Optimist International Essay Contest

Topic: “The Power of Youth”

Who: Youth under the age of 19 as of December 31 of the current school year (December 31, 2008)

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 programs@optimist.org.

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:
Students
The deadline for students to submit essays is determined by the sponsoring Club. Please contact your District Chair for more information. All Club-level contests are held by early February.

Clubs and Districts
The deadline for Clubs to submit their winning essay to the District Chair is February 28, 2009. The deadline for Districts to submit their winner's information to Optimist International is April 15, 2009. These are NOT the deadlines for students to submit an entry to the contest.

For an application with contest rules, click here. The application must be submitted to the sponsoring Optimist Club.

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 win a college scholarship of up to $6,000!

The guidelines require that contestants be under age 19 as of December 31 of the 2008-2009 school year. Club winners advance to the District contest to compete for a $650 college scholarship. Each District winner is automatically entered into the International Essay contest where a panel of judges select the top three essays. Scholarships are awarded as follows: first place - $6,000; second place - $3,750; and third place - $2,250.

Information for Optimist Members planning the contest:
All Members can now view and conveniently print planning pages for any International Program from your home computer. Click here to view the 2008-2009 Club Essay Contest planning pages. Click here to view the 2008-2009 District Essay Contest planning pages. To view the planning pages for any of the International Programs and Community Activities, please visit the Publications page.

Essay Contest Package - A Program Package for the Essay Contest is available on the Program Package page of the website. On that page, Clubs can find useful materials to help them get started with a new Essay Contest program.

Support merchandise for this program can be ordered through Shumsky Enterprises in the United States toll free at (877) 678-2582 or from the Caribbean by calling (937) 496-1373. In Canada call the Corall Group. To enter, you must contact your local Optimist Club!

For additional information, please contact Optimist International Programs Department by e-mail at programs@optimist.org, or call (800) 500-8130, ext. 235.

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. Please note that the .doc version enables users to type their information into fields*, while the .pdf files are for viewing only.

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.