Seventh and Eighth grade students are encouraged to participate in the Cooperative Credit Union Association’s (CCUA) annual Student Essay Contest:

The 2023 contest is open for submissions and closes Monday, January 23rd.
The 2023 eligibility requirements and essay prompt are below. Email mysupport@harvardfcu.org with any questions.
2023 Essay Prompt: “With the worst of it behind us, the world continues to adjust to a new normal in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. There have been many adjustments in the ways we work, the way we learn and the way we socialize as a result. Please discuss the changes in your own life that have become part of YOUR new normal…things you do differently now from the way you did them before Covid.”

Additional Information

The following awards will be given out to students across Massachusetts:

  • First Prize (1): $500
  • Finalist (7): $250
  • Honorable Mention Winners (10): $50

Winners will be announced in April with an Awards Ceremony scheduled for May 19, 2023.

The contest rules and eligibility requirements for participants are as follows:

  • Only students currently in the 7th and 8th grades are eligible to participate.
  • Students must be Massachusetts residents.
  • Schools must be located in Massachusetts.
  • All essays must be handwritten by the student.
  • Essays should be no more than 250 words in length.
  • Only one essay per student may be submitted.  Each student may be sponsored by only one credit union.
  • Each essay should include the student’s name and grade level, home address, school name, teacher’s name, principal’s name and sponsoring credit union.
  • Essays will be judged on the following criteria: Originality, Content, Neatness, Grammar/Spelling

The 2023 contest deadline is Monday, January 23rd.

Completed essays can be submitted either of the following ways:

  • Scanned in and emailed to: mysupport@harvardfcu.org
  • By mail, sent to:
    Harvard Federal Credit Union
    104 Mount Auburn, 2nd Floor
    Cambridge, MA 02138