Veterans of Foreign Wars Scholarship Program Open to Students

CHELSEA — The Veterans of Foreign Wars, No. 4076, and its Ladies Auxiliary are taking entries for the annual Voice of Democracy and Patriot’s Pen youth essay contests for 2012-2013.

The Voice of Democracy is an audio essay competition open to students under 20 in grades nine through 12. Students must submit a three to five minute recorded essay on a standard audio cassette or compact disc. This year’s theme is “Is Our Constitution Still Relevant?”

The Patriot’s Pen is for sixth through eighth-grade students. Entrants are required to submit a 300-400 word typed essay. The theme is “What I Would Tell America’s Founding Fathers.” 

Public, private, parochial and home schooled students are eligible for both contests, however foreign exchange students are excluded.

Individual entries must be submitted directly to a local VFW post no later than midnight on Nov 1.

Local, district and state winners receive prizes and/or awards. State winners for the Voice of Democracy receive an all expense paid four-day trip to Washington, D.C., in March 2013, where their essays compete at the national finals level. The national contest top prize is a $30,000 scholarship. The national Patriot’s Pen winner receives a $10,000 U.S. savings bond.

Official entry forms and information can be found on the national VFW website, www.vfw.org under Community/Programs.

For more information, contact the Chelsea VFW at 734-475-9624.