2025 Essay Contest Winners
Pictured: Lillian Keenan, 2nd place, on the left, and Autumn O’Leary, 1st place, on the right, with Essay Contest Chair, Lisa Vanhuss.
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!
2025-2026 Topic: “How My Acts of Service Help Me Understand What My Community Means to Me”
It’s that time of year again! The 2025-2026 Optimist International Scholarship Essay Contest is open to all students under 19 years of age as of October 1, 2025!
You can download the contest application with a complete set of rules below. All entries must be emailed to bixbyoptimist@gmail.com “Attn. Essay Contest” in pdf form by January 31, 2026. Just so you know – only the essay and application will be due at that time. We will contact the winner to confirm proof of age. PLEASE encourage entrants to check and double-check that they have FOLLOWED ALL RULES lined out on the application! All essays will be run through plagiarism and AI detection programs before determining winners.
The Bixby Optimist Club’s first through third-place contestants will receive $100, $75, and $50 prizes, respectively. The first-place winner will progress to the district contest, where a $2500 scholarship will be awarded for the winning essay.
Bixby students have made us VERY proud with District and Regional winners ($5000 scholarship!) in the last few years. Please encourage your students, kids, neighbors’ kids, family, and EVERYBODY you know who is eligible to enter.
All rules are included in the application available at the link below.
