Optimist International Scholarship Contests in the Pacific Northwest District

The Scholarship Contests are perhaps the most beloved of all Optimist Club activities, next to, of course, the fellowship that we feel as part of a group of positive-thinking advocates for youth and community. Each year since 1928, Optimist International has held the Oratorical Contest at the Optimist Club and District Level. It also promotes the Essay Contest and Communications Contest for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing as opportunities for students to improve their communication skills. 

The Optimist International Essay Contest is the first in the series of competitions. The topic for the 2020-2021 school year is "Reaching your Dreams by Choosing Optimism." 

The Club planning guide may be found at this link. 
The student entry form may be found at this link.

The Optimist International Essay Contest is currently taking place and Optimist Clubs have until February 28, 2021, to submit their winning entry to the PNW District. Each club may submit one entry to compete at the District level for the $2,500 scholarship prize. A check for $50.00 US must accompany the winning entry and mailing instructions will be provided before February 1 by Chair Monique Connors. 

The Optimist International Oratorical World Championships is a multi-level event that begins at a local Optimist Club. The top two contestants from each club move forward to the Zone-level competition. The top speaker in each Zone then moves forward to the District-level competition where the contestants compete for $1,000, $1,500, and $2,500 scholarships. The first-place speaker then moves on to the World Contest where they may achieve an additional $20,000 scholarship award. 

The topic for the 2020-2021 school year is "Healing the World with Optimism."

The Club planning guide for Oratorical Contests may be found at this link.
The student entry for the Oratorical Contest may be found at this link. 

Cathy Cena is the PNW District Chair for the Optimist International Oratorical competition. She will be reaching out to clubs with more information for participating soon. Please note that the sponsoring Optimist Club contributes $50.00 US for each contestant that advances to the Zone competition. The District competition will take place in the spring near or at the time of the third quarter meeting for the PNW District. If COVID-19 rules remain in effect, the contest will be held virtually. 

The Communications Contest for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (CCDHH) may be held at the discretion of the Executive Board based on the number of clubs likely to participate and the ability to fundraise for the scholarship for deaf students who speak, among other things. Should the competition go forward, the topic for the 2020-2021 school year is "Healing the World with Optimism." 

The Club planning guide for the CCDHH may be found at this link.
The student entry form for the CCDHH may be found at this link. 

As with the other scholarship contests, the sponsoring Optimist Club contributes $50.00 US for each student that competes at the next level following the Club event. The District Chair will communicate additional guidelines if the CCDHH contest is to be held this year. 

Students are asked to choose optimism for the Optimist International scholarship contests

As we head into a new administrative year for Optimist International, we also head into a new season of scholarship contests for students. 

We're excited for the Optimist Clubs in the Pacific Northwest District to help students choose optimism by writing, speaking, or signing about these topics. 

The Optimist International Essay Contest takes place between September and February. The official topic for 2020-2021 is "Reaching your Dreams by Choosing Optimism." Download the entry form.

The Optimist International Oratorical Contest takes place between January and May. The official topic for 2020-2021 is “Healing the World with Optimism.” Download the entry form.

Optimist International partnered with St. Louis University to expand the Oratorical Contest in 2016. This year, in the fourth year of the partnership, we expect it to improve even more! District winners will compete on an international stage where they have the opportunity to win up to $22,500 in scholarship money.The Optimist International Communication Contest for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (CCDHH) takes place betweenJanuary and May. The official topic for 2020-2021 is “Healing the World with Optimism.” Download the entry form.

When specific dates and the PNW District Chairpersons are announced, we will update the information on this website. For now, please share this contest with students, parents, teachers, and all others who are helping students learn from home. 

Optimistic speakers imagine a world without boundaries

The winner of the PNW District Optimist International Oratorical Contest, Amy Ren, performed very well in the Optimist International Oratorical World Championships. Unfortunately, she was no match for the other talented participants who represented their respective districts. 

