​2025-2026 Patriot's Pen Contest

​​

Each year, more than 60,600 students in sixth through eighth grades enter the VFW’s Patriot’s Pen® annual youth essay contest for a chance to win their share of nearly $1 million in state and national awards. The first, second and third place winners from the Strongsville Post 3345 Auxiliary will receive a prize. Each first place state winner receives a minimum of $500 at the national level, and the national first place winner wins $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 a patriotic theme chosen by the VFW Commander-in-Chief. Students interested in participating must submit their essay prepared on this year's theme, with a completed 2025-2026 entry  form, 2025-2026 PP Entry Form (Digital) to their local participating VFW Post. Find your sponsoring local VFW Post as applications must be turned in by midnight, Oct. 31. 

​​​​

The VFW Auxiliary Patriot's Pen essay contest for 2025-2026 invites students in grades 6-8, to submit essays on the theme "How Are You Showing Patriotism and Support for Our Country," with a total of $1 million in scholarships available.

​​

Program Details

​

• Eligibility: Patriot’s Pen essay contest is open to 6th, 7th and 8th-grade students. 

• Theme: The theme for the 2025-2026 Patriot's Pen essay contest is "How Are You Showing Patriotism and Support for Our Country?" 

• Scholarships: 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.

• ​Entry Deadline: To qualify, all entries must be submitted to a sponsoring VFW Post (see below) by midnight Oct. 31. 

• Submission Process:

  • You must write your own essay. 

  • All essays should be typed in English with no color or graphics. 300 - 400 words in length (+ or - 5 word max). Every word is counted regardless of length. The essay title (theme) or added footnotes do not contribute to the word count.

  • To ensure fairness and impartiality in judging, essays must be anonymous. Please do not include your name, address, school name, or any other personal identifiers in the body of your essay. Additionally, avoid references to your race, sex, religion, national origin, or other specific personal characteristics that could reveal your identity. General references to nationality or patriotic identity (such as being an American or referencing American values) are permitted if they are relevant to the essay theme. However, personal identifiers tied to your individual background or experience should be avoided.

  • Do not put your name on the essay. The entry form is your essays 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 each year if otherwise eligible (one Post competition).

  • The essay must be contestant’s original work and a product of the contestant’s own thinking. Inappropriate use of ChatGPT or other AI tools is not allowed. The approach to the Patriot’s Pen theme should be positive and clearly focused. 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 will be judged on the basis of their essay alone and are not required to present the essay orally. All essays become the property of the Veteran’s of Foreign Wars. The VFW retains non-exclusive rights to the use of your essay and likeness in the promotion and execution of the organization’s programs and activities.

  • At any time during the contest additional participant personal information (i.e. SSN, photo, etc.) could be requested by the VFW.

​

​

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​2025-2026 Young American Creative Patriotic Art Contests

​

Patriotic Art Brochure

​

Each year, more than 4,000 high school students from across the country participate in the VFW Auxiliary’s Young American Creative Patriotic Art Contest. The contest began in 1979 to recognize up-and-coming artists and encourage patriotism in youth.

​

Two-dimensional entries:

​

Who is Eligible to Apply?

• Students in grades 9-12 .

• Foreign exchange students, students age 20 or older, GED and adult education students, or national winners of previous Young American Creative Patriotic Art Contests are ineligible.

​

Who is the Scholarship Amount?

• The first-place winner from each state competes for national awards totaling $37,000.

​

What are the Scholarship Submission Requirements?

• Two-dimensional art must be on canvas or paper. Watercolor, pencil, pastel, charcoal, tempera, crayon, acrylic, pen, ink, oil, marker or other media taught may be used.

• Do not frame two-dimensional pieces.

• Submit canvas entries on a stretcher frame or canvas board. Reinforce the back with heavy paper. Mats, including mounted and floating mats, may be used.

• The art should be no smaller than 8” x 10” but no larger than 18” x 24”, INCLUDING mat.

