MLK Celebration Sacramento

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration

Page updated 1/31/2024

11th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Sacramento Regional Essay Contest | Sponsored by ABC10 and The Sacramento Kings The submission period for the 2024 MLK Essay Contest has concluded. Thank you to all participants.  Winners will be announced in January 2024.

The MLK Essay Contest Is Sponsored By :

mlk essay contest

2024 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Essay Contest Information.

We are pleased to announce the 11th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Sacramento Regional Essay contest .  The essay contest was created to further engage our youth with Dr. King's legacy, vision, and leadership that inspired a nation.

Essays will be judged on creativity, clarity, content, coherence, and adherence to the theme. Essays must be in your own words; plagiarism is unacceptable and no help from any AI source is permitted.  Essays must adhere to the contest rules below and must be submitted by Friday, December 22, 2023 at 5 pm .

First, second, and third-place winners will receive cash prizes and be recognized as part of the 2024 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration on Saturday, January 27, 2024, being held at Sacramento State University. Additionally, first-place winners from both divisions will be invited to be highlighted during an upcoming Sacramento Kings game.

The essay contest is open to youth (Middle and High School students) who live in El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, or Yolo County. 

The 2024 MLK Essay Contest Question

The 2024 MLK Celebration Essay Topic

Given what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. achieved during the 1960s Civil Rights era, the United States today is at another crossroads; what would you do to inspire equity in our country for all people?

Cash Prize image

High School Division - Cash Prizes

1st Place - $500 | 2nd Place - $300 | 3rd Place - $200

Middle School Division - Cash Prizes

1st Place  - $250 | 2nd Place  - $150 | 3rd Place  - $100

Plus, first-place winners from both divisions will be invited to be highlighted during an upcoming Sacramento Kings game.

Contest Rules • Winners will be chosen from middle and high school categories. • The essay must consist of no more than 500 words. • All essays must be in the writer's own voice. Plagiarism is strictly prohibited, and the use of any assistance or content from AI sources is not allowed. • The essay contest is open to middle and high school entries and must be submitted on 8½” x 11” white background, double-spaced, and typed using a 12pt. font. • Only one entry per student and essays must be submitted by Friday, December 22, 2023 at 5pm.   Late submissions will not be accepted. • All entries MUST include a cover page with the student’s first and last name, grade level, full school name, school district, home address, email and contact phone number. Essays missing this information will be disqualified . • All judging is final. Winners will be notified on Monday, January 12, 2024  via email and telephone. With parental/guardian permission, winners will be interviewed and showcased on ABC10 . • Each winner and one guest will receive a ticket to attend the event.  Additional guests are welcome to attend by purchasing a ticket.

Any essay determined to be in violation of the essay rules will be disqualified.

Download the Essay Contest Flyer

Submit Essays By Friday, December 22, 2023 at 5 pm No Late Entries Will Be Accepted.

How To Submit Entry Send your essay as an attachment in PDF Format to: mlkessaycontestsac(at)gmail.com

Thank you to our MLK Essay contest sponsors

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With support from

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Past Essay Contest Winners

2023 MLK Essay Contest Winners 2022 MLK Essay Contest Winners 2021 MLK Essay Contest Winners 2020 MLK Essay Contest Winners 2019 MLK Essay Contest Winners 2018 MLK Essay Contest Winners 2017 MLK Essay Contest Winners

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center

2025 dr. martin luther king, jr. scholarship essay contest.

A total of *$27,500 in scholarship awards will be presented to eight finalists:

  • 1st Place receives  $10,000
  • 2nd Place receives  $7,500
  • 3rd Place receives  $5,000

*Awards of $1,000 will be presented to five honorable mentions.

Essay Contest Rules & Eligibility  

The 2025 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Essay Contest is open to high school seniors attending a City of Dallas high school. These Scholarships are to help defray the cost of tuition, books, room and board, etc. Winners will be required to submit a short video of their scholarship acceptance and will be formally recognized at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship & Awards Gala.

Submission Deadline:

Applications will open October 28, 2024. December 4, 2024

Apply Online:

http://bit.ly/MLKScholarship2025

Download Flyer

Incomplete applications WILL NOT be considered. Prior scholarship winners are ineligible to apply.

2025 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Week

In January 2025, the City of Dallas will host its 43rd annual celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a weeks’ worth of events highlighting issues of equity, diversity, and opportunity. The week will include a Day of Prayer, a Day of Service, a Wreath Laying Ceremony, Job Fair, Equity Symposium, Youth Summit, and Scholarship & Awards Gala. Celebration week will culminate with the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Parade.

Click here to learn more about 2025 MLK Celebration Week!

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mlk essay contest

STUDENT ESSAY CONTEST

The Martin Luther King Jr., Holiday Committee of Washington, DC in partnership with the Mayor’s Youth Leadership Institute Alumni Association and our Community Partners have joined together to sponsor The Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Essay Contest.

mlk essay contest

Presented by: Mayor’s Youth Leadership Institute Alumni Association

View essay contest rules and submission instructions below before getting started. ALL students must UPLOAD their essays via a .WORD DOC or a .PDF

Essay Topic

“ Bending Toward Truth and Justice “

Elementary School Essay Prompt:

Identify two problems in your neighborhood or community and what would you do to solve those problems.

Middle School and High School Essay Prompt

What solutions would you offer to bring peace to our city? What would be the role of young people in your solutions?

