The topic for the 2024-2025 School Year: “How Optimism Has Paved My Road To Success.”

optimists sacramento

The deadline for clubs to submit their winning essay for the zone level competition is February 28, 2024.

Download contest rules and details here.

Essay Chair 2024-2025
TBD
sacramentoptimistclub@gmail.com

All students will receive a certificate of participation. The top 3 finishers received a medal and cash. The 1st place winner goes on to the zone contest.

Who: Youth under the age of 19 as of October 1, 2024 located in the United States, Canada, or the Caribbean.

How To Enter: Interested students must contact the Optimist Club of Sacramento, Inc. They need to submit an essay on the pre-assigned topic.

When: The deadline for Clubs to submit their winning essay to the District Chair is usually late February – details to come soon.

Download contest rules and details here.

Student Information

Student submissions will not be accepted after the Club-level contests have closed. The deadline to enter is determined by the sponsoring Optimist Club. All Club-level contests are typically held by late March. Please contact our club for deadline details or if you have other questions.

For an application with contest rules, please 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 addition to developing skills for written expression, participants also have the opportunity to win a college scholarship!

The guidelines require that contestants be under the age of 19 as of October 1, 2022 and attending school in the United States, Canada, or the Caribbean. 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 Foundation.

Clubs and Districts
The District deadline to submit winners to Optimist International is April 15, 2023. Optimist International does not set Club/Zone/Regional deadlines.

For more information, please contact the essay chair, or contact the club here.

Participants for the 2018 essay contest:

1. Amy Santana – Sacramento, Cristo Rey High School
2. Jessica Avila – Elk Grove, Cristo Rey High School
3. Juliet Johnson – Sacramento, West Campus High
4. Lauryn Dieleman – Surry, BC, Canada Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary
5. Mikayla Hinds – Roseville, Granite Bay High School
6. Natlee Perez – Sacramento, Cristo Rey High School
7. Nicole Rzhemovsky – Richmond, BC, Canada, Hugh McRoberts Secondary
8. Shimika Basuroy – Folsom, Folsom High School

The top three 2018 essays were submitted by:
  • First – Shimika Basuroy, Folsom, Folsom High School
  • Second – Nicole Rzhemovsky – Richmond, BC, Canada Hugh McRoberts Secondary
  • Second – Amy Santana, Sacramento, Cristo Rey High School
  • Third – Mikayla Hinds, Roseville, Granite Bay High School

Congratulations to Shimika Basuroy for placing first in the 2018 Optimist Club of Sacramento essay contest! Thank you to all the participants in this year’s event. We look forward to next year!