Home

What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.

Nelson Mandela,
activist and political leader

Upcoming / Recent Events

iMagine!

2019-2020 Essay Contest is in Full Swing

The Leesburg Optimist Club essay contest is now open, so get those creative juices flowing and enter for a chance to win $500! The topic for this year's essay contest is "Is Optimism the Key to Achieving the Dreams you iMagine?" *

Who: Youth under the age of 19 as of October 1, 2019 and a student of Loudoun County HS, Heritage HS, and Dominion HS (and is not enrolled as a degree seeking student of a post-secondary institution).

How to Enter: Contact you school English teacher or department Chair, or your guidance counselor. Home schoolers within these school districts can reach out to us directly from our Contact Us link for further instructions.

When: Right now! The contest is currently open. Essays are due back from the schools to the Leesburg Optimist Club by Feb 4, 2020 for judging.

Rules: Students must compose a 700-800 word essay on the official topic following the rules provided and submit it by the deadline. The top essay from each high school as judged by the Leesburg Optimist Club in its sole discretion will win a $500 cash award from the Leesburg Optimist Club**. Home schoolers will be grouped with their high school. The top overall essay will automatically be entered into the District contest in March 2020.

The Essay Contest is sponsored by Optimist International to give young people the opportunity to write about their own opinions regarding the world in which they live. The approach can encompass a young person’s personal experience, the experience of their country or a more historical perspective. In additional to developing skills for written expression, participants also have the opportunity to win a college scholarship!

Club winners advance to the District contest to compete for a $2,500 college scholarship. The District-level scholarships are funded by the Optimist International Foundation.

* "iMagine" represents the organization's theme for 2019-2020 and it is written as shown for branding purposes. It does not replace the linguistic interpretation, intent, or spelling of the word "imagine or Imagine". As such, contestants are free to use the correct spelling for any contest or communications without penalty.

** A minimum of 10 qualifying essays must be submitted from each high school (including home schoolers) for the essay winner from that school to qualify for the $500 cash prize. A maximum of $1500 in cash prizes will be awarded by the Leesburg Optimist Club for this contest; $500 per high school.