The Sunrise Optimist Club of Yuma is holding its annual essay contest, and there’s still time to enter.
Open to all students under the age of 19 as of Oct. 1, 2025, the contest will be awarding scholarships to the top three essays. This year’s contest will have writers respond to the prompt, “How my acts of service help me understand what my community means to me.”
Essays must be original and between 700 to 800 words.
The first place winner will receive a gold medallion and $500. Second place will receive a silver medallion and $250. Third will receive a bronze medallion and $100.
But first place will have an opportunity for more reward. They’ll also be entered in the Arizona District contest to compete for a $2,500 scholarship.
Yuma’s Sunrise Optimist Club is a member of Optimist International, a global volunteer organization focused on empowering youth. Scholarship contests are one of the main ways the organization provides support.
“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,” Optimist International’s site reads. “The approach can encompass a young person’s personal experience, the experience of their country or a more historical perspective.”
Applications are available here and can be sent to the Yuma club’s president, Denise Davis, at 34retsbew@gmail.com by Thursday, Jan. 15.
The club asks participants to carefully read and follow the the official rules of the contest as deductions are taken for items such as improper formatting or failure to adhere to the contest rules.
A legible email address and telephone number must be on the application, and winners will be asked to provide a copy of their passport or birth certificate.
Reporting for this article is supported by a grant from the Arizona Local News Foundation.
