New York, NY, July 2, 2024—LeagueApps is hosting its first-ever essay and video contest to give youth athletes the opportunity to share their sports story with the community and win some extra money for college. 

The contest, SPORTSDOG Storytellers, represents LeagueApps’ continued investment in the development of youth in our community beyond just sports. 

SPORTSDOG Storytellers invites student-athletes in grades 10 through 12 to share their youth sports story via essay or video—including why they play, an exciting game-winning moment, or how sports positively impacted their lives. 

The finalists of the contest will receive a $500 Amazon gift card and have their story published on LeagueApps’ blog, which circulates to approximately 39,000 people through web, social, and email. This is a rare opportunity for aspiring writers, marketers, journalists, and content creators of all kinds to have published work before they go off to college or begin applying for internships and jobs in the industry.

The grand prize winner will receive a $1,000 scholarship on top of the $500 Amazon gift card and publishing opportunity, and be flown to and lodged in New York City to share their story at NextUp 2024: the Youth Sports Management Conference on October 16-17 2024.  

Suggested prompts for the essay contest are as follow:

• Tell us your youth sports story—how did you start playing? Why do you continue to play? How has sports impacted your life for the better? What lessons have you learned?
• Describe an unforgettable moment in your youth sports career—maybe it was a big win, a point you scored in a clutch moment, a failure that taught you something important, an award, or something unrelated to the score at all. What lessons did you learn? What made this moment so unforgettable?
• Can you tie any of these stories or moments back to the LeagueApps SPORTSDOG Values? Sportsmanship, Passion, Openness, Results, Team, Student of the Game, Difference Maker, Own Your Role, Grit

Here are some examples of youth sports stories that LeagueApps employees have written and shared on our blog:

[ESSAY] How Sports Helped My Family Heal After 9/11

[ESSAY] How Memories of Playing Sports With My Dad Keep Him Alive

[ESSAY] How Sports Taught Me the Importance of Team

[VIDEO] How Sports Taught Me How to Have a Positive Outlook on the Difficult Things in Life

LeagueApps is accepting submissions for the contest through July 22, 2024 at 11:59:59pm. Finalists will be announced August 5, and the Grand Prize winner will be selected on August 19. 

To enter, visit this link, read the Official Rules, and fill out all indicated information. Written submissions must be limited to 500-words and video submissions must be uploaded in MP4 format. 

For more information on the contest or any questions, please contact Melissa Wickes, Content Manager at LeagueApps, mwickes@leagueapps.com.