Student Essay Contest Sponsored By The Optimist Club Of The Beaches: “How My Acts Of Service Help Me Understand What My Community Means To Me.”

PANAMA CITY BEACH, FL – The Optimist Club of the Beaches is inviting Bay County students to contemplate the phrase “How my acts of service help me understand what my community means to me” as part of the Optimist International Essay Contest for the 2025 - 2026 school year. The Optimist Club of the Beaches will judge the local students’ essays, based on how they respond to the theme of “How my acts of service help me understand what my community means to me”.  The first-place winner will receive a $500 cash prize while the second-place finisher will receive $300 and the third-place essay will receive a $100 prize.  Also, first place essays will be submitted to the district level where they will compete against winners from across the Optimist Club North Florida District (Pensacola to Jacksonville and south to Tampa) for a $2,500 college scholarship.  

Each applicant is required to fill in the “Revised 2025-2026 Optimist International Essay Scholarship Competition Application Essay Contest Application”, which can be found on our website at 25-'26 Essay Contest Application. Rules and all associated guidelines can be found within this form, along with entry form. Note: Eligible students should be under the age of 19 as of October 01, 2025. 

Please send the competed application/entry form with your essay to mcalidonna@gmail.com no later than Friday, February 06, 2026. If you have any questions or need further clarification, please contact Mike Calidonna at 850-381-0866.

Optimist International is one of the world’s largest service club organizations with 80,000 adult and youth members in 2,500 clubs in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico, and throughout the world. With the motto “Friend of Youth,” Optimists conduct positive service projects that reach more than six million young people each year. To learn more about Optimist International, please visit Optimist International 

 The Optimist Club of the Beaches believes young students today have many fresh ideas about our community, the world, and their future. As Optimists, it is our goal to encourage, motivate and do what we can to bring out the best in every student. The Optimist International Essay Contest gives students a wonderful opportunity to tap into their creativity while pursuing scholarships for higher education. The Optimist Club of the Beaches has been participating in the Optimist Essay Contest for over 10 years and has been active in the community since 1963. Other programs and service projects that the Club is involved in include the Children’s Cancer Program, Youth Appreciation Banquet, Teacher/Administrator/Support Personnel Appreciation, Police and Fire Recognition Programs, Fishing Rodeo, Paws in the Park, Cops-n-Kids, Junior Optimist Golf Tournament, Annual Christmas Parade, Miracle League and Emerald Coast Cruizin’ Car Shows.