Newark Optimist Club Announces 2023/2024 Essay Contest

NEWARK, CA — The Newark Optimist Club is now accepting entries for its annual Essay Contest, the group announced in a news release found online.

The theme for this year's contest, which is open to Newark, Fremont, and Union City students who are under the age of 19 as of Oct. 1, 2023, and have not yet completed secondary school or its equivalent, is "Optimism: How It Connects Us."

There is no minimum age for the contest which will award the top-3 Club essays with cash prizes ($200, $100, $50) and medallions.

The first-place essay will advance to District Level competition and have an opportunity to win a $2,500 college scholarship, the news release said.

"The Essay Contest is designed to give young people the opportunity to write about their own opinions regarding the world in which they live,” Essay Contest Chairman Darryl Reina said. “As Optimists, it is our goal to bring out the very best in each of them.”

For more information and application, that includes the official rules, students can click here.

Completed essays and contest applications must be received by midnight, Jan. 19, 2024. The essays and applications should be submitted to Reina by email here. For more information, call (510) 917-4060.

Winners will be notified and recognized at the Feb. 14 Optimist Club meeting.