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Scholarship

Scholarship Contests for High School Students 

The Optimist Club of Calgary holds three scholarship contests each year for students to earn money to pursue opportunities in higher education: 

  • The Essay Contest

  • Oratorical Contest

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

The Essay Contest

Students will research and write a 700 to 800 word essay on an OI selected topic and submit it to the Optimist Club of Calgary by the club submission deadline. Each entry will be acknowledged as received. There are prizes in the form of medals and cash awards of $100, $75 and $50 for the first three places in the club contest. The best essay is forwarded to the District competition for the $2,500 scholarship.

Before writing the essay, students must complete and submit an entry form. There is a limitation of 15 places in the contest; this is the reason it is important to enter as soon as possible. If our club cannot accept your entry, you may be referred to other clubs in the Calgary area which also hold Optimist Essay Contests.

Deadline to apply is mid-December.
Apply now

Oratorical Contest

Students will research, write and present a four to five minute speech on an OI selected topic. There is a limit of ten entrants in the contest. The contest is held on a Saturday, in mid-March. The specific date, time and location are announced each year.

An Entry Form must be submitted. Each entry will be acknowledged as received. There are prizes in the form of medals and cash awards of $100, $75 and $50 for the first three places in the Club contest.

Applications are closed for 2022. We will post the application for 2023 soon.

2022 Winners

The 2022 Optimist International Oratorical World Championships were held July 21-22, 2022 at Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri, USA.

The Optimist International World Oratorical Championship was a massive success in St. Louis, Missouri, awarding over $78,000 in College Scholarships Awards.

The World Champions won a $15000 scholarship for first place, a $10000 scholarship for second place and a $5000 scholarship for third place. These are in addition to having won a $5000 scholarship for winning their Regional Oratorical Contest and $2500 scholarship for winning their District Oratorical Contest.

  • The World winner was Samiksha Gaherwar from the Southeast Gateway District. She gave us the perfect example of “Never QUIT!” She had entered the Oratorical Contest 8 times…and until this year, had not won 1st place at the District Level.

  • The second place awardee was Rin Choi from the “World Division” in Seoul, South Korea;

  • The third place awardee was Maeva Giroux from Quebec, Canada.

Our Great Lakes Region winner was Maryam Al-Sabawi from High River. She won a $5000 scholarship, in addition to her $2500 scholarship that she won by winning our District Oratorical Contest in May.

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

Students who are certified to have a hearing loss of 40 decibels or more may compete in this contest designed to help them develop the skills and confidence to present in sign or orally to an audience.

Topic for the 2022-2023 school year is: " Discovering the Optimism within Me".

Scholarship amount up to $2,500.00
Apply now
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Optimist International is recognized worldwide as the premier volunteer organization that values all youth and helps them develop to their full potential.

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