closed)

Category 1 (Ages 7-10*): Cubist Art 

Incorporate one characteristic of art from the Cubist period in your entry.

Category 2 (Ages 11-14*): Rococo Art

Incorporate one characteristic of art from the rococo period in your entry.

  • Soft, pastel color palette (Example)
  • Decorative embellishments (Example)
  • Scenes of lighthearted entertainment (Example)

Category 3 (Ages 15-19*): Impressionist Art

Incorporate one characteristic of art from the Impressionistic period in your entry.

Sources: For art history or other art-related materials, check out these vendors: Christianbook or Sonlight Curriculum.

See Rules & Guidelines for important instructions!

*All ages are as of January 1, 2020

Poetry Contest

March 1–May 1 (Closed)

Let’s see how clever you can get! For this year’s poetry contest, enjoy the complexity of the English language and mechanics of poetic literature. Do this by telling a story or expressing a message through a poem you create with a specific alphabetic structure (category details below), all the while maintaining your special voice.

Category 1 (Ages 7-10*)

Write a poem in which every new line begins with the exact same letter. You may choose the letter.
Maximum poem length: 20 lines.
Rhyme pattern: Poem should have a discernible rhyme scheme.

Category 2 (Ages 11-14*)

Write a three-stanza poem in which the first letter of each new line spells the message “SPRING IS HERE” or spells “SPRING” as three couplets.
Maximum poem length: 6 (“SPRING”) or 12 (“SPRING IS HERE”) lines.
Rhyme pattern: Poem should have a discernible rhyme scheme.

Category 3 (Ages 15-19*)

Write a poem in which each new line begins with consecutive letters of the alphabet. You may choose which letter you start the sequence with.
Maximum poem length: 26 lines.
Rhyme pattern: Poem should have a discernible rhyme scheme.

See Rules & Guidelines for important instructions!

*All ages are as of April 1, 2020

Photo Contest

June 1–August 1 (Coming soon!)

Words likely flood your mind when you analyze a photo to determine why it attracts your attention. If you think about it hard enough, you can probably even boil those words down to single-word descriptors. In this year’s photography contest, create a photo shoot that reflects the single-word descriptor in your age category.

Category 1 (Ages 7-10*): Vibrant

Submit a photo that embodies the word vibrant.

Category 2 (Ages 11-14*): Impressive

Submit a photo that embodies the word impressive.

Category 3 (Ages 15-19*): Ornate

Submit a photo that embodies the word ornate.

*All ages are as of June 1, 2020

Essay Contest

September 1–November 1 (Closed)

This contest is currently closed. Check back in August for this year's themes.

All contest profits go to HSLDA Compassion, which uses them to provide low-income homeschooling families with access to educational and legal resources to help them continue homeschooling.

Please contact the Contest Coordinator at contests@hslda.org with any questions.