CALLING ALL YOUNG AND ASPIRING WRITERS!
The City of Irving is hosting an essay contest in conjunction with the city’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. observance Jan. 15 at the Irving Arts Center, 3333 N. MacArthur Blvd. The essay contest winners will be recognized at the event.
2023 Essay Prompt
The essay theme this year is Rise to the Level of Love.
How do you go about loving your enemies? Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. believed this began with one first analyzing themselves, and then discovering the element of good in their enemy, stating, “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend." Describe a time where you learned to love an enemy and rise to your highest level of love or how you make sure to love all people equally, no matter the circumstance. More information on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "When you rise to the Level of Love" speech can be found here.
Essays should be no more than a page in length or 500 words and will be judged on clarity, grammar, and how well the theme is developed based on the writer's age. Essays can be submitted through Jan. 5. The contest age categories are:
- Grades 3-5
- Grades 6-8
- Grades 9-12
Contest winners will read their winning essays during the observance that will take place at 6 p.m. Jan. 15 at Carpenter Performance Hall in the Irving Arts Center, 3333 N. MacArthur Blvd.
