Cuivre River Electric Cooperative is proud to announce its 12 finalists for the 2026 Youth Tour essay contest.

The top 12 scoring essays were selected by a panel of judges out of 64 essays based on their cooperative knowledge, composition, originality, grammar and neatness.

The 12 finalists are:

Troy Buchanan High School

Lillian Stanek

Priory High School

Joseph Frei – resides in Marthasville

Liberty High School

Brooklyn Donohue

Madison Jimenez

Rei Krushova

Anze Oosthuizen

Kayla Rocco

Ava Wiegand/Hellrung

Warrenton High School

Raven Gaffney

Malia Hopper

Mya Kutz

Alyssa Ruediger

The CREC Youth Tour Final Competition and Awards Banquet will be held Wednesday, April 1, at the CREC branch office in Lake Saint Louis. The 12 finalists will take a cooperative knowledge-based quiz, and then present their winning essays to a board of distinguished judges and special guests. Their presentations will be judged on the student’s speaking ability, poise and personality, appearance and length of presentation.

The six students with the highest combined competition scores will receive an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D. C., June 14-20, 2026, to attend the National Youth Tour Conference.

The other six finalists will each receive a $500 scholarship.

The annual Youth Tour contest is open to students who live and attend school in Cuivre River Electric’s general service area, or who have CREC service in their homes. For more information about the Youth Tour program, contact Tim Schmidt at 800-392-3709, ext. 4837 or by email at tschmidt@cuivre.com.