VFW Essay Competitions for 2024-2025: Voice of Democracy & Patriot’s Pen

The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) has launched its annual patriotic essay competitions for the 2024-2025 academic year: the Voice of Democracy and Patriot’s Pen programs. These national competitions encourage students to express their thoughts on patriotic themes, develop public speaking skills, and win valuable scholarships.

Voice of Democracy: High School Level Competition

The Voice of Democracy program, which began in 1942, is the VFW’s premier scholarship competition. Open to high school students (grades 9-12), this program provides a platform for participants to submit a 3-5 minute audio essay on this year’s theme, “Is America Today Our Forefathers’ Vision?” The competition, judged on originality, content, and delivery, requires entries to be submitted to a local VFW post by October 31, 2024.

• Awards & Prizes: State-level winners will receive an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., and a chance to compete at the national level for a share of $171,000 in scholarships. The top national prize is a $35,000 scholarship.
• Eligibility: Open to students in the United States and U.S. territories or dependents of U.S. military and civilian personnel overseas. U.S. citizenship is not required, but students must be lawful permanent residents or have applied for permanent residency.

Participants must ensure that their audio essays are recorded in their own voice and submitted along with a typed version. The use of AI tools, including ChatGPT, is strictly prohibited. The submission should be an original work and should not include music, poetry, or sound effects. Essays identifying the participant’s name, school, or personal information within the content will be disqualified.

Patriot’s Pen: Middle School Level Competition

The Patriot’s Pen essay competition, aimed at middle school students (grades 6-8), invites young participants to write a 300-400 word essay on the theme, “My Voice in America’s Democracy.” This contest, conducted nationwide, attracts more than 73,000 students each year. The deadline for entries is October 31, 2024.

• Awards & Prizes: The national awards total $55,000, with the top prize being $5,000. State winners will advance to the national competition for a chance to win the grand prize. Each national winner will receive at least $500.
• Eligibility: Open to students in public, private, parochial, and home schools in the U.S., its territories, and possessions. Dependents of U.S. military or civilian personnel overseas are also eligible to apply.

How to Enter and What to Expect

Both competitions are structured to start at the local VFW post level. Winners from the local level advance to district competitions, then to the state level, and finally to the national stage. Each level of the competition becomes more challenging, with increasing recognition and scholarship rewards.

For those interested, entries must be submitted to a participating VFW post by midnight, October 31, 2024. To find a local post, students and educators can visit vfw.org/FindaPost. If you encounter difficulties in locating a post, you can contact the VFW Department (state) office or the VFW National Headquarters for assistance at youthscholarships@vfw.org.

Judging Criteria

Entries will be judged based on three criteria:

1. Knowledge of the Theme (30 points): Understanding of the chosen theme.
2. Theme Development (35 points): Comprehensive and well-developed ideas.
3. Clarity of Ideas (35 points): Clear and effective communication of thoughts.

Important Dates:

• Submission Deadline: October 31, 2024.
• National Winner Announcements: First-place national winners will be notified and invited to the National Voice of Democracy Finals in Washington, D.C.

For any questions, the local VFW contact persons are Tricia Bear (479-414-0952) and Teresa Stevenson (918-429-2418).

The VFW Essay Competitions offer a unique opportunity for students to engage in civic issues, share their perspectives on democracy, and potentially earn scholarships to further their education. Students, parents, and teachers are encouraged to participate and help spread the word about these impactful programs.