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1. Can I mail-in the entry form or essays?

We are not accepting essay contest mail-in entries.  To align with the digitization of communication and learning, we digitized the entire process in 2021 and look forward to tweaking the process so that the contest remains accessible.  The process to submit an entry is very easy. Please access the digital entry form via the following link: https://www.mdmunicipal.org/FormCenter/Essay-Contest-4/If-I-Were-Mayor-I-WouldDigital-Essay-Con-74

For students who may not be able to provide a type written essay, we will accept a jpeg of a handwritten essay. We only ask that you place any jpegs within a single file as you would a Word document or PDF.

2. I sent in a digital entry form, now what do I do?

Once you send in a digital entry form, within one day (sometimes within the hour) you will then receive an email from an MML team member titled "MML Request for Essay Submission File" that will contain a Dropbox File Request. Please follow the instructions within that email. 

3. Why haven't I received a request to submit a file, yet?

As we receive an increase in submissions, we may need a full day to send out File Request emails.  Rest assured, you will receive the file request. Thank you for your patience. We’re excited about our digital process. However, it's still a new process. We have taken great pains to replicate our traditional process in a digital manner so that every essay is counted and is given an opportunity to be judged. If it has been more than a day since you submitted your entry form without getting a file request email in return, please contact the MML Team member managing entries from your county:

Paula Chase Hyman - paulah@mdmunicipal.org : Anne Arundel, Baltimore City and County, All counties of the Eastern Shore, Frederick, Montgomery, All counties of Southern Maryland

Sharon Easton - sharone@mdmunicipal.org : Allegany, Carroll, Cecil, Garrett, Harford, Prince George’s, Washington, 

4. Do I need a Dropbox account to submit essays?

No. Once we receive your digital entry form, you will receive an email with a link that will allow you to upload the essay file to the folder designated for your school’s MML District. It’s as easy as attaching a file to an email. There’s no log in and no password required. It’s essential that you follow the other guidelines including naming the document properly and having all of your students’ essays in one file. 

Upon clicking our Dropbox submission link, if you receive a message that asks you to sign-in, it's very possible that your school system's server is blocking access to upload. Often, when this occurs, teachers have successfully uploaded from home using the same link.

5. Can I send essays via a zip file or folder?

We are unable to process essays that are not combined into a single file. The single file can be a Word document or PDF.

We have created a digital system that allows us to send packets of essays to our volunteer readers. The packets are associated with your district, your school and a specific teacher. Zip drives and folders open to individual essays. We are unable to send individual essays as they can not be processed by the existing system.