COUNTY News:
The Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities (DPU) is inviting local high school students to enter an essay contest that could lead to: 1) a spot at a weeklong summer leadership camp, and 2) a $500 college scholarship. The contest is part of a program organized by Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS), of which DPU is a member.
UAMPS will choose four students from its member communities to attend the Youth Rally, and each selected student will receive a $500 scholarship for college. Because DPU represents Los Alamos County in UAMPS, high school sophomores and juniors who live in or attend school in Los Alamos are eligible to compete for these spots. The contest is geared toward students who are curious about how the electric grid works, who care about climate and energy issues, or who simply want to build leadership and teamwork skills.
A Los Alamos High School student has earned one of these sponsorships every year since 2023 and DPU hopes to continue that streak.
Organized by the Idaho Consumer Owned Utilities Association, the ICUA Youth Rally will be held at Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, ID, from July 6-10, 2026. Students will learn about government, consumer-owned utilities and the energy industry, work in teams to tackle real-world style business and policy challenges, and take part in fun activities like field trips to the Idaho State Capitol and a water park.
To enter the contest, students should write 500 to 750 words responding to the theme “Consumer-Owned Utilities: Why Having a Diverse Power Portfolio is Important to Utilities.” Writers are encouraged to connect the topic to their own lives or their community—for example, by considering reliability, clean energy, or how different power sources support everyday life in Los Alamos. DPU’s panel of judges will look for originality, a clear connection to the theme, and how well the writer relates the topic to DPU. The top essay will be forwarded to UAMPS for consideration for a sponsorship that covers round-trip travel between Salt Lake City, Utah, and Nampa, Idaho, and a $500 scholarship.
DPU will accept essays until April 3, and UAMPS will announce its scholarship/sponsorship recipients by April 27. For more information and guidelines about this opportunity, please visit ladpu.com/YouthRally.