The Eden Prairie Optimist Club invites students to participate in the organization’s annual speech and essay contests.
Speech contest
The speech contest topic is “Discovering the Optimism Within Me,” as part of the 2023 Optimist International Oratorical Contest.
The contest is open to students under the age of 19 as of Oct. 1, 2022, who have not graduated from high school. Students placing in the top three places will receive Barnes & Noble gift cards.
Area students passionate about speech should submit the application form and digital copy of the speech in Word format to ryanaffolter.optimist@gmail.com by Friday, March 31.
Speeches will be conducted and judged at the 2023 Oratorical Contest at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 5, at Star Bank, 250 Prairie Center Drive.
The winner moves on to compete for up to $22,500 in college scholarships.
An application form and rules are available online.
Essay contest
The topic of the 2023 Optimist Club Essay Contest is “Who is an Everyday Hero that Brings Out the Optimism in You?”
The contest includes three age categories, with essays judged separately in each age group. The club will award Barnes & Noble gift cards for first-, second-, and third-place essays in each age group.
Essays must be between 700 and 800 words. The contest is open to students under the age of 19 as of Oct. 21, 2022, who have not yet graduated from high school or the equivalent. The application form can be downloaded online.
Area students with a passion for writing should submit the application form and typed essay in Word format to ryanaffolter.optimist@gmail.com by Wednesday, Feb. 15.
The overall first-place essay moves on to compete for the $2,500 Optimist International District college scholarship.
Essays will be scored by area professionals. The top three in each age category will be announced no later than Feb. 22 with invites to a live awards reception.
The reception will be held at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 27, at Star Bank. Medallions, certificates and Barnes & Noble gift cards will be presented to the first-, second- and third-place winners.
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