AAPI Joy Youth Writing Contest

The Los Angeles Public Library is hosting an essay contest for students in grades 6–12 to encourage creativity, literacy, and civic participation. Up to three winners may be selected per grade-level category. Winning essays may be published on the Library’s website, and winning students may be invited to read their essays at a City-sponsored public event.

No purchase, payment, fee, donation, or fundraising activity is required to enter or win. A purchase or donation will not improve the chances of winning.

The contest is open only to students who, on the date of entry:

1. are enrolled in 6th grade through 12th grade; and
2. either:
   a. reside in the City of Los Angeles; or
   b. attend a school located in the City of Los Angeles.

Entries must be submitted by the student with authorization from the parent or legal guardian in the form required by the City. 

Employees of the sponsoring City department who are directly involved in administering or judging the contest, and their immediate family members, are not eligible to win.

The contest opens on September 14, 2026, at 10 a.m. and closes on October 18, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. PDT. Entries received after the deadline may be disqualified.

The contest theme is: The Library in our Heart

The City reserves the right to reasonably and in good faith interpret theme compliance.

Each eligible student may submit one essay in PDF or Word Doc format in English or Spanish during the contest period, unless the City expressly permits multiple entries in writing.

Entries may be submitted directly by students or by their parent/guardian/teacher/school on their behalf. All entries must include the parent/guardian authorization form with submission.

Each entry must include:

1. the student’s essay;
2. the student’s first and last name;
3. the student’s grade level;
4. the student’s school name, if applicable;
5. the parent’s or legal guardian’s name;
6. parent or legal guardian contact information; and
7. any additional information specifically requested on the entry form.

Entries must be submitted by one of the following methods:

online through the City’s designated submission portal;

• by email to [address]

The City may reject incomplete, illegible, corrupted, late, misdirected, or noncompliant entries.

One essay per student, and each submitted essay must:

1. be the student’s original work; No AI-generated content. 
2. be written primarily by the student;
3. not infringe the copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity, or other rights of any person or entity;
4. not have been generated primarily by artificial intelligence tools, unless the City expressly allows limited AI-assisted drafting in written contest guidance;
5. comply with the theme;
6. comply with the word count limit of each category 
   1. 6th Grade-8th Grade: 500 Words (max)
   2. 9th Grade-10th Grade: 1000 Words (max)
   3. 11th Grade-12th Grade: 1000 Words (max)
7. be suitable for a public youth program.

Entries may be disqualified if they contain content that the Library determines, in its reasonable discretion, is:

• obscene, sexually explicit, hateful, discriminatory, threatening, or defamatory;
• unlawfully harassing;
• plagiarized or materially copied from another work;
• promotional or commercial in nature; or
• otherwise inconsistent with the educational and civic purposes of the contest.

The Library intends to select at least one winner in each of the following categories:

• 6th Grade-8th Grade
• 9th Grade-10th Grade
• 11th Grade-12th Grade

The Library reserves the right not to award a winner in any category if, in the judges’ determination, no submission in that category sufficiently meets contest standards.

Entries will be evaluated using the following criteria:

• Originality and Creativity – 25 points
• Responsiveness to Theme – 25 points
• Organization and Structure – 25 points
• Grammar and Quality – 25 points

Total possible score: 100 points

The Library may appoint one or more judges, who may include City staff, educators, authors, librarians, or other qualified reviewers.

In the event of a tie, the tied entry with the higher score in “originality and creativity” will prevail. If still tied, the tied entry with the higher score in “responsiveness to the theme” will prevail. If still tied, the Library may request additional review by an independent tie-breaking judge.

The decisions of the Library and its judges are final, subject to correction of clerical error.

The Library will attempt to notify each potential winner using the contact information submitted with the entry. If a potential winner cannot be contacted after reasonable efforts, fails to return the required documents by the stated deadline, is found ineligible, or declines to participate, the Library may select an alternate winner.

