Project Description

2025 Diamond Winners

33rd Annual Diamond Day – Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Orange County, California

Braelyn Murphy

Grade 1-8

Colors blaze like sunset skies
Strength like tidal waves that rise
Love, a warmth from fire’s glow
A heart that always knows

    • Grade: 7
    • School: Sowers Middle School
    • School City: Huntington Beach, CA
    • Diamond Teacher: Dennis Bond
    • Diamond Mom: Sara Murphy
    • Contest Panel Judge: Carmen Watson

Orange County, California

Lauren O’Hara

Special 30-Year Winner

A diamond and my mother
Are two of the same
Diamonds all around her
Sparkle in her name

For never has there been
A dark and starless night
For with the shining of my mother’s eyes
From darkness comes light

Dew on morning rose, diamonds in the sky
Kind words when a new day starts
All these things I see in her-
The diamond of my heart

(Written in 1995.)

    • Grade: 9
    • School: Irvine High School
    • School City: Irvine, CA
    • Diamond Teacher: Karen Harwood
    • Diamond Mom: Kenna O’Hara
    • Contest Panel Judge: Diamond Mike Watson

In 1995, thousands of kids submitted written heartfelt treasures. After hours of judging, the submissions were narrowed down.  One student would win the diamond, and 40 runners-up would receive sapphires.  That stack dwindled down to only two essays. After laboring over these two compositions, we finally selected a Diamond Winner.

The competing essay was from Lauren O’Hara.   We called her teacher to declare her an honorable sapphire winner.  Diamond Mike could not free his mind from Lauren’s profound words that continued to haunt him for thirty years.

By sheer luck, we were able to track down Lauren’s mom, who had moved to Washington State.

We called, declaring her daughter a Diamond Winner for 2025, and mailed the diamond.  To continue the legacy of the contest, Lauren would recite her winning words once again to her mother.

Now, thirty years later, Lauren O’Hara’s words of love will never be forgotten.