2023 “If I Were Mayor” Essay Contest winners
Statewide winner: Jayden McCraw of Fries School in Fries
Region 1: Billie Hall of Marion Middle School in Marion
Region 2: William Wall of Martinsville Middle School in Martinsville
Region 3: Avery Diette of Lylburn Downing Middle School in Lexington
Region 5: Talia Forster of Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School in Falls Church
Region 6: Zohair Zaman of Walker-Grant Middle School in Fredericksburg
Region 8: Viktorija Gobush of St. Clare Walker Middle School in Locus Hill (resident of Urbanna)
*Note – VML did not receive any entries from Regions 4 and 7 this year.
Read the 2023 Winning Essays >
2022 “If I Were Mayor” Essay Contest winners
Statewide winner: Charlotte Lieu of Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School in Falls Church
Region 1: Olivia Wyatt of Northwood Middle School in Saltville
Region 2: Jordin Hernández Machuca of Martinsville Middle School in Martinsville
Region 3: Elizabeth Loring of Sacred Heart Academy in Winchester
Region 4: Kailey Krotzer of Kenston Forest School in Blackstone
Region 5: Rose Weatherly of Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School in Falls Church
Region 6: Hayley Lumpkin of Culpeper Middle School in Culpeper
Region 8: Sophia Buckley of Hugo A. Owens Middle School in Chesapeake
*Note – VML did not receive any entries from Region 7 this year.
Read the 2022 Winning Essays >
2021 “If I Were Mayor” Essay Contest winners
Statewide Winner (Region 8): Laila Beck-Covington of the Spratley Gifted Center in Hampton
Region 2: Marjorie Davis of Martinsville Middle School in Martinsville
Region 5: Claire Weatherly of Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School in Falls Church
Region 6: Matthew Ezrre of Culpeper Middle in Culpeper
Region 7: Erin Moore of Liberty Middle School in Ashland
Region 8: Dallas Barringer of Montross Middle School in Montross
Read the 2021 Winning Essays >
Note: Regions 1, 3 and 4 did not participate this year.
2020 “If I Were Mayor” Essay Contest winners
Statewide Winner: Preston Lieu of Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School in Falls Church
Region 1: Josiah Krumtum of Virginia Middle School in Bristol
Region 2: Ava Grant of Martinsville Middle School in Martinsville
Region 3: Caity Campbell of Shelburne Middle School in Staunton
Region 4: Katelyn Prue of Central Middle School in Charlotte Court House
Region 5: Samantha Grooms of Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School in Falls Church
Region 6: Elle Crosley of Culpeper Middle School in Culpeper
Region 7: Amya Seaborne of Saint Joseph Catholic School in Petersburg
Region 8: David Davenport of John Yeates Middle School in Suffolk
Read the 2020 winning essays >
2019 “If I Were Mayor” Essay Contest winners
Statewide winner: Maci Mitchell of Hamilton Holmes Middle School in King William
Region 1: Virginia Elizabeth Stockner of E.B. Stanley Middle School in Abingdon
Region 2: Maria Angle of Clifton Middle School in Covington
Region 3: Kaitlyn Hull of Kate Collins Middle School in Waynesboro
Region 4: Sadie Henshaw of Kenston Forest Middle School in Blackstone
Region 5: Lily Konopka of Ronald Regan Middle School in Haymarket
Region 6: Haylee Burnett of Auburn Middle School in Warrenton
Region 7: Samera Blowe of James S. Russell Middle School in Lawrenceville
Region 8: Luz Pinto Consuelo of Academy for Discovery at Lakewood in Norfolk
Read the 2019 winning essays.
2018 “If I Were Mayor” Essay Contest winners
Statewide winner: Jalia Hardy of Binford Middle School in Richmond (also Region 7 winner)
Region 1: Bryleigh Middleton of Pennington Middle School in Pennington Gap
Region 2: Kaydence Addison of Dalton Intermediate School in Radford
Region 3: Will Schwantes of Daniel Morgan Middle School in Winchester
Region 4: Catherine Selfridge of Buckingham Middle School in Buckingham
Region 5: Gideon DeMarco of Lanier Middle School in Fairfax
Region 6: Maeve Myers of Louisa County Middle School in Mineral
Region 8: Tina Li of the Academy for Discovery at Lakewood in Norfolk
Read the 2018 winning essays.
2017 “If I Were Mayor” Essay Contest winners
Statewide winner: Jerry (Trey) N. Mitchell III of Lawrenceville
Region 1: Dillon McReynolds of Abingdon
Region 2: Andrew Middleton of Covington
Region 3: Sadie Dryden of Buena Vista
Region 4: Skyla Rain of South Boston
Region 5: Liv Scappa of Falls Church
Region 6: Maha Laiq of Warrenton
Region 7: Jerry (Trey) N. Mitchell III of Lawrenceville (statewide winner)
Region 8: Terrence Massenburg of Portsmouth
Read the 2017 winning essays.
2016 “If I Were Mayor” Essay Contest winners
Region 1: Sumer Grace Lloyd of Bristol
Region 2: Simran Kaur Gill of Salem
Region 3: Lily McClung of Fishersville (statewide winner)
Region 4: Grace Coover of Petersburg
Region 5: Evan Lankford of Falls Church
Region 6: Brynley Meadows of Culpeper
Region 7: Alexander Elstun of Chesterfield County
Region 8: Alyssa Levy of King William County
Read the 2016 wining essays.
2015 “If I Were Mayor” Essay Contest winners
Region 1: Bailey Nash of Lee County
Region 2: Kendryek Wheeler of Roanoke
Region 3: Macalister Gordon of Winchester
Region 4: Garrett Love of Buckingham County
Region 5: Logan Kurtz of Manassas Park
Region 6: Adele Masson of Culpeper
Region 7: Na’Seem Hopson of Hopewell (statewide winner)
Region 8: Sophie Freiling of Williamsburg
Read the 2015 winning essays.