Optimist Essay Contest
ListedCompetition
- Award
- $2,500 district first-place scholarship, payable only to an approved college, university or trade school; claim by age 25. Discretionary local club cash/scholarship/savings-bond awards up to $500.
- Deadline
- 2026-27 local club deadlines vary; clubs generally finish by early February. Ask the sponsoring club for its dated deadline before submitting.
- How to apply
- Enter through one local Optimist Club. Submit signed student/parent application and proof of age (birth certificate or passport). Write an original 700-800-word nonfiction essay on Finding My Voice in a World Full of Noise. Double-space, single-sided, number pages; separate identifying title page, anonymous essay body, citations and manual word count. English, or French/Spanish accepted by the district. Limited adult guidance permitted; originality certified and plagiarism/AI checks used. Club winner advances to district.
- What you'll need
- An essay
- Entry through a local chapter or club
- Who can apply
- Under 19 on October 1, 2026, with no minimum age; secondary school/equivalent not yet completed, including CEGEP students. Enter in district of residence; U.S. military-installation pupils abroad may use last U.S. home of record. Non-districted places without a club are ineligible. Previous district Essay scholarship winners may never reenter.
- Good to know
- Sponsor may edit/publish essays without payment. Local deadlines and prizes vary.