The City of Leander and Leander ISD are partnering to host an essay contest in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day Jan. 16 at the second annual MLK Day March and celebration. Students in any LISD school can submit an entry by Jan. 7, demonstrating their research on Dr. King and responding to essay prompts.

Essay Contest Details

Any Leander ISD student can participate in the Leander essay content for Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration. Submissions can be sent electronically to [email protected]. A committee for the city’s 2nd annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Parade and Street Festival will review and award prizes for the top submissions.

High School and Middle School Prompt

Using the speeches, writings and teaching of Reverend Dr. MLK, How do you think he exemplified “Unity Through Diversity” while he was alive? How can we apply those concepts and beliefs to positively impact our communities today?

Submission Requirements

  • High School Students
    • One essay per student. Essays must be original, typed, double-spaced, and should not exceed 1,000 words. The cover sheet must contain the student’s name, school, home/cellular phone number, address, and email address (do not include this information in the body of the essay).
    • Essays will be judged based on organization, content, voice, creativity, and grammatical structure.
  • Middle School Students
    • One essay per student. Essays must be original, typed, double-spaced, and should not exceed 500 words. The cover sheet must contain the student’s name, school, home/cellular phone number, address, and email address (do not include this information in the body of the essay).
    • Essays will be judged based on organization, content, voice, creativity, and grammatical structure.

Elementary School Prompt

Please research Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (examples could include reading a book or article, watching a video, or listening to a podcast) and share what you learned in your paper, and respond to the following questions:

  • How can we be kinder to one another every day?
  • How will you go out and make the world a better place?

Submission Requirements

One submission per student. Students must submit a writing sample, either typed or handwritten, not to exceed one side of one page. Writing samples can include illustrations, drawings, or accompanying original artwork. On a separate sheet of paper, we need the student’s name, school, and grade level.