OPTIMIST INTERNATIONAL ESSAY CONTEST
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Topic for the 2025-2026 school year is: “How My Acts of Service Help Me Understand What My Community Means To Me
The contest is open to contestants under the age of 19 as of October 1st of the current Optimist International contest year (October 1 - September 30) and who have not yet completed secondary school or its equivalent, including CEGEP students in Québec, Canada. There is no minimum age. Students must enter in the District in which they reside. U.S. students attending school on military installations outside the U.S. are eligible to enter in their last home of record. How To Enter: Interested students must contact their local Optimist Club. They need to submit an essay on the pre-assigned topic. To find out a contact, please e-mail the Programs Department at [email protected]. The Essay Contest planning pages are intended for use by Optimist Clubs in organizing and conducting a contest in their Club. They contain no information on entering the contest and are of no use to students wishing to enter the contest. Students must contact their local Optimist Club. When:
The Essay Contest is sponsored by Optimist International to give young people the opportunity to write about their own opinions regarding the world in which they live. The approach can encompass a young person’s personal experience, the experience of their country or a more historical perspective. In additional to developing skills for written expression, participants also have the opportunity to win a college scholarship! Club winners advance to the District contest to compete for a $2,500 college scholarship. The District-level scholarships are funded by the Optimist International Foundations. Information for Optimist Members planning the contest: Club Essay Planning Guide District Essay Planning Guide Support merchandise for this program can be ordered through Optimist Merch for US and Caribbean Clubs and from Ansell's Awards and Specialties for Canadian Clubs. Contact information for both supply companies can be found here. To enter, you must contact your local Optimist Club! For additional information, please contact Optimist International Programs Department by e-mail at [email protected], or call (800) 500-8130. Certificates of Participation If your Club or District is sponsoring a contest, certificates of participation can be presented to all contestants. Certificate for Club level Certificate for Region/Zone level Certificate for District level Publicize the Essay Contest Optimist International has developed a series of news releases that Clubs and Districts can use in connection with their participation in international programs. Below are sample news releases that Clubs and Districts can use to promote their Essay Contests. Essay Contest - Prior to event (.doc) Essay Contest - After event (.doc) District Essay Contest - After event (.doc) *If your Optimist Club or District wishes to use its own letterhead, you can remove the Optimist International logo in the document by opening up the Word document, going to "View," then "Toolbars" and selecting "Forms." When the "Forms" toolbar appears, click on the padlock, then click on the Optimist logo and delete it. For those using Microsoft Office 2007, click on the Microsoft Office button in the upper left corner, go to "Word options" and then select the box next to "Show the Developer tab in the Ribbon&" and click "OK." Above the document, click the "Developer" tab and then click on the "Protect Document" drop-down menu. Click on "Restrict Formatting and Editing." At the bottom of the new window to the right, click the "Stop Protection"; button. 
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2025 - 2026 - Essay Chairperson - Charlotte Harris
ESSAY CONTEST QUICK LINKS 
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