Optimist International Events

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Topic for the 2022-2023 school year is: 

“Discovering the Optimism within Me ”

Who: Youth under the age of 19 as of October 1, 2022 (and is not enrolled as a degree seeking student of a post-secondary institution) in the United States, Canada or the Caribbean. 

There is no minimum age.

How To Enter: Interested students submit a speech on the pre-assigned topic to their local Optimist Club. To find out the contact in your area, please e-mail the Programs Department at programs@optimist.org.

Students
The deadline to enter is determined by the sponsoring Optimist Club. All Club-level contests are typically held by late March.

Clubs and Districts
The District deadline to submit winners to Optimist International is May 15, 2023. Optimist International does not set Club/Zone/Regional deadlines.

Communication Contest for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (CCDHH)

Topic for the 2022-2023 School Year is : “
“Discovering the Optimism within Me ”

Who: The contest is open to young people through grade 12 in the United States and Canada, to CEGEP in Québec and grade 13 in the Caribbean, who are educated in the United States, Canada or the Caribbean. Students must submit the results of an audiogram completed no longer than 24 months prior to the date of the contest by a qualified audiologist. Students must be certified to have an uncorrected hearing loss of 40 decibels or more, which must be supported by the audiogram in order to be eligible to compete. Students with permanent correction should compete in the Optimist International Oratorical contest.

How To Enter: Interested students should contact their local Optimist Club. To find out the contact in your area, please e-mail the Programs department at programs@optimist.org.

The Childhood Cancer Campaign was established by Optimist International in 2001 with the mission of “being the leading force to rid the world of childhood cancer.”

Did you know that each year more than 12,000 children and teenagers will be diagnosed with cancer? Did you also know that one in every 330 Americans develops cancer before the age of 20? Due to statistics such as these, Optimist Clubs are encouraged to participate in this program by building awareness of the disease, providing assistance to childhood cancer patients and their families and supporting research to find a cure.

The CCC program model is built to accentuate four areas of service on which Members 

can focus: 

• Support to children diagnosed and receiving treatment for cancer
• Support to families and care partners of children with cancer
• Support to health care and service providers
• Support for cancer research
• 
  

For more in-depth CCC information, read the CCC Planning Guide.

Topic for the 2022-2023 school year is: 

"Who is an Everyday Hero that Brings Out the Optimism in You?”

Who: Youth under the age of 19 as of October 1, 2022 (and is not enrolled as a degree seeking student of a post-secondary institution) in the United States, Canada or the Caribbean.
There is no minimum age.

How To Enter: Interested students must contact their local Optimist Club. They need to submit an essay on the pre-assigned topic. To find out a contact, please e-mail the Programs Department at programs@optimist.org.

The Essay Contest planning pages are intended for use by Optimist Clubs in organizing and conducting a contest in their Club. They contain no information on entering the contest and are of no use to students wishing to enter the contest. Students must contact their local
Optimist Club.

The Optimist Junior Golf Program is an exciting and unique junior golf program for ages 10-18. 

The Optimist International Junior Golf Championship is one of the largest and best-known junior golf tournaments in the world. Each year, more than 600 golfers participate
in THE OPTIMIST.

Optimists have been involved in the sport of junior golf for more than 30 years by holding local, regional and international tournaments. More than 5,000 golfers compete in official Optimist District qualifying tournaments. The best of these golfers, along with international golfers from around the globe, advance to the annual Optimist International Junior Golf Championships which will be conducted in 2023 at the Doral Resort and Spa in Miami, Florida.  

2023
July 14-19, 2023
Boys 10-11, 12-13 and Girls 10-12
July 19-24, 2023
Boys 14-15 and Girls 13-14
July 24-29, 2023  
Boys 16-18 and Girls 15-18

Former champions and top finishers of the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships include Lexi Thompson, Beth Bauer, Jonathan Byrd, Jason Day, Bill Haas, Brittany Lincicome, Jeff Overton, Stacy Prammanasudh and Jennifer Rosales. 

More information may be found at https://www.optimist.org/golf/golf-championships.cfm.

Respect For Law/Promotion
of Non-Violence

Inspire respect for the law among your local young people! This motivational program can be a community rally against local violence, a get-acquainted event between youth and local law enforcement officials, or a “what peace means to me” poster contest for young kids.

In July 1965, a discussion between Past Optimist International President Carl Bowen and former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover resulted in the birth of the Respect for Law program. This is the fourth most popular program with more than 1,500 Clubs participating last year.

More detailed information about this program is available in the
Respect for Law Planning Guide.