2026 WASHINGTON YOUTH TOUR - APPLICATIONS OPEN DECEMBER 1, 2025!!
Once a year, local high school students are selected by Sumter EMC to represent our cooperative and state as delegates on the Washington Youth Tour. This top-notch leadership experience and tour of Washington, D.C., includes meetings with state and national leaders, leadership training, and visits to all the major sights. Participants join over 1,500 other students from around the nation—all expenses paid—for one incredible week in our nation's capital.
ELIGIBILITY
The competition is open to all sophomores, juniors, and seniors who will be sixteen by June 12, 2026, and live in or attend a school in Marion, Schley, Sumter, Webster, Lee, Terrell, Chattahoochee or Stewart County. Students not residing in or attending a school in the above counties are eligible if their parents are members of Sumter EMC and live within the cooperative's service area. The cooperative's service area is Marion, Schley, Sumter, Webster, Dougherty, Lee, Randolph, Terrell, Chattahoochee, Quitman, and Stewart counties.
- Be a sophomore, junior, or senior in good standing with your school.
- The applicant must be 16 years of age by June 12, 2026.
- Must have parent's consent.
To learn more about the Washington Youth Tour, contact Tonya Jones at 229-924-8041, ext. 2210 or tonya.jones@sumteremc.com.
2026 CONTEST SCHEDULE
- Application deadline: January 30, 2026
- Teacher recommendation deadline: February 5, 2026
- Interviews for highest scoring individuals: Thursday, February 19, 2026 beginning at 9 AM
- Trip dates: June 12-19, 2026
2026 CONTEST RULES
Please read the following information carefully before completing the application. You may open the application and review the information needed, but please know it must be completed before closing or submitting. If the application is closed before completing, you will be able to start over, but will have lost all information. The application must include the following information:
- Personal Information
- Parent/Guardian Information
- School Information
- Non-weighted GPA
- Interest and Hobbies
- Upload a clear head shot
- Each of the following questions will need to be answered with a minimum of 200 and a maximum of 300 words:
- Why do you think Sumter EMC should choose you as one of their 2026 Washington Youth Tour delegates?
- When traveling on this trip, you will have to room with one other person. If your roommate is totally opposite of you...you are a mess and they are tidy...you are a chatter-box and they are the quiet-type...how will you handle the week?
- You will be travelling with around 115 students and chaperones during the week, many you will meet for the first time on June 12, 2026. Answer the scenario which best fits you:
- If this trip is out of your comfort zone, how will you break your shell and embrace this experience to have lasting relationships?
- If this trip with 115 new friends is just up your ally, how will you take the time to embrace each moment and form lasting relationships?
- Who has had the greatest positive influence in your life? Share with us why this person's impact is different from others?
Your application will be scored by WYT coordinators from across the state, and the highest-scoring students will be invited to participate in the interview process. Those finalists will be sent the Washington Youth Tour Study Guide on which students will take a quiz at 9 AM on Thursday, February 19, 2026. After the quiz, students will draw numbers for the order of their interview. The interview will be judged on personality, communication ability, appearance and poise, leadership qualities, and goals. Dress for the interview as if you were attending a job interview .
You also must have two teachers or counsellors complete the teacher recommendation form by February 5, 2026.
Based on an average score from the application, quiz, and interview, four students will be selected to experience an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C., June 12-19, 2026.
Links for the 2026 Washington Youth Tour Application and Teacher Recommendation Form:
COMING SOON!! APPLICATIONS OPEN DECEMBER 1, 2025
View "An Unforgettable Week" on YouTube.