MPE's Annual Essay Contest

MPE also conducts an annual energy-related contest. Winners are awarded life-changing, all-expense paid trips to Washington DC and Youth Leadership Camp. Both awards (trips) help students beef up their post-high school resumes for college and for employment applications. See details below.

 

Walden Elementary School Grant

The Washington DC Youth Tour is an all-expense-paid ,week-long tour of our nation’s capital, where one high school junior or senior from within Mountain Parks Electric’s service territory will join students from Colorado and all across the United States to make memories that will last a lifetime.

Electric Cooperative YOUTH TOUR 2024

June 17-23, 2024

PDF Brochure: Youth Tour DC_2024

DAY 1 & 2
• Meet in Denver to start our week together
• Tour a co-op and learn about electricity
• Tour the Colorado State Capitol
• Have dinner with a state legilsator

DAY 3
• Fly to Washington, D.C.
• Tour the WWII, Vietnam, Korean and Lincoln Memorials
• Meet students from other states
• Learn about cooperatives

DAY 4
• Participate in a congressional simulation
• Tour Mt. Vernon
• Visit Ford’s Theater
• Tour the Martin Luther King, Jefferson and FDR Memorials
• Attend Youth Day with over 1,500 students from across the country

DAY 5
• Visit with U.S. Senators and Representatives
• Tour the U.S. Capitol
• Enjoy a play

DAY 6
• Visit the Library of Congress
• See the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution
• See the Navy Memorial
• Visit your choice of Smithsonian museums

DAY 7
• Visit the Iwo Jima Memorial
• Visit the Holocaust Museum
• Tour the Air Force and 9/11 Memorials
• Visit Arlington National Cemetery
• Attend a dinner, dance, and career fair with students from across the country

DAY 8
• Say goodbye to Washington D.C., and your new friends, say hello to life-long memories

The contest is open to all high school juniors and seniors that are at least 16 years of age by the first Friday in January, attending a school in MPE’s service territory and living in a household that receives electricity from MPE.

  • Mt. Vernon & the US Capitol
  • Fort McHenry
  • Iwo Jima Memorial
  • 9/11, MLK and FDR Memorials
  • Jefferson & Lincoln Memorials
  • US Constitution Exhibit
  • Smithsonian MuseumsDe
  • Vietnam & Korean Memorials
  • Holocaust Museum
  • Library of Congress
  • Meet legislators & much MORE!!!

Youth Leadership Camp is the second of two all-expense-paid trips awarded by this contest from Mountain Parks Electric and the Colorado Electrical Education Institute. One high school junior or senior from within Mountain Parks Electric’s service territory will join approximately 100 other students from Colorado, Kansas and Oklahoma for a fun-filled getaway.

The contest is open to all high school juniors and seniors that are at least 16 years of age by the first Friday in January, attending a school in MPE’s service territory and living in a household that receives electricity from MPE.

  • Leadership exercises
  • Rafting on the Colorado River
  • Hike to Fish Creek Falls
  • A day in Steamboat Springs
  • Renewable energy/electric industry overview (including generation plant site tours)
  • Camper dance under the stars
  • Avian protection demonstration
  • Volleyball & swimming
  • Wrap-up banquet & much MORE!

CONTEST RULES & GUIDELINES

Submit an energy-related essay, 500 words or less or a 10-minute video addressing any one of the topics listed below (or an energy-related theme of your choice).

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: The first Friday in January.

MPE will contact you if you win (and require you to fill out the trip application)..NOTE: If trips are cancelled due to public health concerns, MPE will instead award a $2,000 college/vo-tech scholarship to the winners. NOTE: DC attendees must provide proof of vaccination. Leadership camp attendees must provide proof of a negative COVID test three days before camp.

The first Friday in March. Applications are available at MPE’s Granby and Walden offices. For questions, memberrelations@mpei.com or call 970-887-3378.

Open to all high school juniors and seniors who are at least 16 years of age as of the first Friday in January and are attending a school within MPE’s service territory. 

Have Time, Will Travel

Imagine traveling back to the past or into the future. What does the world of energy look like there? Is there any electricity? If so, how is it generated? How scarce is it? How much does it cost? What do people do to conserve it, or do they try to at all? Is that world better or worse than the one we live in today? How would you improve it? 

You, the Energetic Representative

Many politicians are known for signature issues, like health care, national defense, trade and tax policies or energy policy. Imagine you are a US senator from Colorado whose signature issue is national energy policy. Explain what your positions are and why they will benefit Colorado and the United States as a whole. Remember, your choices today will likely affect your children and grandchildren. 

Your Not-for-Profit Short List (in essay form)

Mountain Parks Electric is a not-for-profit business. Any profit MPE earns is returned to the people who purchase electricity from us or is invested in infrastructure (poles, wires, substations, etc.). Write a short essay describing what kinds of businesses, in your opinion, would be best as not-for-profit businesses. Explain why. 

Choose Your Own Path

Got a better idea? Write about electric vehicles, renewable generation or any compelling and relevant energy-related essay and submit it along with your application.  

Lights, Camera, Action!

Not a writer? Create a ten-minute video on what you would change in your home to conserve on energy.

Selection will be based on content, grammar, spelling and video creativity.

Selection will be based on content, grammar and spelling. Winner will be notified by January 31. If you have questions (or want to fact check information in your entry before submitting it), please contact MPE at (970) 887-3378.

Return Youth Tour application no later than the first Friday in March to:

MPE Essay Contest
Mountain Parks Electric, Inc.
P. O. Box 170
Granby, CO 80446

Or email your scanned essay & application to: memberrelations@mpei.com