• Complete entry form and attach to back of entry.   Young American Creative Patriotic Art Info. Sheet and Entry Form

• Submit a typed explanation of patriotism expressed in art (250 words or less).

​​

What are the Scholarship Contest Deadlines?

• ​March 31: Student Entry Deadline to VFW Auxiliary.*

• April 15: VFW Auxiliary winners due to Department (state) Scholarships Chairman for judging.*

• May 5: VFW Auxiliary Department (state) Winners to VFW Auxiliary National Headquarters.*

* required deadlines

 

3-Dimensional Patriotic Art Contest:

​

Who is Eligible to Apply?

• Students in grades 9-12.

• Foreign exchange students, students age 20 or older, GED and adult education students are ineligible.

 

What is the Scholarship Amount?

• The first-place winner from each state competes for national awards totaling $5,500.

 

What are the Scholarship Submission Requirements?

• Three-dimensional art can be paper, papier-mâché, pottery, clay, metal work, fabric, etc.

• Pieces should be no larger than 18” in any direction.

• Art cannot be more than 5 lbs. in weight.

• Complete entry form and submit with entry.   3-Dimensional Patriotic Art Info. Sheet and Entry Form

• Submit a typed explanation of steps taken to create three-dimensional art/artists statement (total of 250 words or less).

 

What are the Scholarship Contest Deadlines?

• March 31: Student Entry Deadline to VFW Auxiliary.*

• April 15: VFW Auxiliary winners due to Department (state) Scholarships Chairman for judging.*

• May 5:  VFW Auxiliary Department (state) Winners to VFW Auxiliary National Headquarters.*

* required deadlines

 

Digital art, photography, weapons, 3-D printed art and jewelry are NOT ACCEPTED for either contest.

 

​​

Illustrating America Art Contest

​​​​

A patriotic art contest for elementary and middle/junior high school students that encourages students’ artistic abilities and rewards their hard work. It’s fun to see how our youth see the world through their drawings and paintings.

​

The contest consists of three grade divisions: K-2, 3-5 and 6-8. There are National awards for first, second and third place in each grade division.

​

​

​Contest Eligibility:

• Students do not have to be related to a VFW or VFW Auxiliary member to participate

• Students in grades K-8 by March 31 deadline who are enrolled in a public, private, parochial or home school program in the United States, its territories and possessions, or dependents of U.S. military or civilian personnel in overseas schools.

• Although U.S. citizenship is not required, students must be lawful U.S. permanent residents or have applied for permanent resident (the application for which has not been denied) and intends to become a U.S. citizen.

• Foreign exchange students, students aged 15 or older are not eligible.

• Previous winners of VFW Auxiliary National Illustrating America Art Contests are not eligible for the same grade division of which they are a previous national winner. However, the students may enter the subsequent grade division.

​

Contest Rules:

• Entry must be completed during the current school year.

• Entry must be two dimensional.

• Entry must be on canvas or paper.

• Canvas entries must be submitted on a stretcher frame or canvas board.

• Paper entries must be reinforced with heavy paper.

• Do not frame art with wood, metal, plastic or glass.

• Mats may be used, including mounted and floating mats.

• Entries may not be smaller than 8”x10” and not larger than 18”x24” including mat.

• Acrylic, chalk, crayon, ink, marker, pastel, pen, pencil, tempera, watercolor, glitter or other media may be used.

• If the American Flag is used, it does not need conform to the Federal Flag Code in relation to colors, numbers of stars and stripes and other pertinent rules of the code.

• Coloring sheets, digital art and photography are not accepted.

• Completed typed or printed legible entry form including parent and/or guardian signatures.

• Students’ name, age and grade level must be printed on back of art entry.

​​

Illustrating America Art Info and Entry Form

​

​

​

​Please Submit all Auxiliary Scholarship entries by the required due dates to:​

​

Strongsville VFW Post 3345 Auxiliary

17900 Strongsville Blvd

Strongsville, Ohio 44149

 

Attn: Mary Lynn Church

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​