Essay Challenge for Vermont’s 4th, 5th, and 6th Graders
Attorney General Charity Clark wants to hear young Vermonters’ thoughts on the environment. For the fifth year in a row, the Attorney General’s Office is holding an Earth Day Essay Challenge for Vermont students to submit essays, and this year, the Office is expanding the challenge to include fourth graders.
“I always look forward to seeing the enthusiasm that young Vermonters have for the environment and the many thoughtful, creative ways they express that in their writing,” Attorney General Clark said. “These essays provide hope for the future. I also really appreciate the teachers who inspire and support these students in their work.”
The Earth Day Essay Challenge is open to any fourth, fifth, or sixth-grade student in Vermont, including home-schooled students. The challenge will run from now until April 16, 2025. Students can submit other types of writing instead of an essay if they would like—for example, a story, poem, or biographical piece about someone.
Ideas for topics include things like: What do you love about Vermont’s environment? How do you enjoy Vermont’s environment? What do you care most about and what does Earth Day mean to you? What are your concerns about the future of Vermont’s environment? What do you think we should do to help protect the environment? Participants do not need to cover all these topics—these are just ideas.
All submissions will be posted on the Attorney General Office’s public website for Earth Day 2025 (April 22). Posted essays will include a participant’s first name and school. Please indicate with your submission if you prefer that your essay not be posted. Essays from prior years’ events can be found here.
Participants will receive a note about their essay from a member of the Environmental Protection Unit and the Attorney General and will be entered in a drawing to have Attorney General Clark speak with their classroom after the essay challenge is over. In the past two years, Attorney General Clark has visited Leland and Gray Middle School in Townshend and Main Street Middle School in Montpelier to congratulate essay challenge winners and speak to their classes about how Vermonters can work together to protect our environment. Environmental attorneys are also available to speak with any participating class about the environmental work of the Attorney General’s Office during the essay submission period.
For more information on the Attorney General’s Earth Day Essay Challenge, including how to submit your essay, please see the Earth Day Essay Challenge webpage.
CONTACT: Amelia Vath, Outreach and Communications Coordinator, 802-828-3171