After a day-long competition, seven regional winners were chosen to compete in the final round: 

Region 1 - Atlantic Central - Carina Bruno
Region 2 - North Florida - Mattea Mauro
Region 3 - Illinois - Jaylon Muchison
Region 4 - DMM - Ayana Stauffer
Region 5 - Oklahoma - Jasmine Berasategui
Region 6 - Pacific Central - Amaya De La Cruz
Region 7 - Centre du Quebec - Flavie Bastien

All spoke, in a random order, about the same topic, "Just Imagine a World Without Boundaries." 

One young man said that a world without boundaries is a world of happiness. A young lady said that by removing boundaries we have the perspective to enjoy the fellowship that conversation brings. And the top speaker amazed the crowd with his belief:  

"Boundaries give us something to look forward to hope and optimism that one day when they will surpass their height and it is from this hope that inspiration blossoms, opening our minds to a way to better the world we live in. So what is my hope?

That with each you exceed, there will always be another boundary to overcome. It is my hope that for each you pass you become stronger and stronger and stronger in your tenacity."

That young man is Jaylon Muchison, a 2020 high school graduate from Belleville, Illinois who is looking forward to his freshman year at the University of Illinois Champagne-Urbana.

Congratulations, Jaylon! We can't wait to watch you scale those boundaries with leaps and bounds as you pursue your dreams.

Amy Ren to compete in the Optimist International Oratorical World Championships

Following a successful virtual convention, Optimist International is moving forward to its second major online event, the Optimist International World Oratorical Championships.

The speak-off will be held July 16-17, 2020 via Zoom.

If one remembers, a mere four years ago, the original idea of the Optimist International World Championships was that all contestants would speak online from their home location. As Optimist International partnered with St. Louis University for the activity, they anticipated an at-large segment from a truly international audience. I can recall seeing participants from countries outside the typical boundaries of our clubs; however, Optimist Clubs remained dominant in recruiting and advancing speakers to the championships.

With many districts within reasonable travel distance to St. Louis, they began sending their contestants in person to the event while some in more distant districts, like those on the West Coast and the Caribbean, remained in a virtual setting. Optimist International discovered the joy of hosting the event live and I believe this year was the first year that the organization asked all districts to plan to send their contestants to St. Louis for the finals.

Enter COVID-19. Rendering all activities virtual, Optimist International had to opt for, ironically, its original design. While I'm sad at the reason, I am actually quite happy that the event will finally see its potential in action.

On July 16 and 17, youthful speakers will ask the world to "Just Imagine a World Without Boundaries."

Just go to optimist.org/oratorical on the days of the events to log-in to the Zoom presentations.

The speaking order and agenda are shown in the images. Please click to enlarge.

In the Pacific Northwest District, we are cheering on Amy Ren of British Columbia.
Best wishes, Amy! Speak well.

PNW Optimist Clubs announce the 2019-2020 Oratorical Champion

On Saturday, April 25, 2020, the PNW District - Optimist International held the District level competition for the Optimist International Oratorical World Championships.

To comply with stay safe at home orders due to COVID-19, the contest was held online via the Zoom video platform with Chairperson Cathy Cena as host for the event. The audience was limited to the contestants, judges, parents, and Optimist Club members from the sponsoring Optimist Clubs.

Eight students participated in the contest:

Representing the Meridian Optimist Club were Mae Webster and Rose Webster.

Representing the Roseburg Optimist Club was Marin Grey.

Representing the Simon Fraser University (SFU) Optimist Club was Amy Ren. 

Representing the Vancouver North Shore Optimist Club was Anya Trivedi. 

Representing the Gresham and Gresham Scouters Optimist Clubs was Willy Ybachynskyi. 

Representing the West Tacoma Optimist Club were Mary Boyde Funches and Madison Stephens. 

All students spoke on the same topic, "iMagine a World Without Boundaries," leading the listeners to imagine the many different experiences and ideas eloquently expressed by all of the speakers.

