Calling Idaho 4th Graders
Last
week, Senator Jim Risch and I launched a statewide contestto help
select one Idaho student to assist in powering the U.S. Capitol
Christmas Tree this December.
Tradition holds that
one youth from the state providing the tree serves as the Tree
Lighting Helper during an annual ceremony formally illuminating the
tree, along with the Speaker of the House and other public officials.
Idaho’s Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests will provide
the 2026 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree, which will stand on the West
Lawn of the U.S. Capitol.
Idaho’s fourth graders have a
special opportunity to share what the Gem State’s forests and
clean water mean to them while competing for the chance to help light
the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree.
More details
to enter the contest are below and can be found on my website via a
news
release HERE or through the FAQ
page HERE.
In line with the Every
Kid Outdoors program, the competition is open to
Idaho fourth-grade students and will run from Tuesday,
September 8, 2026, through Wednesday, September 30, 2026.
Submissions must be between 350-500 words, and answer the
prompt, “Why are healthy forests and clean water in Idaho
important?” The prompt follows this year’s
Christmas theme, “Over the Rivers and Through the
Woods.”
All submissions must:
- adhere to
the word limit (350-500 words),
- be received by the closing
date of the contest,
- be an original essay written by the
contest participant,
- certify the essay is not originated by
AI and
- have approval of a parent or guardian to
participate.
The winner of the essay contest, along
with three family members, will be flown roundtrip to Washington,
D.C., with hotel accommodations and a stipend for meals
provided. Other expenses are at the expense of the winner.
The essay winner must be willing to read the
essay at the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony the first
week of December, which is live-streamed and available for media
broadcast.
Submission form is available at the
following link: https://tinyurl.com/YouthTreeLighter.
All students are encouraged to create and submit ornaments that
will decorate the People’s Tree in Washington, D.C., this
holiday season. For more information, please visit https://www.uscapitolchristmastree.com/make-an-ornament/.
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