Commander Tom Hughes of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9106 announced the kick-off of the VFW’s annual Patriot’s Pen youth essay competition. Middle school students in grades 6-8 in this area, have the opportunity to compete and win thousands of dollars in national awards.

The VFW enacted the Patriot’s Pen competition in 1995 to encourage young minds to examine America’s history, along with their own experiences in modern American society by composing a 300- 400-word patriotic-themed essay. The theme for this year’s competition is “What Freedom Means to Me.”

For students in grades 3-5, the theme is “Why is America My Favorite Country” with essays not to exceed 250 words.

High school students in grades 9-12 can enter an essay of 300- 400-words with the theme of “My Vision of America.” In addition to the essay, an audio essay of three to five minutes needs to be included in the student’s own voice.

For all three contests, students begin by competing at the local Post level. Post winners advance to District competition with District winners advancing to the state competition. State first-place winners compete for their share of thousands of dollars in awards and the national first-place winner is awarded $5,000 and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C.

Each year, more than 125,000 students participate nationwide. Deadline for student entries is Nov. 1. Late entries will not be accepted. Interested students and teachers should contact their local VFW Post 9106 at 374-5489 for more information. Entries can be picked-up or dropped off at JT’s Sweet Stuffs, 80 N. Forks Ave.