The first-place award went to Amy Ren. She received a $2,500 scholarship and will advance to the Optimist International Oratorical World Finals to be held in St. Louis and online in July. 

The second-place award was claimed by Mary Boyde Funches. She received a $1,500 scholarship.

The third-place award was claimed by Madison Stephens. She received a $1,000 scholarship. 

All students were amazing and we send congratulations to our winners and compliments to all.

Social distancing won't stop optimism. Stay safe at home

I saw a meme on Facebook that said March came in like a lion and went out like a seven-headed beast. Oh my, that is the truth!

Unprecedented times have arisen from a foe never seen before: COVID-19. The coronavirus has stalled the economy, placed health care workers on the frontline, and sent individuals into isolation to "flatten the curve," a reference to limiting the number of deaths that could occur if we do nothing to address its virulence. Cities, states, and countries around the world have taken this warning seriously and put social distancing orders in place.

Social distancing means we must stay at least six feet apart from others when we are outside and more directly, we should stay inside and safe at home. Only essential workers should be reporting to work and all social gatherings of ten or more have been canceled or postponed.

Staying with these orders, Optimist International has canceled its 2020 Optimist International Convention, the 2020 Junior Optimist Convention, and the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships. More information may be found here.

The Optimist Scholarship Contests will continue and have been shifted to online programs. Information for competing in the Optimist International World Oratorical Championships will come directly from Optimist International. The PNW District competition will be held via ZOOM on April 25, 2020, and more information will be posted on Facebook as received. Click here for general directions to host an online contest. 

Now for our most important announcement:
Social distancing won't stop optimism. Stay safe at home. 

Click here to connect with the PNW District Optimist Clubs on Facebook.

Click here to connect with Optimist International on Facebook.

Stay connected, stay positive, and stay well.

It's scholarship competition time!

Each year, Optimist International sponsors three scholarship contests to encourage students to become better communicators.

The first is the Optimist International Essay Contest. It takes place between September and February. The official topic for 2019-2020 is "Is Optimism the Key to Achieving the Dreams you iMagine?" Download the entry form.

The second is the Optimist International Oratorical World Championships. It takes place between January and May. The official topic for 2019-20 is “Just iMagine a World without Boundaries.” Download the entry form.

Optimist International partnered with St. Louis University to expand the Oratorical Contest in 2016. This year, in the third year of the partnership, we expect it to improve even more! District winners will compete on an international stage where they have the opportunity to win up to $22,500 in scholarship money.

The third opportunity is the Optimist International Communication Contest for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (CCDHH). Although not all clubs and districts host this contest, those that do hold it between January and May. The official topic for 2019-20 is “Just iMagine a World without Boundaries.” Download the entry form.

ALL scholarship contests begin at the CLUB LEVEL. The winning club entries for the essay contest must be submitted to the district chairperson by February 28, 2020, for district-level competition. The names of the winning oratorical contestants must be submitted to the district chairperson by February 28, 2020, for regional competition assignments which begin March 7, 2020. 

For information about the Essay Contest, please contact District Chair Monique Connors

For information about the Oratorical Contest, please contact District Chair Cathy Cena.

It is our understanding that only the Essay Contest and Oratorical Contest are being hosted at the PNW District level in the 2019-2020 administrative year. 

Shown in the photo are Bob Speicher, President, West Tacoma Optimist Club, and Oratorical Contest winners from Covenant High School in 2018. 

What to do when the children head back-to-school

The last official summer holiday has taken place and we can now say that in most areas in the Pacific
Northwest District the 2019-2020 school year is underway!

Back-to-school time brings many opportunities for Optimist Clubs to interact with children. From back-to-school parties to athletics and club involvement, students of all ages are getting back into the routine. Caring adults such as Optimist Club members can make a difference by supporting their efforts. Sometimes all they need to succeed is a little extra encouragement, a friendly voice that tells them, have a great day or you're doing a great job, keep it up. Sometimes they need more like school supplies, tutoring, or safe pathways to and from school. Optimist Clubs might want to connect with their local elementary and middle schools to see if there is a way to support their students and their schools that perhaps haven't been addressed by others.

