Oregon Mayors Association - If I were Mayor Contest

2024 Poster Winner - Ember, 4th Grader

The Oregon Mayors Association and the City of Ashland invite you to enter the, "If I were Mayor..." contest! 

Share your creative ideas about what you would do as mayor. Local winners will be entered into the State contest for a chance to win a prize worth $500! This is a great opportunity for students to engage with civic issues and express their ideas about leadership and community. Entries must be submitted by Friday, March 13, 2026.

The contest is divided into three categories:

• Elementary School (grade 4-5) - Poster Contest (Photo of poster can be PNG, JPEG, or PDF files)
• Middle School (grade 6-8) - Essay Contest (Word, PDF, PowerPoint or online essay format)
• High School (grades 9-12) - Digital Media Presentations (Videos only, MP4 or online video format)

Complete the Official Entry Form: 

• "If I were Mayor," 2025-2026 Student contest OFFICIAL ENTRY FORM: English (PDF) | Spanish (PDF)

Additional supporting documents: 

• What does a Mayor Do? - English (PDF) | Spanish (PDF) 
• What Services do Oregon Cities Provide? - English (PDF) | Spanish (PDF) 
• You can help educate students about local government with information found in the Civic Education Toolkit, produced by the Oregon City/County Management Association.
• View examples of winning entries from the previous years for each category at oregonmayors.org.  

Where and how to submit entries:

Complete the Official Entry form and submit via email, along with your digital entry. Be sure to include, "OMA Student Contest," in the subject line. For questions email or call 541.488.6002. (Note: Mailed submissions will not be accepted. Please send your DIGITAL entry by the deadline, Friday, March 13, 2026.

2025 Contest Winners: 

Due to the overwhelming number of applications, the Mayor awarded a recipient at each grade level below. The recipients and their entries are as follows:

• Nadia, Grade 5 Winner, poster (PDF) | Second place Winner in the statewide competition! Read the Ashland.News article!  2025 Poster Winner - Nadia, 5th Grader
• Harper, Grade 6 Winner, essay (PDF)
• Nora, Grade 7 Winner, essay (PDF)
• Fenna, Grade 8 Winner, essay (PDF)
• Peri, Grade 8 / Overall Middle School Winner, essay (PDF)

2024 Contest Winners:  

• Ember, 4th grader at TRAILS Outdoor School (see artwork above) 
• Avalon, 8th grader at Willow Wind School - View essay (PDF)

We look forward to seeing your entries! "We are better together!"