Please note: Students are encouraged to write their essays in a word processing program that they can save, and then copy and paste their finished work into this form for submission by a parent or guardian.

Essays must be the original work of students residing in Minnesota who began fourth, fifth, or sixth grade in September of 2023. Essays should be about 125-300 words. Three winners will be chosen, and each winner will be awarded a $100 prize. The winning essays will also be published in the League’s publication, Minnesota Cities magazine. Please submit only one entry per child. This form can also be found in a PDF format at www.lmc.org/mayorforaday. By submitting this form, the student’s parent or guardian acknowledges they give consent to LMC to collect this data for the limited purpose of identifying and contacting a contest winner, and that this consent may be revoked at any time by contacting publicaffairs@lmc.org.

Essays must be submitted via this form, emailed as a PDF attachment, or postmarked and mailed by Dec. 12, 2023.

Winners only will be notified via email in early January.

  • For Parents and Guardians

    There is no cost to enter. Winners will be selected based on creativity, originality, and ability to show a basic understanding of city services. Essays must be the original work of children who are Minnesota residents in fourth, fifth, or sixth grade as of September 2023.

    Three restrictions apply:

    • You agree to have your child’s essay published in Minnesota Cities magazine and other League communications.
    • You agree that your child’s essay can be shared with the child’s city of residence.
    • You agree that your city’s mayor and local media will be notified of your child’s winning entry.
  • Cities provide a variety of services and programs that make our lives better, including parks & rec, street maintenance, water and sewer, libraries, police, fire, and more!

    If you were mayor for a day, what would you do to make one of the services that your city provides even better?