VFW Patriot Essay Contest

6 Sept, Kick-off, 2016 VFW Essay Contest: Deadline 1 Nov. Themes: Voice of Democracy “My Responsibility to America & Patriot's Pen “The America I Believe In” http://www.vfw.org/PatriotsPen/

Each year more than 132,000 students in grades 6-8 enter the VFW’s Patriot’s Pen youth essay contest. The first-place winner from each state competes for national awards totaling $54,500, with each first-place state winner receiving a minimum of $500 at the national level. The national first-place winner wins $5,000 and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. 

The essay contest encourages young minds to examine America’s history, along with their own experiences in modern American society, by drafting a 300- to 400-word essay, expressing their views based on a patriotic theme chosen by the VFW Commander-in-Chief.