Oct 11, 2023
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Time is running out for students wishing to participate in the annual Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Voice of Democracy and Patriot’s Pen essay competitions. Open to eligible high school and middle school students, all entries must be received at a local participating VFW Post no later than Oct. 31.
The Voice of Democracy program is one of the top patriotic audio essay competitions in the nation, with more than $1 million in educational scholarships and incentives, and a top national first place prize of $35,000, up for grabs. Nearly 25,000 high school students in ninth through 12th grades participate in the competition annually. This year’s theme challenges students to answer the question, “What Are the Greatest Attributes of Our Democracy?”
Open to eligible sixth through eighth grade students, nearly 68,800 students compete in the Patriot’s Pen essay competition each year to win their slice of nearly $1 million in state and national awards. The top individual VFW Department (state) winners are vying for the top prize of $5,000. This year’s Patriot’s Pen theme asks “How Are You Inspired by America?”
For more information on the VFW’s youth essay competitions and how to enter, visit vfw.org/YouthScholarships.