If I Were Mayor...

Mayor Joe Buck, along with the Oregon Mayors Association (OMA), invite Lake Oswego students grades 4-12, including home-schooled students, to participate in the “If I Were Mayor...” contest where students can share their creative and inspirational ideas about what they would do as a mayor.

First, second and third place winners will be selected from the following categories:

  • Posters (grades 4-5)
  • Essays (grades 6-8)
  • Digital Media Presentations (grades 9-12)

First place Lake Oswego winners in each of the three categories will win a gift card to a local business of their choice for $150, Second place winners will receive $100 and third place winners will receive $50.

The winners will also receive recognition from the Mayor and City Council at a City Council meeting this spring.  The three local winning entries will then be submitted to the statewide competition for the opportunity to win $500. These students will receive their prizes at an awards ceremony during the OMA Annual Summer Conference.

Entries must be submitted by Friday, March 15, 2024 at 4:00pm.

Completed applications can be submitted online, mailed or dropped off in-person. Mail or drop off completed form to:

City of Lake Oswego
Attn: Kim Vermillion
380 A Avenue
P.O. Box 369
Lake Oswego, OR  97034

For more information about contest, please contact Kim Vermillion with the City Manager's Office kvermillion@lakeoswego.city or 503-675-3984.

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Contest Rules

General Rules:

  • All submissions must be accompanied by a completed entry form.  All forms for students under age 18 must be signed by the student’s parent or guardian.  Entry forms may be photocopied.
  • Only one submission per student and one student per entry will be accepted at the state level.
  • Previous statewide winners may participate, but are not eligible to receive a prize in the same category they previously won in.  They are eligible to receive a prize in a new category. 
  • State level submissions become the property of the Oregon Mayors Association (OMA).
  • OMA retains the right to publish state-level entries along with the names and likenesses of each student.
  • League of Oregon Cities (LOC) employees and dependents are not eligible to enter.

Posters (Take a photo of the poster, save as PNG, JPEG or PDF file)

  • The poster contest is open to students enrolled in grades 4 and 5 or being home-schooled at the same grade level for the 2023-24 school year.
  • Poster size must be a minimum of 17” and a maximum of 28” in height or width.
  • Students are encouraged to be creative and may use any art medium (e.g., poster paints, felt pens, colored pencils, pastels, crayons, three-dimensional art, etc.).  The poster may be in color or black and white.
  • The student’s name and a daytime phone number or email address for their parent or guardian must appear on the back of the poster.

Essays (Formats allowed: Word, PDF, PowerPoint)

  • The essay contest is open to students enrolled in grades 6 through 8 or being home-schooled at the same grade level for the 2023-24 school year.
  • Essays must be 500 to 1,000 words in length and typed.
  • The student’s name and a daytime phone number or email address for their parent or guardian must appear at the top of the essay.

Digital Media Presentations (Formats allowed: MP4 or online video format.  (PowerPoint is now for Essays only.)

  • The digital media presentation contest is open to students enrolled in grades 9 through 12 or being home-schooled at the high school level for the 2023-24 school year.
  • Presentations must be one to three minutes in length and may be submitted on disk or emailed.
  • The student’s name and a daytime phone number or email address for their parent or guardian must be in the title of the electronic file.