The Veterans of Foreign Wars Mid-County Post 5547 and the Auxiliary are pleased to announce the 2026-2027 Voice of Democracy and Patriot's Pen Patriotic Essay Contests.

The Voice of Democracy contest is an Audio/Essay Program for students in grades 9-12. Students compete by writing and recording a broadcast script on an annual patriotic theme. This year's theme is "What a Veteran Taught Me About America”.

Prizes and scholarships are awarded at the local (three places, up to $125 for first place and advancement to districts), district, state and national level. The top national scholarship is $35,000.

The Patriot's Pen essay contest is open to students in grades 6-8. This year's theme is also “What a Veteran Taught Me About America”.

Prizes are awarded at the local (three places, up to $100 for first place and advancement to districts), district, state and national level. The National first place award is currently $5,000.

Deadline for submitting entries to the local Post for both contests is October 31, 2026