Word Requirements:

Elementary 4th-5th  |  250-500 words Middle  6th-8th  |  500-700 words High School 9th-12th  |  700-1,000 words

SUBMISSION DEADLINE:

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2023 at 11:00 PM

 Email Questions and Concerns ONLY to: [email protected]

ESSAY WRITING SUPPORT!

The 5 Step Essay Writing Process That Will Help You Write Better Papers

  • Step 1: Determine your purpose for writing the paper. …
  • Step 2: Write down everything and anything about your topic. …
  • Step 3: Organize your thoughts. …
  • Step 4: Start writing, then take a step back. …
  • Step 5: Grade your own paper.

Essay Topic Support Videos & Essay Writing Assistance Links

  • High School Writing Link – https://form.jotform.com/MYLIAA/2024-mlk-jr-dc-essay-contest—HS
  • Middle School Writing Link – https://form.jotform.com/MYLIAA/2024-mlk-jr-dc-essay-contest—MS
  • Elementary School Writing Link – https://form.jotform.com/MYLIAA/2024-mlk-jr-dc-essay-contest—elem

Essay Contest Rules and Submission Instructions

Contestants must be a DC Resident and a student attending a Public School, Charter School or Private/Parochial School.

  Essay Contest word count submissions for each contestant group will be:

  • Elementary School Students Grades 4 and 5 a minimum of 250 and a maximum of 500 words
  • Middle School Students Grades 6, 7 and 8 a minimum of 500 and a maximum of 700 words
  • High School Students Grades 9, 10, 11 and 12 a minimum of 700 and a maximum of 1,000 words
  • Submissions must be original work that has been produced or created by the contestant.
  • We ask that all contestants include their name, school, grade and e-mail address (if you have one) with your essay submission.
  • All essay contest winners will be requested to provide a short biography and a picture that could be published with your essay in local newspapers, on the internet on the DC MLK, Mayor’s Youth Leadership Alumni Association and some of our partnering organizations websites, publications, and television shows. Winning contestants will be required to sign a Media Release Form. Contest Winners that are 17 years and younger must have the parent/guardian(s) sign the Media Release Form.
  • All essay submissions must be received by December 16, 2023 , 11:00pm Eastern Standard Time (EST).
  • Contestants can submit only one essay entry.
  • Submissions must be relevant to the essay topic as mentioned above. Essays will be judged upon their clarity, relevance to the topic submitted, organization, sentence structure, grammar, mechanics and spelling.
  • Contest finalists will be notified by email.
  • Contest winners will be announced.
  • Contest winners schools will be notified as well.
  • 1st Place Elementary, Middle School, High School Divisions -$300 dollars
  • 2nd Place Elementary, Middle School, High School Divisions -$200 dollars
  • 3rd Place Elementary, Middle School, High School Divisions- $100 dollars
  • Prizes will be awarded through check or money/pay cards.
  • Essay Contest entrants who do not have access to the internet or an understanding of how to submit their essay on-line are encouraged to get assistance from a parent/guardian, family member, teacher or school administrator to submit their essay on-line.
  • Handwritten essays should be scanned to a file and submitted on-line.
  • In the event that a student has no means to submit the essay on-line they should call Norman Nixon on (202) 236-6904.

Essay Contest Submission Instructions

  • Go to the MLK Holiday DC website at https://mlkholidaydc.org and click on the Get Involved link and scroll down to the MLK Student Essay information page and click on the Get Started link to fill out the contest application and submit your essay.
  • Essays can be typed into the essay submission portal or uploaded through the attachment link provided.
  • The MLK Holiday DC Committee or the Mayor’s Youth Leadership Institute Alumni Association (MYLIAA) are not responsible for connectivity issues or unexpected site outages that my prevent participants from submitting essays for consideration before the deadline. We consistently maintain the site in order to have it available and operational at all times. However, it is recommended that contest submissions are not left to the last minute in case of unexpected technical difficulties with the site.
  • In order to be considered, all essays must be submitted by December 16th, 2023 – 11:00 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST).
  • If you have any additional questions, please submit them to: [email protected]

The objective of the K-12 Student Essay/Poetry and Poster contest is to capture Dr. King’s legacy in word and art. ASU will host its 39th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Breakfast on January 18, 2024. A highlight of the celebration is the recognition and awards ceremony for Arizona K-12 students who are winners of the statewide essay and poster contest.

First place essay winners read their work at the celebration - and for the poster winners – their art is transformed into bookmarks that all guests receive at the celebration.

Click below to enter.

2025 essay/poetry entry form 2025 poster entry form

Building History winning poster

2024 contest winner media

A drawing of children holding a banner that says

2023 contest winner media

mlk essay contest

2022 contest winner media

2021 Bookmark contest winner

2021 contest winner media

2020 Bookmark

2020 contest winner media

2019 MLK bookmark contest winner

2019 contest winner media

2018 Winning bookmark

2018 contest winner media

mlk essay contest

2017 contest winner media

2016 winning bookmark

2016 contest winner media

Inspirational resources.

Martin Luther King, Jr.: Day, Death, Quotes

National Geographic Kids - Hero For All: Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. | Smithsonian Institution

Text of the "I have a dream" speech

Stanford Univerity's Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute

Day of Service

“The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.” by Martin Luther King, Jr. and Clayborne Carson

“A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr.” by Martin Luther King, Jr. and James M. Washington

“Becoming King: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Making of a National Leader.” by Troy Jackson PhD and Clayborne Carson

Speeches by Dr. King

MLK, Jr. Remembered

“We Shall Overcome” audio with images

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: Biography for Children, American History for Kids – FreeSchool

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