In early October, VFW Post 9182 of Katy announced its annual Voice of Democracy and Patriot’s Pen competitions.

“This is an incredible opportunity for students to showcase their patriotism, share their voices, and compete for scholarships and cash prizes,” the organization said in a Facebook post on October 11.

The two separate competitions are slightly different, with one for middle school students and one for high school students:

· Voice of Democracy – Open to students in grades 9–12 for scholarships to help fund college education; the national prize is $35,000. Students should submit a three- to five-minute audio essay on this year’s topic: “What a Veteran Taught Me About America.”


· Patriot’s Pen – Open to students in grades 6–8 who will be able to share their thoughts on patriotism in order to compete for cash prizes; the national prize is $5,000. Students should submit a 300 to 400-word written essay on this year’s topic: “What a Veteran Taught Me About America.”

Students much be lawful U.S. permanent residents or have applied for permanent residence and intend to become U.S. citizens at the earliest opportunity.

The deadline for both competitions – October 31 – is fast approaching.

Details – as well as registration forms and submission instructions – may be found on the post’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/vfwpost9182.