"How Are You Showing Patriotism and Support for Our Country?”
Student Entry Deadline: October 31, 2025
Patriotic Written Essay Competition Grand Prize: $5,000 Award
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.
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. The Internal Revenue Service requires a recipient awarded more than $599 be given Form 1099 identifying the proceeds as taxable income. This may require the winner to provide their social security number.
How Does the Contest Work?
All entries begin at the VFW Post level. The only exception is where schools/classes/youth groups have large numbers of students and wish to conduct their own competition, submitting one winner for each 15 students to the VFW Post. Individual students may submit their entry directly to the Post. The contest consists of four levels. The first level (entry) is sponsored by VFW Posts. Post winners advance, one for every 15 entries, to the VFW District (regional) level where one first-place winner is advanced to the VFW Department (state) level. The first-place winner at the Department level is then advanced into the VFW national competition.
Who Can Enter?
Patriot’s Pen is open to 6th, 7th and 8th-grade students enrolled by the October 31st 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 intend to become a U.S. citizen at the earliest opportunity allowed by law. (Foreign exchange students are ineligible.)
How Do I Get Started?
- Ask a teacher or youth group/club adult leader to supervise the Patriot’s Pen writing contest.
- Contact your participating VFW Post 3106 and indicate your interest in participating.
- Establish a contact person who is a member of VFW Post 3106 or its VFW Auxiliary.
- Make sure that your essay is submitted to VFW Post 3106 before the contest deadline of October 31st.
- You can submit your essay and entry form electronically by email upon the Post’s approval.
- Entries sent to the VFW National Headquarters directly will be returned.
- Entry form can be found by clicking here to download.
How Am I Judged?
- Knowledge of the theme is worth 30 points:
You must show a thorough knowledge of the theme in your work. Demonstrate 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.
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?”
Deadline Information. To qualify, all entries must be submitted to VFW Post 3106 by midnight October 31st.
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