Essay Competition “A Million Good Deeds”

A total of 95 essays were submitted to the “A Million Good Deeds” – a competition for Estonian school students aged 7 to 20 who expressed their thoughts on topic how would I use 1 million euros for charity. The works were assessed in different age categories to reflect the writers’ life experience and language skills.

Estonian Youth Imagine How to Make a Difference

Participants came from schools across the country, from primary schools to high schools, from cities and smaller towns alike. 

The most active participation came from Kehtna Vocational Education Centre, where many students submitted essays under the guidance of teacher Kati Murutar. Kehtna students particularly stood out for their strong financial thinking and awareness of investment principles. Today’s youth are remarkably clever, and they know how to grow existing resources to create even greater charitable impact.

One young participant, Markus Sammel, captured the core spirit of the competition with a clever and precise statement: “In the end, it's not about money or donations, but about a mindset that values kindness and care in every area of life.” Markus’s philosophy could well serve as a life motto for all of us.

Creative Charity Solutions 

In their essays, students tackled a wide range of social and personal themes that reflected compassion, empathy, and a sense of responsibility. The most common keywords across the essays were:

Children – homeless, underprivileged, ill, or lacking access to education

Animals – strays, those in need, support for shelters

Elderly and people with disabilities – care, communication, and daily support

Education and educational funds – access, scholarships, teacher support

Environment and nature – litter, lake clean-ups, ecological initiatives

Mental health and social cohesion – raising awareness, sense of community

Entrepreneurship and technology – start-ups, educational innovation

Conscripts, the sick, Ukrainian schoolchildren – solidarity and support

Charity as a mindset – stressing that daily kindness matters more than money

Many essays also proposed creative and practical solutions. For example, free hobby groups, community cafés, clean-up actions, school partnerships, and joint youth initiatives.

In summary, the competition entries showed that Estonian youth think big, care deeply, and believe that everyone can help change the world, even through a small act of kindness.

Winners Highlight Compassion, Education, and Innovation

The jury awarded gift cards to those essays that stood out for their well-thought-out themes, clearly justified choices, meaningful language, and original approaches. The works were not only logically structured and rich in content, but also encouraging others to reflect on how each of us can make a difference.

The most outstanding essays were:

Lagerta Ivanova, Kiili Gymnasium, 1st grade

Mariann Reis, Keila School, 10th grade

Elar Udumets, Hugo Treffner Gymnasium, 12th grade

These recognised essays highlighted deep and personal values:

Elar Udumets emphasised compassion and the need to support those who have fallen and face difficulties in life. He also underlinined the impact of small daily acts of kindness.

Mariann Reis saw education as the greatest value and dreamed of a scholarship fund that would give all young people, even from the poor families, the opportunity to learn and follow their dreams.

Lagerta Ivanova touched hearts with her sincere and moving wish to help cancer patients, drawing on a personal loss and her belief that scientific research and medicine must be supported to save lives.