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Youth Programs
National Literary Competition
Inspire through ASL and writing
The National Literary Competition is a writing and American Sign Language (ASL) competition open to all deaf and hard of hearing students in grades 2-12 in the United States and Canada. To participate, students must create original written or ASL submissions in accordance with the year’s theme. The purpose of the competition is to give deaf and hard of hearing students the opportunity to showcase their abilities, as well as instill pride and ownership in their work.
Top contestants in each category will win prize money! Additionally, two grand prize winners will receive a prize bundle of:
The ASL competition is broken down into four divisions:
ASL Categories
Theme: “A door opens, where does it take you?”
The Writing competition is broken down into two divisions:
Writing Categories
Theme: “Visions of the future: tell us a story set in ten years in the future.”
The 2024 NLC Submission period is on December 16, 2024 – January 10, 2025.
For NLC flyer to distribute to students or post up in hallways, download here.
$500 gift certificate
Gallaudet University sweatshirt
Free registration and trip to one of Gallaudet University’s summer camps
$1,000 scholarship to Gallaudet University
$100 gift certificate
A waived fee for one of Gallaudet University’s summer camps (for Middle School and High School only)
Recognized on Gallaudet University Youth Programs’ YouTube page and/or website.
You got this. We look forward to seeing your work!
Submissions and registration are done entirely online. The link to register/submit for the NLC competition is available on this page. Students compete as individuals, and there are no teams in this competition.
You can submit one entry in each genre (there are 5 for ASL and 2 for Writing) of each category (ASL and Writing). For example, you can choose to submit an entry each for ASL Poetry, ASL Storytelling, and one in Creative Writing. You can participate in both competitions if you choose!
You can register as an individual with your parents’ help OR you can register with the assistance of a teacher/ASL specialist at your school.
No. There are no expenses for participants. The competition is free!
See top winners and their submissions from previous NLC competitions.
Gallaudet University, the world’s only four-year liberal arts university serving deaf and hard-of-hearing students, serves as the educational, social, and political engine of Deaf America. The duty of the university to foster disagreement, debate, and civic engagement is embedded in its role as a higher education institution.
Edward Miner Gallaudet Memorial Building #112 & #111
(202) 651-5000