Optimist
International Essay Contest
Topic for the 2025-2026 school year is:
“How My Acts of Service Help Me Understand What My Community Means to Me”
Who: 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 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
All Club-level contests are held by early February. Student submissions will not be accepted after the Club-level contests have closed. Please contact your District Chair for more information.
- Clubs and Districts
The deadline for Clubs to submit their winning essay to the District Chair is February 28, 2026. The deadline for Districts to submit their winner's information to Optimist International is April 15, 2026. 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.
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:
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 programs@optimist.org, 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 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.
