Fourth-grader Grace Benson from Salmon is the winner of the 2026 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree Youth Tree Lighter Essay Contest. The student from FernWaters Charter School will represent Idaho in Washington, D.C., this December and help light “The People’s Tree” in Capitol Square.
In her winning essay, ten-year-old Grace talks about growing up within walking distance of the River of No Return.
“I have spent every summer paddle pointing across its calmer stretches, swimming in its refreshing waters and rafting,” Benson wrote about the Salmon River, which flows beside her small town in central Idaho. “When winter arrives, the river often freezes over, but my connection to the land remains unbroken.”
Grace wrote about growing up surrounded by national forests with rugged mountains, pristine rivers and wild forests teeming with deer, elk and moose.
“My house is here entirely by wood harvested from our surrounding forest, and our meat on our dinner table comes from hunting wild game in the woods,” she wrote. “This self reliance is a way of life here.”
Keeping Idaho’s forests healthy is an important defense against wildfires, wrote Grace, to preserve Idaho’s “wild spirit.” She explained how fires threaten people’s homes, but also cause ash to flow into sources of drinking water and harm aquatic life in nearby rivers and creeks.
Representatives from the offices of U.S. Sen. James Risch and U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson called the family on Monday to tell them the news, said Grace’s dad Jake Benson.
“Since then, it’s been a madhouse, because we’re getting itineraries and lists of things they want us to do,” he said. “It’s just been a whirlwind.”
Plans are underway to fly Grace and both her parents, Jake and Tara Benson, to Washington, D.C. before Christmas.
“I’m a little nervous, because I’ve never been on a plane, but I’m really excited,” said Grace.
The family will be given a tour of the White House, the U.S. Capitol building and the FBI headquarters, Benson said.
“We’ll have a couple days of downtime, and that’s going to be our opportunity to run around and see the sights,” he said, adding that they plan to visit Smithsonian museums and explore the history of the nation’s capital.
Grace’s time to shine will be when she reads her essay to a live audience alongside public officials during the annual ceremony on the West Lawn of the Capitol in early December, where she’ll also help light the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree.
The towering 76-foot-tall Engelmann Spruce Tree that Grace will help light will be harvested from the Salmon River Ranger District in north Idaho this weekend. There will be a whistlestop tour with events in small towns all along its journey from the Gem State to the nation’s capital.
