Essay Contest
This year's topic:
“How My Acts of Service
Help Me Understand
What My Community Means to Me”
Application Deadline: January 30, 2026
How To Enter:
The contest is open to contestants who reside in the Marathon County where there is no Optimist Club in the City your school Contestants must be 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. There is no minimum age. Winners of the Wausau Noon Optimist Contest may advance to the WINUM District competition. U.S. students attending school on military installations outside the U.S. are eligible to enter in their last home of record.
2026 WNO Prizes
1st place $300
2nd place $200
3rd place $100
Rules, deadlines and regulations
Topic for the 2025-2026 school year is: “How My Acts of Service Help Me Understand What My Community Means to Me”
Who: Youth under the age of 19 as of October 1, 2025 (and is not enrolled as a degree seeking student of a post-secondary institution) in the United States, Canada or the Caribbean. There is no minimum age.
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 zillman48@gmail.com.
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:
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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.
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Clubs and Districts
The deadline for Clubs to submit their winning essay to the District Chair is February 28, 2024. The deadline for Districts to submit their winner’s information to Optimist International is April 15, 2024. 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.