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Building on the success of last year, Marietta Elks Lodge #477 is proud to offer all Washington County students in grades 5,6,7 and 8 the opportunity to compete in the 2026 Elks National Americanism Essay Contest.
We are more excited than ever to invite you to participate this year, as last year several of our Lodge's local winners took first place at the District Level, competed at the State level for all of Ohio, and we are proud to have our first ever National First Place Winner, in the 5th grade Division.
This year, the topic for the essays will be "Explain a Constitutional Right or Privilege and How It affects You and Your Family". There are four Divisions for competition by grades 5,6,7, and 8. Winners in each grade level are eligible to take home substantial cash prizes. Essays are not to exceed 300 words, and must be typed or legibly printed in ink, by the student applicant. Judging is completed locally by Volunteers at the Elks Lodge, with criteria weighted as follows: Originality – 30 points. Development of the theme – 40 points. English language mechanics (punctuation, grammar, spelling, etc.) and neatness – 30 points. Deadline for submission to the local Elks Americanism Contest Committee is December 15, 2026.
We welcome questions, and full details can be found online at https://www.elks.org/grandlodge/fraternal/files/americanismEssayContest.pdf.
You may contact us directly for assistance, as we can provide copies of the complete rules, the required Cover Sheet to be attached to each essay entered and other information.
At your request, a Member of our Team can be available to schedule a visit to any local school or Parent Group, meet with any number of teachers for more personalized service, or present the program to a classroom or larger gathering of students in the participating grades.
This program is another example of service to the Community by your nearby friends and neighbors in Marietta Elks Lodge #477. It is our pleasure to bring this learning opportunity to our students, free of charge.
For more information, please contact Bruce Edward Haas, Elks Americanism Committee Chairman, at 740-629-1277.
Marietta Elks Lodge #477
Marietta