Now is the time to reach out to the teachers in middle school and high school to discuss the Optimist International Scholarship Contests. The scholarship programs have been part of Optimist International's outreach since 1928 when the Optimist International Oratorical Contest was first held. Today the organization offers three opportunities for students to earn scholarships: the Essay Contest, Oratorical World Championships and the Communications Contest for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (CCDHH)students.

All scholarship contests begin at the club level. Optimist Clubs host the Essay Contest in the fall with all winning club entries submitted to the District Chairperson by February 28. The Oratorical Contest is held in the Spring in time for the finalist to attend the Zone Contest which date is set by the Lt. Governor before the third quarter District meeting.  The CCDHH takes place as advised by their District.

The official topic for the 2019-2020 Essay Contest is "Is Optimism the Key to Achieving the Dreams you iMagine?" Download the entry form.

The official topic for the 2019-20 Optimist International Oratorical World Championships is “Just iMagine a World without Boundaries.” Download the entry form.

The official topic for the 2019-20 Optimist International CCDHH is “Just iMagine a World without Boundaries.” Download the entry form.

It's also a great time of year to reach out to teachers, principals, counselors, and other school personnel to invite them to join an Optimist Club. There is a special offer from Optimist International that gives teachers one-year of membership for $30. To take advantage of this offer, the Optimist Club must enroll the new member by September 30. We hope that the program is renewed for 2019-2020, but why wait? Invite a teacher to join your Optimist Club today!

Scholarship Contests, oh my!

It's true!

Perhaps the easiest projects for an Optimist Club to hold are the communications programs for which Optimist International is known. What are they?

The Scholarship Contests

There are three contests that start at the Optimist Club level that lead students to $2,500 scholarship awards and one can lead to as much as $22,500!

All are outlined in handy club-level planning guides accessible through the links below.

The topic for the 2018-2019 Optimist International Essay Contest is "When All the World’s Problems are Solved, is Optimism Still Necessary?"

Download the entry form.

The topic for the 2018-2019 Optimist International Oratorical World Championships is “Is There a Fine Line Between Optimism and Reality?” 

Download the entry form.

The topic for the 2018-2019 Optimist International Contest for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (CCDHH)  is “Is There a Fine Line Between Optimism and Reality?”
Download the entry form.

There is also a program for younger students preparing to enter the Oratorical World Championships called Kids Speak Out. Optimist Clubs may choose the topic for this contest.

New Rules

There are new rules in place regarding the Optimist International Oratorical Contest. The biggest change is that students who have won second or third place scholarships at the District level are now eligible to return to competition. Only students who have placed first at a District level competition are ineligible to participate.
Read all the rules changes here.

In the Pacific Northwest District the following guidelines must be observed:

• Optimist Clubs must submit their winning essay to the District Chairperson by February 28, 2018
• There will be no zone contests for the Oratorical or CCDHH. Regional contests will be held for the Oratorical Contest and the CCDHH at the same time.  The dates of the regional contests are Oregon - March 9, 2019; Idaho - March 16, 2019; Washington and Alaska - March 23, 2019; British Columbia - March 30, 2019. 
• Two contestants from each state in the Oratorical and CCDHH contests will advance to the District competition on April 12, 2019. 

Questions regarding the competitions should be addressed to the lieutenant governor in each zone. 

Topics revealed for 2018-2019 Optimist International Scholarship Contests

The Optimist International Convention is taking place today through Tuesday, July 8-10, 2018 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

During the convention, the topics for the Scholarship Contests for the coming year are revealed. They are:

Optimist International Essay Contest - "When All the World's Problems are Solved, is Optimism Still Necessary?"

Optimist International Oratorical Contest and Communications Contest for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing - "Is There a Fine Line Between Optimism and Reality?"

When available, complete contest rules will be posted at http://www.optimist.org/member/scholarships1.cfm.

