For decades, the League's oldest ambassador program, "If I were Mayor, I would..." Essay Contest has educated fourth graders (and teachers) about municipal government and the role of the mayor. In late December, a postcard announcing the 2026 essay contest was mailed to schools and municipalities. Contest materials are now available on our website.
Essay submissions are now open. The essay contest deadline is March 5.
Congratulations to our member municipalities who have an essay contest winner:
Berlin, Capitol Heights, Church Hill, Grantsville, Hagerstown, Middletown, Mount Airy, Rising Sun
This year’s fourth grade "If I Were Mayor I Would..." essay contest winners captivated the volunteer readers and finalist judges’ attention with their compelling essays.
Thank you to our volunteer readers, who were so impressed with the essays that they sometimes overlooked the fact that the ideas came from fourth graders!
MML’s longest running ambassador program, the If I Were Mayor, I Would…essay contest deadline is fast approaching. There’s still time for fourth-grade teachers to enter their students in our 25-year contest before the March 7 deadline.
The essay contest is open to all Maryland fourth graders, including home schooled students. Please have your fourth grade teachers visit our website for the essay contest information and submission form.
MML’s annual “If I Were Mayor, I Would…" essay contest is the League's oldest ambassador program. The 25-year-old contest educates fourth graders (and teachers) about municipal government and the role of the mayor.
There’s still time to visit your local schools to encourage fourth-grade teachers to enter their students in our contest before the March 7 deadline.
The League's longest running ambassador program, "If I were Mayor...I Would..." essay contest is celebrating 25 years. The program is designed to help Maryland's fourth graders develop an understanding of municipal government and the role of a mayor. Each year, nearly 3,000 essays are submitted by students, describing how they would make their town/city/community a better place to live.
Join the Engagement and Outreach Committee during our virtual reading session on March 13. The essays are short, fun and insightful. Witness the great minds of Maryland's future community leaders during the virtual reading session by volunteering.
MML's oldest ambassador program, the annual If I Were Mayor, I Would...essay contest is celebrating its 25th anniversary. The 25-year-old contest educates fourth graders (and teachers) about municipal government and the role of the mayor.
Francis Scott Key Elementary/Middle School #76 fourth grade teacher, Ms. Gauthier, shares tips on how she encourages students to enter the contest. Ms. Gauthier not only had a winning student in MML's 2024 essay contest, it was also her first time entering the contest.
MML’s annual “If I Were Mayor, I Would…" essay contest is the League's oldest ambassador program and is celebrating its 25th anniversary. The 25-year-old contest educates fourth graders (and teachers) about municipal government and the role of the mayor. A postcard announcing the 2025 essay contest was mailed to schools and municipalities in early January. Materials are now live on our website.
Essay contest deadline is March 7
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This year’s fourth grade "If I Were Mayor I Would..." essay contest winners were able to capture the volunteer readers and finalist judges’ attention with their dynamic essays. Volunteer readers were enlightened with new ideas to take to their own municipalities, on how to better their Maryland communities, sometimes forgetting that the ideas came from a nine-year-old.
Please join us in congratulating the eleven winners of MML’s If I Were Mayor, I Would…essay contest, their teachers, and the municipalities they represent:
There's still time to encourage your local fourth grade classes to take part in the League's oldest and most popular ambassador program. Our "If I Were Mayor" essay contest has successfully educated 55,000+ Maryland students on the role of the Mayor and how local government works. Help students from your community participate in this fun civics exercise, by encouraging them to submit an essay.
The fuel of the "If I were Mayor" essay contest is our volunteer readers. Each year dozens of volunteers help read nearly 3,000 essays, narrowing them down to only 11 winners. The window is now open for individuals interested in joining this year's virtual reading day, scheduled for March 19 from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Our Engagement and Outreach volunteer readers were not daunted by the packets and packets of essays. Among them were 11 bright spots who had dared to tackle the topic of Preserving the Past to Power the Future - specifically, what events, beliefs or traditions they believed made their community/city/town what it is today. Which would they keep and which would they change?
