ULCT Youth Essay Contest
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Contest Description
The Utah League of Cities and Towns 2025 essay contest “Why I Like My Community,” is open for students in 4th and 7th grade students throughout Utah who meet the requirements listed below. Students are encouraged to share their thoughts on what makes their respective communities so wonderful.
*Teachers, if you are having your whole class compete this contest, please submit the top 3 to 5 submissions from your class*
Essays Due April 8, 2026
Prize Amounts
Students who win the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prize will receive a cash prize, as will their individual schools in the following amounts:
- Student $500
- School $1000
- Student $300
- School $750
- Student $100
- School $500
2025 Essay Contest Winners
4th Grade:
1st Place: Magnolia Plaster, Providence
2nd Place: Deacon Henrie, Panguitch
3rd Place: William Davis, Mona
7th Grade:
1st Place: McKay Evans, Herriman
2nd Place: Mary Williams, South Jordan
3rd Place: Brooke Jensen, Gunnison
Essay Requirements
Students must reside or attend school in an incorporated Utah city, town, or metro township in good standing with ULCT. For a complete list of Utah’s cities, towns, and metro townships, visit our “Utah’s Cities and Towns” page.
Home schooled students are also invited to participate but also must reside in an incorporated city, town, or metro township in good standing with ULCT (See “Utah’s Cities and Towns” link for above). Home schooled students are eligible for a student contest award, but not eligible to receive a cash prize for their respective schools.
Essays Due April 8, 2026
Essay Length:
Fourth Grade—between 250-450 words
Seventh Grade—not to exceed 750 words
Essay Submission:
7th grade essays must be typed and submitted electronically with an entry form. 4th grade essays should be typed or handwritten in blue or black ink and submitted electronically with the entry form.
Students without access to a computer or internet may submit essays by mail to the following address:
ULCT Essay Contest
50 South 600 East, Ste. 150
Salt Lake City, UT 84102
Judging Criteria
Judging Criteria
The essays will be judged on the following criteria:
A. Content relates to the community and the students’ views,
B. Essay has a logical development, and ideas clearly build on each other,
C. Mechanics such as usage, punctuation, capitalization, sentence structure, etc.,
D. Adherence to the guidelines,
E. Descriptive quality, written by the student.
2023 Essay Contest Winners:
2023 Essay Contest Winners:
2022 Essay Contest Winners:
2021 Essay Contest Winners:
2020 Essay Contest Winners:
2019 Essay Contest Winners:
2018 Essay Contest Winners:
2017 Essay Contest Winners:
