1. Optimist International Essay Contest

2. Why should my Club hold an Essay contest? Gives young people a chance to write about their opinions regarding the world they live in Gives young people the opportunity to earn a scholarship for further education Introduces your Club to the community, parents, schools, local youth and businesses

3. Be Part of the 3 rd Most Popular Optimist Program!

4. Where do I find information on holding a contest? District Essay Chair Essay Program Planning Guide (http://www.Optimist.org)http://www.Optimist.org Optimist International Staff (1-800-500-8130 ext. 235 or 261 or programs@optimist.org)

5. This looks too hard…. This could be a lot of work! How will we get students to participate? I dont know if we can find three judges… There are a lot of rules… The secret is…its easier than you think!

6. A New Resource The Club-Level Essay Contest Program Package available Includes tools to help your Club run a contest – Job Responsibilities by Position – Sample Letters – And More!

7. Piece By Piece Please remember that the responsibility breakdown and timeline are only suggested and can be modified to fit your Club!

8. Job Responsibilities A list of all the necessary things that need to be done to run a successful contest You may think of additional things that need to be done

9. Job Responsibilities By Position Project Chair – organizes contest details, sends press releases, reviews judges evaluations, ranks essays, announces winners, sends information to District Chair by February 28 th

10. Job Responsibilities By Position (cont.) Contestant Coordinator – sets deadline for students, asks Principal to make entry part of curriculum, promote the contest to local youth, notify participants of winners

11. Job Responsibilities By Position (cont.) Judging Coordinator – secure 3 judges and a back-up, provide judging sheets, make sure judges understand procedures, send thank you letters to judges after contest

12. Job Responsibilities By Position (cont.) Club Board of Directors – decide whether Club will offer a monetary award to winners

13. Project Timeline Responsibilities broken down by weeks leading up to the judging, the day of the judging and then the weeks immediately following the judging This is only a suggestion.

14. Press Release – Before Event Press Releases are fill in the blank – simply type your Clubs information in the highlighted areas Send to local newspapers, radio stations and television stations Free publicity for your contest and your Club!

15. Just Fill In the Blanks!

16. Judging Sheets and Contest Forms Instructions to Judges Judges Score Sheet Instructions for Master Score Sheet for Club Chairs Master Score Sheet Club Essay Chair List of What to Submit to the District Chair District Essay Contest Entry Form

17. District Entry Form

18. Sample Letters Fill in the Blanks – Letter to Parents – thank them for letting their child participate, inform them about your Clubs other programs and what your Club does, invite them to a Club meeting – Judges Letter – thank them for their work, inform them about your Clubs other programs and what your Club does, invite them to a Club meeting

19. Press Release – After the Event Fill In The Blank – type your Clubs information in the highlighted areas Announce Club Winner and send photos!

20. Remember The program package is not a substitute for the Program Planning Guide. The guide contains all the rules and forms needed to conduct the contest. All Clubs NEED to print the Club guide from the Optimist website (http://www.Optimist.org) before running the contest!http://www.Optimist.org

21. Questions????