Idaho Senators Seeking Idaho Student to Light U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree in Washington

Washington, D.C.--Idaho's U.S. Senators, Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, announced a statewide contest to select one Idaho student to assist in powering the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree this December. Tradition holds that one youth from the state providing the tree serves as the Tree Lighting Helper during an annual ceremony formally illuminating the tree, along with the Speaker of the House and other public officials. Idaho's Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests will provide the 2026 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree, which will stand on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol.

"Idaho's fourth graders have a special opportunity to share what the Gem State's forests and clean water mean to them while competing for the chance to help light the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree," said Crapo. "I invite students across Idaho to participate and tell us, in their own words, why protecting these treasured resources matters for Idaho's future. This year's tree from the Nez Perce-Clearwater Forests will showcase the remarkable beauty of Idaho and the natural resources making our state such an extraordinary place to call home."

"Idaho's youth is blessed to grow up and explore some of the best forests in the country," said Risch. "This year, I encourage Idaho's fourth graders to write about the importance of these lands and resources for the opportunity to light the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree, which has been selected from Idaho's own Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest."

Idaho fourth-grade students interested in participating in the contest and serving as the Tree Lighting Helper are invited to submit an entry to the essay contest.

In line with the Every Kid Outdoors program, the competition is open to Idaho fourth-grade students and will run from Tuesday, September 8, 2026, through Wednesday, September 30, 2026. Submissions must be between 350-500 words, and answer the prompt, "Why are healthy forests and clean water in Idaho important?" The prompt follows this year's Christmas theme, "Over the Rivers and Through the Woods."

All submissions must:

• adhere to the word limit,
• be received by the closing date of the contest,
• be an original essay written by the contest participant,
• certify the essay is not originated by AI and
• have approval of a parent or guardian to participate.

Entries will be reviewed and verified for accuracy by Senator Mike Crapo's team, and the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests, in collaboration with the Idaho Forest Restoration Partnership, will select the contest winner and make the notification.

The winner of the essay contest, along with three family members, will be flown roundtrip to Washington, D.C., with hotel accommodations and a stipend for meals provided. Other expenses are at the expense of the winner. The essay winner must be willing to read the essay at the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony the first week of December, which is live-streamed and available for media broadcast. The contest winner will be publicly announced and invited to join other public events in Idaho as part of the 2026 program (at their own expense) and will be asked to provide parental/guardian permission to use and publish name and likeness in connection with the program.

Submission form is available at the following link: https://tinyurl.com/YouthTreeLighter. Additional details are located on Senator Mike Crapo's website and on the Capitol Christmas Tree website: https://www.uscapitolchristmastree.com/. Taxpayer funds are not used to fly the winner to Washington.

All students are encouraged to create and submit ornaments that will decorate the People's Tree in Washington, D.C., this holiday season. For more information, please visit https://www.uscapitolchristmastree.com/make-an-ornament/.

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