Optimist International Essay Contest
Application Period: OPEN
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA - The Optimist Club of Anchorage, Alaska is encouraging area students to participate in the 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.
“Young students today have so many fresh ideas about the world and their future”
As Optimists, it is our goal to encourage them and do what we can to bring out the best in each of them. This gives them a wonderful opportunity to tap into their creativity and pursue possible scholarships at the same time.”
The Optimist Club of Anchorage, Alaska has been participating in the Optimist Essay Contest since the clubs founding, and has been active in the community since its charter.
Students wishing to participate in the essay contest can find out more about the contest by contacting the club at scholarships@anchorageoptimists.org
Optimist International is one of the world’s largest service club organization with 80,000 adult and youth members in 2,500 clubs in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico, and throughout the world. Carrying the motto “Friend of Youth,” Optimists conduct positive service projects that reach more than six million young people each year. To learn more about Optimist International, please visit our Join Us Page
DEADLINE: January 31, 2026
Eligibility: 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 download the below application, fill it out completely, and send it into scholarships@anchorageoptimists.org.