Margaret Chase Smith Essay contest

2026 Essay contest Prompt (click here)
Printable Flyer (Click Here)

2026 Essay Contest Winners Announced! (Click Here)

Every school year the Library administers the Margaret Chase Smith Essay Contest.  It is open to Maine high school seniors and invites them to write on a theme related either to a historical milestone or a current event.  Thanks to the generous support from the Margaret Chase Smith Foundation, prizes are $1000 for first place, $500 for second place, $250 for third place, and five $50 honorable mention prizes.

 
Representative Margaret Chase Smith sitting on couch surrounded by newspapers and reading.
 

2026 First Place Winner, Oran Saar
John Bapst Memorial High School
Bangor, Maine
Essay (Click Here)

2026 Second Place Winner, Kiersten Daigle
John Bapst Memorial High School
Bangor, Maine
Essay (Click Here)

2026 Third Place Winner, Rory Hammond
Edward Little High School
Auburn, Maine
Essay (Click Here)