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

The 2021-22 contest is open for submissions and closes January 21st 2022.

The 2021-22 eligibility requirements and essay prompt are below. Email myhuecu@harvard.edu with any questions.

2021-22 Essay Prompt: Your community, your country and the entire world continues to battle the effects of the Covid-19 virus pandemic.  Everyone has experienced changes in how we work, how we learn, how we socialize and credit unions have worked hard to continue to serve their members’ varied financial needs under very challenging circumstances – remote workers, sick or caregiving staff, Covid restrictions such as masks, social distancing, and protective barriers, etc.  Please share the three biggest Covid impacts in your own life and how you have challenged yourself to overcome them.

Download Application

Additional Information

Awards

  • 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 20, 2022.

Rules and Eligibility

  • 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

Deadline and Submission

  • The 2021-2022 contest deadline is January 21st 2022.
  • Completed essays can be submitted either of the following ways:
    • Scanned in and emailed to: myhuecu@harvard.edu
    • By mail, sent to:
      Harvard University Employees Credit Union
      104 Mount Auburn, 2nd Floor
      Cambridge, MA 02138