The 2025-2026 "If I Were Mayor..." Student Contest is Open!

Here is how it works...

First, each participating mayor promotes a local contest to select one local winning student in each of the three categories:

• Elementary School (grade 4-5) - Posters 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)

Once your local contest is complete, submit no more than one winning student from each category; elementary, middle and high school to Claire Wilson to be eligible for the statewide competition. 

Local winning submissions must be emailed to cwilson@orcities.org by April 16, 2027. This year the contest is completely digital again. Please do not mail submissions to us.

First-place statewide winning students in each of the three categories will receive a Dell laptop sponsored by Comcast. Second-place winners will receive a $200 cash prize, and third-place winners will receive a $100 cash prize. Prizes will be presented at local city presentations.

Questions about the contest? Contact Claire Wilson or call (971) 428-7203.

• If I Were Mayor Student Contest Flyer - English
• If I Were Mayor Student Contest Flyer - Spanish