Veterans of Foreign Wars Youth Scholarship Contest

Veterans of Foreign Wars, VFW, is dedicated to promoting patriotism and investing in the future generation. If you are a patriotic high school student interested in a $35,000 college scholarship or a patriotic middle school student interested in winning $5,000, these scholarships may be for you. There are two separate contests.

Voice of Democracy

Established in 1947, the Voice of Democracy program provides high school students with the unique opportunity to express themselves in a patriotic-themed, recorded essay. Each year, nearly 27,000 students in grades 9 through 12 from across the country enter to win their share of more than $2 million in educational scholarships and incentives awarded through the program. Students compete by writing and recording an audio essay on an annual patriotic theme, with this year’s theme of: "Is America Today Our Forefathers' Vision?"

Prizes and scholarships can be awarded at the Post, District, Department and national level. Department winners receive an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., to tour the city, to be honored by VFW and VFW Auxiliary, and receive their portion of $171,000 in national awards, the top scholarship being $35,000, paid directly to the recipient’s American university, college or vocational/technical school. Other national scholarships range from $1,000-$21,000, with the first-place winner from each VFW Department winning a scholarship of at least $1,000.

Before submitting your essay, contact your sponsoring post, https://www.vfw.org/find-a-post and let them know your intentions, then download the 2024-2025 entry form here. Submit the entry form directly to the sponsoring post for review. Applications must be turned in by midnight, October 31st.

Patriot's Pen

Last year, more than 73,000 students in grades 6 through 8 entered VFW’s Patriot’s Pen youth essay contest. This year’s theme is, "My Voice in America's Democracy?" Prizes and scholarships can be awarded at the Post, District, Department and national level. Department winners receive a portion of $55,000 in national awards. National Winners will receive at least $500, with the first-place winner receiving $5,000!

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 the chosen patriotic theme, "My Voice in America's Democracy?".

Before submitting your essay, contact your sponsoring post, https://www.vfw.org/find-a-post and let them know your intentions, then download the download the 2024-2025 entry form here. Submit the entry form directly to the sponsoring post for review. Applications must be turned in by midnight, October 31st.

NOTE: Students can be homeschooled, can attend public, private or parochial schools in the U.S., its territories or its possessions; or can be dependents of U.S. military of civilian personnel in overseas schools.

For more information:

https://www.vfw.org/community/youth-and-education/youth-scholarships