KY Grandparent Essay Contest

Thank you again for supporting the Kentucky Retired Teachers Association and AARP Kentucky Grandparent Essay Contest for the 2024-25 School Year.

Please submit your school winner HERE (Online Form - Follow Link) by December 15, 2025.


Essay Contest Forms for RTA Presidents and Essay Chairpersons

• Download School Winner Form
  
• Download County Winner Form
  
• Download District Winner Form
  
• Grandparent of the Year Essay Contest 2024-25 Guidelines (Note: new digital option in 2024-25) (download printable PDF)

SUBJECT:  “Why my Grandparent should be the AARP Kentucky Grandparent of the Year”
ELIGIBILITY:  Contest is administered by the Kentucky Retired Teachers Association and is for 5^th graders in Kentucky public schools. 

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS (must meet ALL criteria to proceed):  

• Must be an original work of the author, 1) handwritten on one side only, on white, lined 8”x11” paper -or- 2) type-written, double-spaced, in a digital file
  (please check with your District/County unit leaders what option(s) your school should use)
  300-500 words in length, written in English (Every word -a, in, the, etc.- counts towards the word count).
• Essay must be written about (only) one grandparent or surrogate grandparent, (e.g. someone the child considers to be “like a grandparent”) who is living at the time the essay is written. 
• Include full name of Grandparent or surrogate grandparent on completed essay.
• Include the components of a formal essay (introduction, supporting points, and conclusion).
• Name and school of the author must be included at the end of the essay.
• The winning essay from each school must be submitted with an official entry form. The entry forms can be photocopied.

Grandparent of the Year Essay Contest Deadlines 2024-25

• School winner deadline:  December 15, 2025
• County winner deadline:  January 31, 2025
• District winner deadline:  March 1, 2025

State winner to be announced at the Kentucky Retired Teachers Association (KRTA) Annual Meeting in April 2025. Entries postmarked or received at the AARP Kentucky State Office after the stated deadlines cannot be considered. Mail to: AARP Kentucky, P.O. Box 910294, Lexington, KY 40591-0294 OR Email to: cjackson@aarp.org

Judging Criteria & Awards: 

• Qualifying characteristics of nominee as a grandparent or surrogate grandparent 50%
• Creativity & Expression 30%
• Grammar, Form & Neatness 20%

School winner:  Chosen by 5^th grade teachers from the submitting school. There can be only one school winner per school; both the participating school and its winner will receive a certificate. If only one school in a county participates, then the School winner is automatically the County winner.

County winner:  Chosen by the RTA Local President and/or Unit.  Each County winner will receive a certificate and embossed certificate. If there is only one county in the District, then the County winner is automatically the District winner.

District Winner:  Chosen by KRTA District President and/or officers. Each District winner will receive a plaque and a $100 award.

State Winner:  Chosen by a panel of state level KRTA and AARP Kentucky officials. The state winner will receive a plaque, a $500 award and an expense paid trip (by AARP) to the KRTA Convention. The winning student’s teacher will receive a check for $500 towards school supplies.

Teacher Winner: All Teachers' names of each participating student will be entered into a random drawing at the KRTA Convention. Two winning teachers will each receive a $250 gift card for school supplies.

Please send questions via e-mail to kyaarp@aarp.org