If I Were Mayor Contest

About the Contest

The Oregon Mayors Association and the City of Oregon City invite local youth to take part in the annual "If I Were Mayor..." contest. This contest is open to students who live in the City of Oregon City or who attend a school within the Oregon City School District and are enrolled in 4th - 12th grade for the 2025-26 school year. The contest is broken into three categories: 

Elementary School (4th & 5th Grade):  Posters Contest (Photo of poster can be PNG, JPEG, or PDF files)

• Open to students enrolled in grades 4 & 5 or being home-schooled at the same grade level for the 2025-26 school year.
• Students are encouraged to be creative and may use any art medium (paint, felt pens, colored pencils, pastels, crayons, 3D art, etc.).

Middle School (6th - 8th Grade):  Essay Contest (Word, PDF, PowerPoint or online essay format)

• The essay contest is open to students enrolled in grades 6-8 or being homeschooled at the same grade level for the 2025-26 school year. 
• Essays must be 500-1,000 words in length and typed.

High School (9th - 12th Grade): Digital Media Presentations (Videos only, MP4 or online video format)

• Open to students enrolled in grades 9- 12 or being home-schooled at the same grade level for the 2025-26 school year. 
• Presentations must be one to three minutes in length and may be submitted via email. 

Oregon City will award the first place winner in each category with a visa gift card of up to $100! The Mayor and Youth Advisory Commission will present winners with awards at a City Commission meeting this spring, after the contest has been judged at the local level. The first place winners in each category will also be entered into the statewide contest. To find out more about the statewide contest please visit the Oregon Mayors Association website. 

Contest Rules

• To be considered a valid contestant for the local Oregon City "If I Were Mayor..." Contest you MUST live within the City of Oregon City, or attend a school within the Oregon City School District. 
• All submissions must be accompanied by a completed entry form. All forms for students under the age of 18 must be signed by the student's parent or guardian.
• AI submissions will NOT be accepted. 
• Only one submission per student and one student per entry will be accepted at the state level.
• Previous winners may participate, but are not eligible to receive a prize in the same category they previously won in. They are eligible to receive a prize in a new category.
• State level submissions become property of the Oregon Mayors Association (OMA).
• Oregon City retains the right to publish local entries along with the names and likeness of each student. 
• OMA retains the right to publish state- level entries along with the names and likeness of each student.
• League of Oregon Cities (LOC) employees and dependents are not eligible to enter.

Entries are due by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, March 15, 2026. Submit digital entries to Hannah Schmidt. Poster entries can be dropped off at Oregon City Hall, 625 Center Street. Upon arrival, please indicate to staff that you wish to drop off your poster to Hannah Schmidt for the "If I Were Mayor..." Contest. 

Contest Resources