Conducted nationwide, this VFW sponsored youth essay competition gives students an opportunity to write essays expressing their views on democracy with the prospect of winning U.S. savings bonds. We invite you to join the more than 120,000 students who participated last year in this contest.
The top 43 national winners all receive at least a $1,000 savings bond. The first-place award is currently a $10,000 savings bond plus an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. for the winner and a parent or guardian.
Who is eligible?
Patriot's Pen is open to 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade students enrolled in public, private or parochial schools in the U.S., its territories or its possession. Dependents of U.S. Military or civilian personnel in overseas schools can participate too, as well as home-schooled students. Foreign exchange students and former winners that placed in the national finals are excluded from the contest.
What are the rules?
(1) Essay length: 300-400 typewritten words. (2) Student must write their own essay. (3) All essays should be typewritten in English with no color graphics and cannot be less than 300 words or greater than 400 words in length. (Essays under or over these word amounts will be eliminated.) Every word is counted regardless of length. The essay title (theme) or added footnotes do not contribute to the word count. Please submit your completed entry form and essay to your local VFW Post by midnight Nov 1, 2008.
VFW Scholarships
Harold G. Epperson VFW Post 2728
VFW Sponsored Programs
2009
This year's theme
"When is the Right Time to Honor Our Military Heroes?"
This year's theme
"Does America Still Have Heroes?"
Created in 1947, the Voice of Democracy (VOD) scholarship program is an audio-essay contest for high school students in grades 9-12 that annually provides more than $3 million in scholarships. The first-place winner, who competes with all the first-place VFW Department winners, receives a $30,000 scholarship that is paid directly to the recipient’s American university, college, or vocational/technical school.
Besides competing for the top scholarship prize, as well as other national scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $16,000, each Department's first-place winner receives an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., sponsored by Target.
The VOD program is endorsed by the National Association of Secondary School Principals'
contest criteria
and is designed to foster patriotism by allowing students the opportunity to voice their opinion in a three to five minute essay based on an annual theme.
All entries competing at the Post level must be in the hands of that VFW Post by midnight Nov 1, 2008. It is the responsibility of the student to meet this deadline by submitting their entry to the proper location.
Exerts taken from VFW National page at www.vfw.org
2008 VOD Candidates
GRC High School with
Rex Johnson
Candidates from Powell Co High School with Rex
Post VOD winner Jade Petty From Powell Co High School with Rex.
