A&N Electric Cooperative’s Youth Essay Contest underway

The annual essay contest to determine A&N Electric Cooperative’s Youth Tour participants is open and will run until Oct. 10.

More than 2,000 high school students from across the country spend a week in the nation’s capital as part of the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour.

The students are sponsored by electric cooperatives — cooperatives that are committed to educating rural youth about America and the role electric cooperatives play in developing strong rural communities.

Each year, A&N Electric Cooperative sponsors up to six local students to attend the annual event in Washington, D.C.

The students tour Capitol Hill, visit historical and cultural sites around the nation’s capital, and learn about the electric cooperatives that serve their local areas.

Arcadia’s Marcus Chan Cux, Broadwater’s Virginia Custis, home school student Ethan Dail and Northampton’s Corbin Ethridge represented the cooperative at the 2025 event.

Participating in Youth Tour is an awesome way to learn about this great nation, develop leadership skills, gain a better understanding of electric cooperatives and make friendships that will last beyond the week.

Each local high school is eligible for one spot on the upcoming youth tour. Recent youth tour visits have included the National Mall, various museums, Arlington National Cemetery, the National Zoo, and the Pentagon. Other activities have included an evening cruise on the Potomac River, a theatrical performance at the Kennedy Center and tour of a local electric cooperative. The youth tour schedule can change from year to year due to the availability of some of the sites.

Cooperative staff recently visited school open houses to spread the word about this exciting opportunity for high school juniors.

The youth tour essay contest is open to all high school juniors living within the cooperative’s service territory.

The student who submits the top essay from each local high school will be eligible to attend youth tour in June 2026. 

Interested students should write a 150-word essay on the following topic: “Electricity’s Importance to the Eastern Shore.” Submit essays directly to the cooperative by visiting anec.com and searching for “Youth Tour.”