Each winner may receive:

1. recognition as the category-level winner;
2. publication of the winning essay on the Library’s website and/or other Library-controlled media;
3. an invitation to be presented and/or read the essay at a Los Angeles Public Library-sponsored event, such as the 2027 AAPI Joy Festival on Saturday, May 15, 2027, at the Central Library, or a Library Foundation of Los Angeles-sponsored public event; and
4. first-place winning students may be invited to additional events by the Library and the Foundation. 

The City may substitute a prize or recognition item of equal or greater nominal value if necessary.

The 3 winners of the Middle School (6th - 8th grade) category will receive (Tier Total: $1,500)

• 1st Place: $700
• 2nd Place: $500
• 3rd Place: $300 

The 3 winners of the High School (9th and 10th grades) category will receive (Tier Total: $2,250)

• 1st Place: $1,000
• 2nd Place: $750
• 3rd Place: $500 

The 3 winners of the High School (11th and 12th grades) category will receive  (Tier Total: $3,000)

• 1st Place: $1,500
• 2nd Place: $1000
• 3rd Place: $500

By submitting an entry, and through the accompanying parent/guardian consent, entrant and parent/guardian acknowledge that if the entry is selected, the City may:

1. publish the essay on the City’s website, social media, printed materials, and event materials;
2. announce the student’s name, grade, school, and city of residence, to the extent authorized in the consent form;
3. invite the student to read the essay at a public City event; and
4. photograph, audio record, and/or video record the student’s appearance at that event, subject to the consent form.

The City may, but is not required to, edit formatting, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, or minor typographical errors for publication, while preserving the substance of the essay.

The student author retains copyright ownership in the submitted essay.

As a condition of entry, the parent/legal guardian, on behalf of the student to the extent legally necessary, grants to the City of Los Angeles a nonexclusive, irrevocable, worldwide, perpetual, royalty-free license to reproduce, publish, display, distribute, archive, and publicly perform the submitted essay, in whole or in part, in connection with:

1. the contest;
2. City educational, literary, cultural, library, arts, or youth programming;
3. City websites, social media channels, newsletters, reports, event programs, and exhibits, and
4. reasonable promotional materials relating to the contest or similar City programs.

The City is not obligated to publish or use any submission.

By entering, the parent/legal guardian and student represent that:

1. the essay is the student’s original work; No AI-generated content. 
2. the submission does not knowingly infringe any third-party rights;
3. all information submitted is true and accurate; and
4. the entrant has complied with these Official Rules.

Because entrants are minors, a signed parent or legal guardian consent and release form is required for entry. No entry will be eligible without that form.

The City will collect and use personal information submitted in connection with the contest for contest administration, winner notification, publication, event participation, records management, and related governmental purposes.

The City will seek to minimize the personal information it collects and publishes. Unless otherwise authorized in writing by the parent or legal guardian, the City may limit public identification of winners to the student’s first name, last initial, grade, and school.

If the contest accepts online submissions from or on behalf of children under age 13, the City may require submission by a parent/legal guardian or another method designed to obtain verifiable parental consent.

Entries and contest-related materials submitted to the City may become City records and may be subject to disclosure under applicable law, subject to any applicable exemptions.

The City reserves the right, in its sole and reasonable discretion, to:

• verify eligibility;
• disqualify any entrant who violates these Official Rules;
• cancel, suspend, modify, or terminate the contest if administration is compromised or if necessary for legal, operational, or public-interest reasons; and
• interpret these Official Rules.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, by participating, entrant and parent/legal guardian agree to release and hold harmless the City of Los Angeles, its boards, commissions, departments, officers, employees, and agents from claims arising out of or relating to the contest, except to the extent caused by the sole negligence or willful misconduct of the released parties and except as otherwise prohibited by law.

Selection as a winner does not constitute City endorsement of the entrant, the entrant’s family, school, organization, or viewpoints.

The City will administer this program in a nondiscriminatory manner and will provide reasonable accommodations upon request in accordance with applicable law and City policy. Requests for accommodations should be directed to: aapijoy@lapl.org 

These Official Rules shall be governed by the laws of the State of California. Any action arising out of these Official Rules shall be brought in a court of competent jurisdiction in Los Angeles County, California, subject to all applicable claims presentation requirements and immunities.