Enter the 2021 Washington Youth Tour Essay Contest

Win an All-Expenses-Paid Trip to Washington, D.C.!

The 2019 Washington Youth Tour Winner, CoraGrace Hardee, in front of the U.S. Capitol.
Photos by Lianna Lewis.

Area high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors have the chance to win an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. next summer to participate in the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s (NRECA) Electric Cooperative Youth Tour leadership program.

One local winner will be among 1,500 high school students chosen from across the nation to tour Washington, D.C., in June 2021. The lucky winner will learn more about how government works, visit the Smithsonian Institute, Arlington National Cemetery, Capitol Hill, Mount Vernon, the FDR Memorial, the World War II Memorial, and more.

To qualify, a high school sophomore, junior, or senior’s primary residence in Plumas, Lassen, Sierra, or Washoe counties must be supplied with either electric power through Plumas Sierra Rural Electric Cooperative or internet service through Plumas-Sierra Telecommunications.

An application form for the 2021 Washington Youth Tour is located below and is available at the cooperative office in Portola.

Complete the application and submit a typed or legibly written essay. The topic for this year’s essay is: “Washington Youth Tour students have an opportunity to visit with their congressman or woman. As a member of an electric co-op, write an essay about the concerns and questions you would discuss with your representative. Explain why these are important issues to you.”

CoraGrace Hardee and the group at a Washington Nationals game as they take on the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The essay should be no less than 500 words and no more than 1,000 words.

Essays will be judged on creativity and content (with consideration given to spelling and grammar) by the editorial staff of Ruralite magazine in Oregon.

Applications must be submitted to Plumas-Sierra REC by Friday, November 13, 2020.

Due to uncertainties around the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, this trip may be postponed or cancelled at the discretion of the cooperative.

To learn more about the Washington Youth Tour, please visit the NRECA website.

2021 Washington Youth Tour Application

  • Please attach information to this application regarding your goals, hobbies, activities, awards, or other achievements, as well as your typed or legibly written essay.

    This year’s topic is: “Washington Youth Tour students have an opportunity to visit with their congressman or woman. As a member of an electric co-op, write an essay about the concerns and questions you would discuss with your representative. Explain why these are important issues to you.”

    Essays should be no less than 500 words and no more than 1,000 words.

  • Drop files here or
    Max. file size: 60 MB.
    • Application must be submitted by Friday, November 13, 2020.