National Essay Contest 2026

Prompt: “This is how I can use the skills of The Be Kind Pledge in my community.”

Guiding Questions: While not required, you may use these additional questions and examples to inspire your submission.

Brainstorming Exercises:

Entries Due: Friday, March 13, 2026 by 11:59 PM Mountain Standard Time

Winners Publicly Announced: Tuesday, April 28, 2026

Students should write an original essay that answers the prompt, references The Be Kind Pledge™, and is based on real actions of kindness relating to the student’s life. To receive maximum points, each entry should be student-written, not AI-generated, and follow the corresponding rubric. Judges will be exclusively using the rubrics to evaluate the submissions.

For students with writing difficulties or who may need some additional support, we have created templates with sentence stems to help structure their essays. If a student struggles to write an essay, they are welcome to record a 90-second video of themselves sharing their response to the prompt orally. Please refer to the following sections for more information.

This year, Kindergarten students must use one of our provided templates.If families or schools experience difficulty printing the template due to financial constraints, they are encouraged to reach out to haley@bkpp.org for support.

Option 1: Written Submissions

All written submissions should be mailed to 731 Grand Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85007. They should include a cover page with the following information, in addition to the student submission.

• School Name
• City
• State
• Teacher’s Name
• Teacher’s Email Address

*For group submissions, please include a class roster with the parents’ contact information.

As indicated on the template, please write the student’s information on the back of the page to ensure that entries are judged anonymously.

Option 2: Digital Submissions

Here is the link to the online submission platform:

Individual Submissions:

Please complete all of the required fields and upload a PDF of the student’s submission. Make sure to include a photo of the front and back of the template.

Please use the following formula to label the student’s PDF: Grade Group_Individual Submission_Student’s Name_School.

Example: Kindergarten_Individual Submission_David Smith_Jefferson Elementary

Class Submissions

Please complete all of the required fields and upload one PDF with all student submissions. Make sure to include photos of the front and back of each student’s submission.

Please use the following formula to label the group’s PDF: Grade Group_Class Submission_Teacher’s Name_School.

Example: Kindergarten_Class Submission_Mrs. Jones_Northwest Elementary

For group submissions, please make sure to upload a class roster with the parents’ contact information.

Option 3: Video Submissions

If a student struggles to write an essay, they are welcome to record a 90-second video of themselves sharing their response to the prompt orally.

Here is the link to the online submission platform.

This year, 1st-2nd Grade students must use one of our provided templates. If families or schools experience difficulty printing the template due to financial constraints, they are encouraged to reach out to haley@bkpp.org for support. 

Option 1: Written Submissions

All written submissions should be mailed to 731 Grand Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85007. They should include a cover page with the following information, in addition to the student submission.

• School Name
• City
• State
• Teacher’s Name
• Teacher’s Email Address

*For group submissions, please include a class roster with the parents’ contact information.

As indicated on the template, please write the student’s information on the back of the page to ensure that entries are judged anonymously.

Option 2: Digital Submissions

Here is the link to the online submission platform:

Individual Submissions:

Please complete all of the required fields and upload a PDF of the student’s submission. Make sure to include a photo of the front and back of the template.

Please use the following formula to label the student’s PDF: Grade Group_Individual Submission_Student’s Name_School.

Example: 1st-2nd Grade_Individual Submission_David Smith_Jefferson Elementary

Class Submissions

Please complete all of the required fields and upload one PDF with all student submissions. Make sure to include photos of the front and back of each student’s submission.

Please use the following formula to label the group’s PDF: Grade Group_Class Submission_Teacher’s Name_School.

Example: 1st-2nd Grade_Class Submission_Mrs. Jones_Northwest Elementary

For group submissions, please make sure to upload a class roster with the parents’ contact information.

Option 3: Video Submissions

If a student struggles to write an essay, they are welcome to record a 90-second video of themselves sharing their response to the prompt orally.

Here is the link to the online submission platform.

Option 1: Written Submissions

This year students choosing to handwrite their submissions must use one of our provided templates. If families or schools experience difficulty printing the template due to financial constraints, they are encouraged to reach out to haley@bkpp.org for support.

Submissions should be mailed to 731 Grand Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85007. They should include a cover page with the following information, in addition to the student submission.

• School Name
• City
• State
• Teacher’s Name
• Teacher’s Email Address

*For group submissions, please include a class roster with the parents’ contact information.

As indicated on the template, please write the student’s information on the back of the page to ensure that entries are judged anonymously.

Option 2: Digital Submissions

Here is the link to the online submission platform:

This year, all digital submissions will be handled by the students themselves. Students MUST use one of the provided fillable digital templates. They will type their essays into the template, save the template, and then upload their essays digitally.

Teachers, feel free to complete this page with your class information and share it with your students to give them all of the necessary information to complete the submission form. 

Option 3: Video Submissions

If a student struggles to write an essay, they are welcome to record a 90-second video of themselves sharing their response to the prompt orally.

Here is the link to the online submission platform.

Option 1: Written Submissions

This year students choosing to handwrite their submissions must use one of our provided templates. If families or schools experience difficulty printing the template due to financial constraints, they are encouraged to reach out to haley@bkpp.org for support.

Submissions should be mailed to 731 Grand Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85007. They should include a cover page with the following information, in addition to the student submission.

• School Name
• City
• State
• Teacher’s Name
• Teacher’s Email Address

*For group submissions, please include a class roster with the parents’ contact information.

As indicated on the template, please write the student’s information on the back of the page to ensure that entries are judged anonymously.

Option 2: Digital Submissions

Here is the link to the online submission platform:

This year, all digital submissions will be handled by the students themselves. Students MUST use one of the provided fillable digital templates. They will type their essays into the template, save the template, and then upload their essays digitally.

Teachers, feel free to complete this page with your class information and share it with your students to give them all of the necessary information to complete the submission form. 

Option 3: Video Submissions

If a student struggles to write an essay, they are welcome to record a 90-second video of themselves sharing their response to the prompt orally.

Here is the link to the online submission platform.

Based on their submission, first, second, and third place winners will be selected in each of the following grade levels: Kindergarten 1st-2nd grade, 3rd-5th grade, 6th-8th grade. All winning students will receive a BE KIND Make a Difference Essay Contest Certificate, a prize of their choice, and an invitation to join the BE KIND National Youth Leadership Board. All teachers of winning students will receive free access to The Be Kind Academy™ online classroom resources for the 2026-2027 academic school year.

Winners will be notified on April 28, 2026, and first, second, and third-place winners will choose one of the following grand prize options. Specific product details and options (including model, color, brand, size, etc.) will be shared with parents and student winners upon prize selection.