Students within the Prior Lake-Savage Area School District are invited to participate in an essay contest sponsored by the Prior Lake-Savage Optimist Club.

This year’s topic is: “How my acts of service help me understand what my community means to me.”

Contestants must be under the age of 19 as of Oct. 1 and have not graduated from secondary school.

The annual essay contest is being sponsored by Optimist International, in conjunction with the Prior Lake-Savage Optimist Club and other host clubs throughout the world. Winning entries will be awarded $500 for first place, $300 for second place and $100 for third. The deadline for essay submissions is Jan. 15, 2026.

Rules for entry can be found at: https://www.optimist.org/documents/2025/programs/2025-26_essay_application.pdf

Essays must be submitted in PDF format using this address: https://tinyurl.com/mw7svwhm

Club winners will advance to the district contest and compete for a $2,500 college scholarship. The district level scholarships are funded by the Optimist International Foundations.