"What My Father Means to Me"

Father of the Year Essay Contest

The Father of the Year Essay Contest was created by the National Center for Fathering in 1992 to raise awareness about the importance of fathering. For the past decade the Essay Contest has helped connect us to over 1,000,000 children, fathers and families across the United States.

The Contest is made possible through the collaborative efforts of local partners and state agencies committed to inspiring and equipping men to be the involved fathers, grandfathers, and father figures their children need.

2012 Father of the Year Essay Contests

	Essay Winners & Finalists (PDF)	1st Place Essays (PDF coming soon)
	Essay Winners & Finalists (PDF)	1st Place Essays (PDF)

2011 Father of the Year Essay Contests

	Essay Winners & Finalists	2011 1st Place Essays (PDF)	2011 Father of the Year and Finalists (PDF)
	Essay Winners & Finalists	2011 1st Place Essays (PDF)	2011 Father of the Year and Finalists (PDF)

View pictures from the 2011 Kansas City Royals Celebration of Fatherhood 
View pictures from the 2011 Minnesota Twins Celebration of Fatherhood

     2010 Father of the Year Essay Contests

	2010 MN Essay Winners Announcement (PDF)	2010 1st Place Essays (PDF)	2010 Father of the Year and Finalists (PDF)
	2010 KC Essay Winners Announcement (PDF)	2010 1st Place Essays (PDF)	2010 Father of the Year and Finalists (PDF)
	2010 DC Essay Winners & Finalists (PDF)	2010 1st Place Essays (PDF)	2010 Father of the Year and Finalists (PDF)
	2010 Entry Materials (PDF)	2010 Essay Semifinalists	2010 Fathers of the Year and Finalists (PDF)

2010 Celebration of Fatherhood Photos

Kansas City Royals Dustin Boatright (left)	Minnesota Twins Doug Foote (center)	Washington Nationals Alfred Walker, Jr. (right)

View pictures from the 2010 Kansas City Royals Celebration of Fatherhood
View pictures from the 2010 Minnesota Twins Celebration of Fatherhood
View pictures from the 2010 Washington Nationals Celebration of Fatherhood

   Our Sponsors and Partners

Please join us in thanking and congratulating our sponsors and partners. These
generous organizations support the Father of the Year Essay Contest through the
provision of gifts and rewards for the winners and participants as well as volunteers
to read the thousands of essays that are received each year. Without their
generous and enthusiastic support, the Father of the Year Essay Contest would not
be possible.

Douglas R. Peete & Associates		ProPartners, MD

                     The Impact of this Contest    Essay Excerpts
                              (These links will open MS Word documents.)

Volunteer Opportunities!

Do you or your associates have time to read essays? If you reside in a city or
state where we currently conduct a Contest and are interested in organizing a
reader group or reading essays, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .