The annual VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) essay contest is here and all Madison students are eligible to enter.

Link to Apply Online: https://scholarsapp.com/scholarship/id-1307202408134064

There are 3 cash scholarships for each grade from our West Seattle VFW (Post 2713). To avoid paperwork and AI/Chat GPT enabled essays, they are now asking for everything online via Scholar’s App.

If you have any questions or want more info, please scroll down for more information. All submissions need to be submitted to the VFW site by 10/31. This year’s theme is “How Are You Showing Patriotism And Support For Our Country?”

What is the Patriot’s Pen Program?
Conducted nationwide, this VFW-sponsored youth essay competition gives students an opportunity to write essays expressing their views on an annual patriotic theme. We invite you to join the more than 60,000 students who participated last year in this contest.

What Is the Theme? VFW’s Commander-in-Chief annually chooses the year’s theme. The 2025-2026 theme is: “How Are You Showing Patriotism And Support For Our Country?”

Why Should I Enter?
Prizes and scholarships can be awarded at the Post, District, State and national level. Department (State) winners receive a portion of $55,000 in national awards. National Winners will receive at least $500. The first-place national award is currently $5,000.

How Does the Contest Work?
All entries begin at the VFW Post level.

Who Can Enter?
Patriot’s Pen is open to 6th, 7th and 8th-grade students enrolled by the Oct. 31 deadline in public, private or parochial schools in the U.S., its territories or its possessions; or dependents of U.S. military or civilian personnel in overseas schools. Home-schooled students also are eligible. Although U.S. citizenship is not required, students must be lawful U.S. permanent residents or have applied for permanent residence (the application which has not been denied) and intends to become a U.S. citizen at the earliest opportunity allowed by law. (Foreign exchange students or former winners that placed in the National contest are ineligible.)

Contest Rules:

• You must write your own essay.
• All essays should be typed in English with no color or graphics. 300 – 400 words in length (+ or – 5 words max). Every word is counted regardless of length.
• Do not include your name, address, school name, or any other personal identifiers in the body of your essay.
• Avoid references to your race, sex, religion, national origin, or other specific personal characteristics that could reveal your identity.
• General references to nationality or patriotic identity (such as being an American or referencing American values) are permitted if they are relevant to the essay theme.
• Personal identifiers tied to your individual background or experience should be avoided.
• Do not put your name on your essay.

Note:

• The essay must be contestant’s original work and a product of the contestant’s own thinking.
• Inappropriate use of ChatGPT or other AI tools is not allowed.
• The approach to the Patriot’s Pen theme should be positive and clearly focused.
• Poetry is not acceptable.
• Quotations may be used sparingly if plainly identified wherever used.
• A contestant’s teacher, counselor or parent may check the essay for punctuation, grammar and/or spelling, but the content must remain the contestant’s.
• Contestants will be judged on the basis of their essay alone and are not required to present the essay orally.
• All essays become the property of the Veteran’s of Foreign Wars. The VFW retains non-exclusive rights to the use of your essay and likeness in the promotion and execution of the organization’s programs and activities.
• At any time during the contest additional participant personal information (i.e. SSN, photo, etc.) could be requested by the VFW.

Judging Criteria:

• Knowledge of the theme is worth 30 points: You must show a thorough knowledge of the theme in your work. Demonstrate that you have researched the issue extensively.
• Theme development is worth 35 points: Answer all relevant facts about the theme, such as the who, what, where, when and why. Relate the theme to your own experiences.

Clarity of Ideas is worth 35 points: Write your essay in an easy-to-understand format. Leave your reader with a clear understanding of your explanation of the theme.