Catholic Citizenship Essay Contest

The Catholic Citizenship Essay Contest encourages today’s youth to connect more with their community and their faith. This program aims to involve young Catholics in grades 8 to 12 (public, private, parochial, or home schools during the current school year) in civic discourse and instill religious and life-affirming values. The essay should be 500-750 words on a specific topic, changing every other year. Judges will evaluate entrants on grammar, style, and how clearly they present the theme in a way that showcases creativity, imagination, and overall development of the topic.

Open the 2026-2027 Louisiana Catholic Citizenship Essay Contest Flyer and read it thoroughly before you begin. 

If you have questions regarding the CYLA program, have a parent or guardian contact State Community Chairman at community@louisianakc.org.

Important Program Dates

• Deadline for Students to submit essays to their Councils - November 5, 2026
• Deadline for Councils to submit its winning essays to the Diocesan Event Chairman - December 5, 2026
• Deadline for Diocesan Event Chairmen to submit winning essays to State Community Chairman - April 11, 2026