All 5th , 6th , 7th , and 8th-grade students are invited to submit an essay on this year’s theme. There
will be one winner picked from each grade level, and these winners will be announced in
January 2025.
Winners will be given a Trophy and Gift Card during the Town of Paradise Valley Martin Luther
King Jr. Celebration in Town Hall on Monday, January 20th, 2025. Winners and their families
are invited and encouraged to attend the event.
Essay Submission Deadline: December 11, 2024
Essay Topic: “Hope and Unity”
Requirements:
- The essay should be two total single-sided pages.
- Font should be Times family and 12 pt., double line spacing with a 1” margin.
- Student name, school, and grade should be on the first page of the essay.
- Please save the essay in a PDF or .doc format.
- Please submit a pdf, doc, or docx of your essay: Contest Submission or go to the website
https://www.mlkparadisevalley.org/submissions/
Essays will be judged on the following:
- Relevance – to topic, content, and clarity.
- Focus and Coherence – The ideas are related and well-supported from the introduction
to the conclusion. - Organization – The writer uses smooth transitions and clear ideas.
- Development of Ideas – The writer uses specific details to develop ideas.
- Voice – The writer engages the reader with the choice of words, and the writer’s unique
personality comes through. - Conventions – The writer uses correct spelling, grammar, punctuation, and sentence
structure.
By submitting your essay, you approve the essay to be published and used in promotions, along
with the student’s name, grade, and school. You are also committing to the original quality of
the paper. Any papers that are not original will be automatically disqualified.
This event is sponsored by the Bahá’í Community of Paradise Valley and the Town of Paradise
Valley.