This page last updated on 12/20/2007
Patriot's Pen Essay Contest
Patriot's pen gives 6th, 7th and 8th grade students the opportunity to express their opinion on a patriotic theme and improve their writing skills, while they compete for worthwhile awards and prizes. Department (state) winners compete for $67,000 in U.S. Savings Bonds at the national level with the winner receiving a $10,000 U.S. Savings Bond during the VFW/Ladies Auxiliary Community Service Conference in Washington, D.C., in March each year.
Essay Rules:
Essay length: 300 - 400 words.
You must write your own essay.
All essays should be typewritten in English with no color or graphics and cannot be less than 300 words or greater then 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.
A contestant must be a student enrolled in either the 6th, 7th or 8th grade of a public, private, parochial school or a home study program in the United States, its territories or possessions or enrolled in an overseas school as a dependent of U.S. military or U.S. civilian personnel to be eligible to enter this contest. (Foreign Exchange students and former winners that placed in the national finals are not eligible to enter this contest.)
The completed essay and entry form must be in the hands of the VFW Post Chairman by midnight November 1, 2007.
Contestants may not identify themselves, their school, city or state in their essay. Do not put your name on your essay. The entry form is your essay's cover sheet. Secure the Official Student Entry Form with a staple or other fastener on top of your essay. Contestants are allowed to enter only once (one Post competition). Contestants found in violation of this rule will face elimination from the competition and will be required to return any and all prize money awarded and received.
The essay must be a contestant's original work and a product of the contestant's own thinking. The approach to this year's theme, "Why I Am An American Patriot." should be positive and focus clearly on the theme. 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 should be judged on the basis of their essay alone and are not required to present the essay orally.
All entries must be submitted to a VFW Post competition. See the District information on this site for post information and for district and county chairmen. If you have difficulty identifying a sponsoring post in your area, call the Patriot's Pen national office at 816-968-1117.