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Student Alumni

Brimhall Essay Contest

About Spencer W. Kimball

The BYU Student Alumni Association and descendants of former BYU president George H. Brimhall honor the founders of Brigham Young University each year at Homecoming with the Brimhall Essay Contest. The competition is designed to encourage high levels of scholarship among BYU students and promote understanding and appreciation of BYU’s mission and legacy and the challenges of its great founders.

THIS YEAR'S FOUNDER: Spencer W. Kimball

HOMECOMING THEME: Light the Way Forward

Spencer Woolley Kimball (1895–1985) was raised in Thatcher, Arizona and graduated from the LDS Gila Academy, where he was an Honors student, in 1914. Despite many health challenges, and the death of his mother and four of his sisters, he thrived in this rural community. His call to the Swiss-German mission was interrupted by the outbreak of World War I and so he completed his service in the Central States Mission. After a semester apiece at the University of Arizona and BYU, he was called up to do military service; however, the war ended before he went overseas. He married Camilla Eyring in 1917 and together they raised four children. Kimball began a successful insurance and real estate business in Safford, Arizona. In 1938 he was called to be a stake president, and in 1943 he was called as an apostle.

In 1973, Harold B. Lee’s unexpected death meant senior apostle Kimball was to become the twelfth Church president. His tenure saw an expansion of temple work, missionary service, and priesthood ordinations to all worthy men. An inspiring teacher and great believer in education, his prophetic statements made in a 1975 address at the centennial of BYU encouraged its becoming “a leader among the great universities of the world” and “a unique university in all of the world.” President Kimball died age 90 in 1985; his beloved Camilla died two years later.

“The school depends not on man, or any set of men. God planted it, and we are but gardeners to take care of it.” –George H. Brimhall

PRIZES

1st Place: $5,000 and published in BYU Magazine
2nd Place: $3,000
3rd Place: $2,000
Honorable Mention (3 awarded): $1,000

GUIDELINES

The essay must establish a connection between:

  • The honored founder
  • The 2025 Homecoming theme
  • Personal reflections

RULES

  1. The contest is open to all full-time BYU undergraduate (12+ credits) and graduate students (8+ credits) enrolled in Fall Semester 2025.
  2. Essays should be approximately 750 words.
  3. Your name must not appear anywhere on your essay.
  4. Submit your essay online here.
  5. Essay submission deadline: Tuesday, September 23, 2025, by MIDNIGHT.

HELP

SUBMIT ESSAY

FAQs

  • No. Your essay should be approximately 750 words long. This is about the length that BYU Magazine will allow for publishing. Be aware that BYU Magazine will likely edit the winning essay for publishing.

  • Because this is an essay, you may choose any accepted formatting citation style you like. Citations of the winning essays will be checked. However, the citations for the winning essay will not be printed in BYU Magazine.

  • No. The submission deadline is firm.

  • Full-time for undergraduate students is 12+ credits and for graduate students is 8.5+ credits.

  • The winners will be called on October 4, 2024. All other entrants will be notified by email on the same day.

  • Unfortunately, due to the large number of entrants, this is not possible.

  • Essays must be submitted online as a PDF.

  • In past years, this has been the case. However, entrants may now be full-time online-only students.