Please use this notice as a heads-up so that your Optimist Club can make connections with your local schools in August.

All scholarship contests begin at the Optimist Club level. If you are a potential student contestant, teacher, counselor, or parent, please find an Optimist Club near you at this link.

Optimist International announces top youth speaker

The third annual Optimist International Oratorical World Championships were held June 28-29, 2018 at St. Louis University, St. Louis, MO and a winner has been declared.

Congratulations to Caleb Smith!

Representing the South Carolina District, Southeast Region, Caleb placed first among 9 regions and 54 contestants at the world championship event. As did all contestants, he also faced competition and triumphed in Optimist Club, Zone and/or Regional, and District-level competitions in order to reach the ultimate speak-off.

Coming in second place was Dominique Ruedaflores of the Pacific Southeast District, West Coast Region. In third place was Christopher Burrell, Kansas District, Midwestern Region.

The contest may be viewed on YouTube, Optimist International World Oratorical Championships. For the finals, please scroll to 2:20:13.

Optimist International Oratorical World Championships to be held June 28-29, 2018

This week, the PNW District - Optimist International Oratorical Champion, Asha Mior, is headed to St. Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri to compete live in the Optimist International Oratorical World Championships.

This is the third year of the enhanced competition for the Optimist Club Oratorical Contest. Thanks to a partnership with St. Louis University, there is an extra opportunity for earning scholarships, $5,000 to each regional winner plus an additional $15,000 to the tournament champion. 

This is the first year that the PNW District will compete in-person. The World Championships was first designed as an opportunity to compete remotely, from around the world, but has adapted to a joint live and remote opportunity. Some contestants will compete from their local base while others will compete in-person before the St. Louis audience. The judges watch all contestants via the remote method. 

You are invited to watch remotely as well at http://www.optimist.org/stream.

The West Coast Region will compete Thursday, June 28, 2018, 4:00 p.m. CST. (That's central time, remember.) Please click to enlarge the complete schedule below. 

We send best wishes for success to Asha!

PNW Optimist Clubs will increase to 12 zones

The Third Quarter Meeting of the PNW District-Optimist International was held May 11-12, 2018 in Vancouver, Washington. Twelve past governors and about twenty clubs were on hand for the realignment of zones and the election of lieutenant governors for the 2018-2019 administrative year. Governor-elect Ben DeRemer shared with the group more of the strategic plan that he has been working on, explaining that there are six pillars that he hopes to strengthen during the coming year:

1. Governance
2. Growth
3. Finance
4. Marketing
5. Technology
6. Meetings

In order to provide more hands-on service to Optimist Clubs, the assembled group approved increasing the number of zones and lieutenant governors from 6 to 12. Caucuses were held for the election of lieutenant governors, but without a large representation of club members, the process was delayed. Ben will follow-up in the next weeks to fill the new opportunities created for service in the district.

Ben also explained that he had discovered there are portions of British Columbia that are not included in any existing district boundary. He achieved approval to petition the Optimist International Board of Directors to include these areas in the PNW District. He further explained that Utah, with only one Optimist Club in Salt Lake City, would benefit from outreach from surrounding Optimist Clubs. Tentative approval was given to reach out Optimist International and the Pacific Central District to include this area in the PNW District pending concurrence from the easternmost clubs of Twin Falls and Jerome.

But before any of that administrative stuff could happen, we heard from some of the best and brightest students in the Pacific Northwest during the PNW District-Optimist International Oratorical Contest finals. The topic was "Where are my roots of Optimism" and the winners were:

• 1st place and $2,500 scholarship - Asha Mior, Vancouver, BC Optimist Club
• 2nd place and $1,500 scholarship - Richard Chen, Coquitlam, BC Optimist Club
• 3rd place and $1,000 scholarship - Madison Stephens, West Tacoma Optimist Club

Asha will now move forward to the Optimist International World Championships being held in St. Louis and online, June 28-29, 2018.

