Arizona Treasurer Kimberly Yee and AZ529, Arizona’s Education Savings Plan, announce statewide essay contest winners 

Kalliah, 5th Grade, Solomon Elementary School, won for Graham County, and Christian, 5th Grade, Fairbanks Middle School, won for Greenlee County

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PHOENIX – Arizona Treasurer Kimberly Yee honored 20 Arizona fifth-and sixth-grade students as winners of the sixth-annual AZ529 Essay Writing Contest. The 20 winners represent different schools among district, charter, private schools, Bureau of Indian Education, and homeschools, representing all of Arizona’s 15 counties. 

AZ529, Arizona’s Education Savings Plan, together with the Arizona State Treasurer’s Office, asked Arizona fifth and sixth-graders: “What Is Your Dream Job and How Do You Plan on Achieving It in the Future?” The winners were selected from 876 essay entries from across the entire state. The essays were reviewed by a panel of judges and scored based on the ideas, organization, and originality of the content provided. 

“This year, 876 aspiring students brought their dream jobs to life through writing about how they will prepare for their future education. This essay contest invites students to envision their future and start building the foundation for education savings,” said Arizona Treasurer Kimberly Yee. “Today, I awarded 20 of these students with $529 in an AZ529 Education Savings Plan to support their future careers. These funds can be used for educational expenses such as college tuition, trade school, or workforce development. Whatever educational path the students choose, their AZ529 funds will be there to help them succeed.” 

Winning essays detailed students’ future dream careers, including jobs like engineers, pediatricians, small business owners, cosmetologists, and photographers. Each of these dream careers requires post-high school education, which the motivated students described in their essays. 

“This contest inspires our young students to dream about their future careers and encourages families to plan for how they can best support their financial future. It’s never too early, and it’s certainly never too late, to start saving for a child’s education,” said Arizona Treasurer Kimberly Yee. “Since I began administering the AZ529 Plan, 61,208 new accounts have been opened in just 60 months, which is so important as more families recognize the endless opportunities that come with saving for their children’s future education.” 

The AZ529 Education Savings Plan offers a tax-free approach to setting money aside for college, community college, vocational training, trade school, and other educational avenues for high school graduates. Arizona residents can receive a dollar-for-dollar state tax deduction for contributions made to an AZ529 account each year, of up to $2,000 per beneficiary or $4,000 per beneficiary, depending on filing status. Funds earned over time will remain tax-free when used for a wide variety of covered educational expenses. Additionally, 529 plan beneficiaries can now rollover unused funds into a Roth IRA, up to a $35,000 lifetime limit, free of income tax or tax penalties. Friends and family members may also add to a child’s AZ529 Plan at any time and earn the same tax benefits for themselves. 

2025 AZ529 Essay Writing Contest Winners: 

Apache County: 

• Deniel, 5th Grade, Kin Dah Lichi’i’ Olta’ School