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Students The deadline for students to submit essays is determined by the sponsoring Club.  All Club-level contests are held by early February. Student submissions will not be accepted after the Club-level contests have closed. Clubs and Districts The deadline for Clubs to submit their winning essay to the District Chair is February 28, 2010. The deadline for Districts to submit their winner’s information to Optimist International is April 15, 2010.

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 to win a college scholarship of up to $6,000! The guidelines require that contestants be under age 19 as of December 31 of the 2009-2010 school year. Club winners advance to the District contest to compete for a $2,500 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. The District- and International-level scholarships are funded by the Optimist International Foundations.