Congratulations to the winners, and thank you to all participants. You were remarkable!

We also send a big thank-you to Governor Bruce and Judy Gilbertson and Secretary-Treasurer Mary White for the planning and execution of a successful event.

Our next gathering will be the PNW District Convention, August 10-11-12, 2018, Lebanon, Oregon. The Lebanon Optimist Club is looking forward to hosting a big group - save the date and make your plans now! 

What happens after an Optimist Club level scholarship contest?

It is Scholarship Contest season for Optimist Clubs. Students begin their quest for all scholarships by participating in the Optimist International Essay Contest, Optimist International Oratorical Contest or Communications Contest for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (CCDHH) at their local Optimist Club. From there, local winners move on to Zone, Regional, or District level competition. In 2018, the PNW District fee for each qualifying contestant is $50 per entry at the second level of competition paid by the sponsoring Optimist Club.

The Optimist Club Essay Contest winner moves directly into the District level competition when the club chairperson mails the winning essay, all required paperwork, and $50 to the District Essay Chairperson. This is for reference only as the entries were due on February 28, 2018. The winning contestant is announced at the PNW District third quarter meeting.

The Lieutenant Governor plans the second-level of the Optimist Club Oratorical Contest in each Zone. They set the date and location, typically in April, arrange for judges, and most important, communicate with the clubs to encourage their participation in the contest. The Optimist Club may send its first and second place contestants to the Zone level competition. To participate, each winning student must have the required paperwork and the $50 registration fee.

Two contestants, the first and second place speakers, in each Zone advance to the District level competition. There they will meet other contestants that have gone through similar procedures to reach this level of participation. In 2018, the PNW District competition is being held at the third quarter meeting May 11-12 at the Hampton Inn near Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver, Washington.

Typically, the District covers all costs for lodging, meals, and activities for the students at the event as follows:

• Students should arrive late-afternoon Friday. They will share a room with another contestant. 
• District Committee Chair hosts dinner for the students and usually, there is an activity like bowling, swimming, or a movie. 
• Rise and shine Saturday morning for breakfast. We hope the contest is in the morning - it typically is - so that participants can get past any nerves and enjoy getting to know one another. 
• The District Committee Chair will host lunch and take students on an area activity in the afternoon. 
• Return for the evening banquet with the Optimist Club members, other participants, and families, to learn who has won the PNW District scholarship prizes of $2,500, $1,500, and $1,000. 
• Evening break with families and new friends. Students who are traveling with parents may leave at their pleasure. Others will remain for breakfast Sunday morning at the hotel. 
• The first-place winner should meet with the District Chairperson to learn of the next level of competition as an entry in the Optimist International Global World Championships. This portion may be done online or in person. The Regional winner earns an additional $5,000 scholarship and the opportunity to compete for $15,000 more. 

The CCDHH may follow a similar path as the Optimist International Oratorical Contest; however, since participation is much lower, it has, in the past, generally been run in cooperation with a school program for deaf students. We have been advised that the CCDHH will not be held at a district meeting in 2018.

This post is for informational purposes in order to satisfy a number of inquiries that we have received. Please contact the PNW District Chairpersons for further information: Essay | Oratorical | CCDHH.

Optimist International Oratorical World Championships schedule released

Here is the schedule for the Optimist International Oratorical Oratorical World Championships. All times are listed in Central Time Zone:

Thursday, June 15, 2017
8:30am - Southeast Region
10:00am - Middle America Region
11:15am - Great Plains Region
12:30pm - Global Region
1:30pm - Southwest Region
3:00pm - Saint Lawrence Region
4:15pm - West Coast Region

Friday, June 16, 2017
8:30am - Mid-Atlantic Region
9:30am - Northeast & Great Lakes Region
2:00pm - World Championships Contest

Watch from anywhere at www.optimist.org/stream.

PNW District Champion May Fan will compete online in the West Coast Region semifinal beginning at 4:15 p.m. CST or 2:15 p.m. PST. 

Good luck, May!