Edwardsville Unity is a local non-profit organization that was created to promote racial, religious and cultural harmony. We do this through a model that emphasizes education, collaboration and community building. Our featured event every year is Unity Fest. It is a day-long celebration of our common humanity, is completely free, and includes interfaith prayers, diverse performers and powerful speakers.
How do you fit in? Well, this year we have decided to increase youth-involvement in our celebration and to that end are having an essay contest. Our theme this year is, “Moving Forward Together” and we need your help. We are looking for interested writers at the middle school and high school level who would like to share their hope and vision for a positive future. Two awards will be given to the best essays, one at the high-school and one at the middle-school level. The awardees will each receive a check for $150 and have the chance to read their essay out loud at Unity Fest 2025, which will be held in Leclaire Park on Saturday September 27th. Middle school essays should be 1-2 pages in length and high school essays should be 2-4 pages. They will be judged on creativity, positivity, the ability to convey your vision and consistency with the theme of, “Moving Forward Together”. The deadline for submission will be August 1st and all submissions should be sent to ssocialschool@gmail.com or submitted through the form below. We look forward to seeing what you come up with!
Many blessings,
Jesse Allen
Edwardsville Unity President
