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Lincoln Electric Cooperative Youth Tour 2026 Application

 Contest Information

  • High school sophomores and juniors, enter to win a week-long FREE* trip to Washington, D.C. on June 13-20, 2026. There will be an orientation in Great Falls on June 13, 2026.
  • All expenses for flights, hotel accommodations, charter bus, tours, food, and t-shirts each day while in D.C. paid for by Lincoln Electric.
  • Winning student may want to bring some money for extra snacks and to purchase souvenirs of their once-in-a-lifetime trip.

Eligibility

  • Applicant must be a Sophomore or Junior during the 2025-2026 school year.
  • Applicant and/or their parent/legal guardian must be an active member of Lincoln Electric.
  • Student cannot be a prior winner of the Youth Tour.
  • Application and supporting reference forms must be submitted via this form by 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 20, 2025.

Application Process

  • Student must complete the application in its entirety, including attachment of any required additional information.
  • Student must have a Personal Reference Form and Evaluation Sheet submitted by three references before the deadline. There must be at least one teacher reference and one community leader reference. The third reference can be either of these. Instructions on how to submit the reference information is included below.
  • Finalists must perform a 30-minute interview with Lincoln Electric’s Member Services Committee on Wednesday, December 10, 2025 (PENDING). Finalists will be notified via text to arrange for their interview time. If the applicant is unavailable on December 10 (PENDING), they are encouraged to still apply as accommodations can be made to perform their interview on an alternative date.

*The trip begins and ends with flights in Great Falls. The student and/or their parent/legal guardian is responsible for travel to and from Great Falls.

Youth Tour Personal Reference Form
2026 Youth Tour to Washington, D.C.
Name
Grade During 2025-2026 School Year
Click or drag a file to this area to upload.
Please upload a listing of your school activities. Include any elected positions, special honors, awards, and accomplishments from school (i.e., class officer, plays, athletics, music, etc.)
Click or drag a file to this area to upload.
Please upload a listing of your activities outside of school and the years of participation, such as 4-H, church, community, and service clubs. Indicate honors, awards, and accomplishments.
Click or drag a file to this area to upload.
Please write and upload a persuasive paragraph explaining why you would like to go to Washington, D.C. as a representative of Lincoln Electric. Your comments will be judged on content, composition, neatness, and grammar.
References
You must have three references submit a reference form and evaluation sheet to Lincoln Electric. The reference form can be found here. There are instructions on the form for the reference to complete and submit their evaluation.
Interview
Finalists will be required to perform an interview as part of the application process. Applicants are encouraged to download and study the interview information sheet found here.
Agreement
By submitting this application, I authorize Lincoln Electric Cooperative, Inc. and Montana Electric Cooperatives' Association to use the above information along with photos of me for publicity purposes. I understand if I am chosen for the trip, I will be required to report on my trip to Lincoln Electric's Board of Trustees as well as potentially provide a post-trip interview and/or article.