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College Park could have four new candidates for mayor. That is, as soon as they're old enough to run.

Mayor Stephen Brayman and the College Park City Council honored four local fourth-graders Tuesday night as the city's best entrants in the Maryland Municipal League's and Maryland Mayors' Association's "If I were Mayor, I would ..." essay contest.

The ninth-annual contest, open to fourth-graders, selects a winner and four additional finalists in each of 11 districts throughout the state. This year, there were a record 2,895 entrants state-wide and 374 in Prince George's County's District 9.

In addition to the state contest, College Park had its own local competition. Brayman visited several city schools, answered questions and told students what it was like to be mayor. Students from each school then wrote essays, of which four winners were selected.

"I visited as many elementary schools as I could," Brayman said. "Some of the schools that I wasn't able to get to this year still wrote essays, so I think that's just fantastic."

The winners were Natalie Harrington, of Holy Redeemer School, Tiffany Hicks, of Berwyn Christian School and boy's and girl's entrants Muhumed Tagouri and Asma Farooqui, of Al Huda School, all in College Park.

The contest asked students to write a maximum 275-word essay about how they would, if elected mayor, encourage their constituents to be more environmentally conscious.

Natalie, 9, of Severna Park, Tiffany, 9, of Lanham, Muhumed, 10, of Bowie and Asma, 9, of Burtonsville read their essays in front of the mayor and council during Tuesday night's City Council meeting.

The students provided a variety of green ideas from conserving energy and water to encouraging businesses and residents to recycle.

"If you teach kids to recycle, they can teach their parents," Natalie said.

All four winners received certificates and posed for pictures with Brayman.

The statewide contest was judged by an essay committee which read all 2,895 essays and chose five finalists in each district.

A mayor in each district then chose a winner from the five. This year's judge for District 9 was District Heights Mayor James Walls Jr.

None of the College Park winners were chosen as district finalists, but that didn't dampen their excitement over being recognized as the best in their city.

"I was just surprised that I actually won," Tiffany said. "I was just trying to do my best at my work."

E-mail David Hill at dhill@gazette.net.