Middle School Essay Contest

The Middle School Essay Contest challenges students to think critically about our region’s water resources and raises awareness for conservation and preservation of water quality and quantity in metro Atlanta. 

2019 marks the 18th year of the Metro Water District’s Middle School Essay Contest. Sixth, seventh and eighth graders in Bartow, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Forsyth, Gwinnett, Hall, Henry, Paulding, and Rockdale counties are invited to participate in the contest.

2019 Contest Now Open Through October 25th!

Middle school students are asked to write a 300-500 word essay on the following topic: How Do You Value Water? To address this topic, students are asked to think about all the things they do in a day that require water, and then to imagine what their day would look like without water.

The average metro-Atlantan uses around 50 gallons of water a day at home, most of which is used for drinking, bathing, washing clothes and dishes, and flushing toilets. Huge amounts of water are used to produce food, energy, and other products we use daily. All this relies on a network of water infrastructure – things like pipes and treatment plants — that is easy to take for granted when water is plentiful. But clean, abundant water that flows into our homes is not a given.

Essays can be submitted by individual students or by teachers. Science and language arts educators may also choose to submit for their entire class(es). All essays must be submitted with an entry form for each student author and must be received by Friday, October 25, 2019 to be considered for judging. 

Want to Dive Deeper?

Teachers, are you interested in taking your students on a deeper dive of the subject? We partnered with Georgia Project WET to offer background information and an excellent Urban Watershed activity, Just Pipe Up, for teachers to perform with their students.

Performing this activity is not required, but is strongly encouraged. Teachers who led the activity that supported last year’s topic reported that it was helpful to their students in writing more successful essays. If you would like assistance in performing this activity with your class, reach out to your local water utility educators!

Contest Details and Submission Form

All essays must be accompanied by a complete entry form. All essays should contain the original work and thoughts of the student author. Student name and parent/guardian contact information must be clearly printed in order to win the contest. For teachers submitting on behalf of students: Please note that each essay should have an individual entry form. Multiple essays can be submitted in one PDF. We prefer that you submit online, however you may also submit by mail. 

Information Flyer |  Guidelines and Entry Form |  Judging Rubric   

GA Project WET Urban Watershed Activity

One winner from each of the 15 counties in the District, as well as the City of Atlanta, will receive $100 and a District-wide winner will be chosen from among the county and City of Atlanta winners to receive an additional prize of $400. Winners will be honored at a reception at the State Capitol.

Please email education@northgeorgiawater.org with any questions.

2018 Contest Winners

Congratulations to all our contest winners. Over 1,000 essays were submitted for the 2018 contest. Thank you to all participants and for the support of parents, teachers and principals! Without the support of our schools, our contest could not be a success!