2026 Paul Bunyan Communications Youth Tour Essay Contest

16–17-Year-Old High School Students: Enter the Paul Bunyan Communications Youth Tour Essay
Contest for a Chance to Win a Trip to Washington D.C. Deadline is Friday, February 27

(Bemidji, MN) (December 30, 2025) Area High School Students aged 16 or 17 are encouraged to enter the Paul Bunyan Communications Essay Contest for a chance to attend the 2026 Youth Tour in Washington, D.C. June 1-5, with all expenses paid by Paul Bunyan Communications.
To enter, students need to submit a short essay, no more than 500 words in length, on why they would
like to attend the Youth Tour and a letter of recommendation from a teacher, coach, or employer.

Entries can be submitted online at paulbunyan.net/youthtour
The deadline to enter is Friday, February 27. Students must be 16 or 17 years of age and in high school
with their parent/guardian a member of Paul Bunyan Communications Cooperative.

The trip features a comprehensive overview of the telecommunications industry, including careers in
telecom, the critical role telecommunications plays in rural America, and how legislative and regulatory
decisions affect the industry. The tour allows youth to meet with members of Congress who represent
rural constituents. They also participate in educational sessions about the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC). Students visit some of the nation’s most historic sites, including the Smithsonian
Museums and a beautiful night tour of Washington D.C.

Paul Bunyan Communications has participated in sending a local high school student to the Youth Tour
since 1996. Recent Youth Tour winners include Joseph Loehlein of Turtle River (2025), Julia Frenzel of
Blackduck (2024), Michael Van Horn of Blackduck (2023), and Amelia Scherling of Bemidji (2022)
“By equipping our youth with world-class connectivity with Internet speeds up to 10 Gig and connecting
them with cultural and educational experiences like the FRS Youth Tour, we aim to inspire students to
build their futures here at home and become engaged members of our rural communities,” said Brian
Bissonette, Marketing Supervisor at Paul Bunyan Communications.

The Foundation for Rural Service is dedicated to informing and to improving the quality of life throughout
rural America. Each year, it organizes the Youth Tour, designed to educate rural youth about the
telecommunications industry and the federal political process. The FRS is a subsidiary of the NTCA-The
Rural Broadband Association, of which Paul Bunyan Communications is a member.
About Paul Bunyan Communications

Paul Bunyan Communications has the region’s largest and fastest all-fiber optic network, with over 6,000 square miles throughout most of Beltrami County and portions of Aitkin, Cass, Hubbard, Itasca, Koochiching, and St. Louis Counties.

The Cooperative provides fiber optic fast Internet speeds up to 10 Gig powered by the GigaZone, television services, digital voice services, Residential and Business IT
services, and is also the home of northern Minnesota’s certified Apple Service Center.