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VFW
Patriot's Pen Essay 2006-2007
“If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are rotten, either write things worth reading or do things worth the writing.” Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790)
Last year's (2005-2006) National Winner: "Who are Today's Patriots" By Kirsti Plunkett
Read the 2004-2005 SVMS 7th Grade Team Winning Essays (.pdf files will open in a new window)!!!
Karen A.
Heidi B.
Rebecca C.
Bronwyn C.
Trinity C.
Brock G.
Erin G.
Hannah H.
Hokan H.
Megan S.
Kelsey S.
What is Patriot’s Pen?
Conducted
nationwide, this VFW sponsored youth essay competition gives students
an opportunity to write essays expressing their views on democracy with
the prospect of winning U.S. savings bonds. We invite you to join the
more than 120,000 students who participated last year in this contest.
The top 35 national winners all receive at least a $1,000 savings bond.
The first-place award is currently a $10,000 savings bond plus an all-expense
paid trip to Washington, D.C. for the winner and a parent or guardian.
Big
National Prizes
Prizes include the various amounts of U.S. Savings
Bonds listed below:
1st place: $10,000 Bond.
2nd: $7,000 Bond.
3rd: $5,500
Bond.
4th: $5,000 Bond.
5th: $4,000 Bond.
6th: $3,500 Bond.
7th: $3,000
Bond.
8th: $3,000 Bond.
9th: $2,500 Bond.
10th: $2,500 Bond.
11th:
$2,500 Bond.
12th: $2,000 Bond.
13-14th: $1,500 Bond.
15-35th: $1,000 Bond.
When
is the deadline?
To qualify, all entries must be submitted to a sponsoring
VFW Post by November 1.
The National Association of Secondary
School Principals (NASSP) has again approved this contest for its National
Advisory List of Contests and Activities.
How does the contest work?
The contest
consists of four levels. The first level (entry) is sponsored by local
VFW Posts. First-place Post winners advance to the VFW District (regional)
level where the one first-place winner is advanced to the VFW Department
(state) level. The one first-place winner at the Department level is
then advanced into the VFW National competition. The winner from each
Department (state) then competes for the national first-place prize.
How do I get started?
• Ask a teacher or youth
group/club adult leader to supervise the Patriot’s Pen writing competition.
• Contact
a local VFW Post and indicate your interest in participating.
• Establish
a contact person who is a member of that VFW Post or its Ladies Auxiliary.
• Make
sure that your essay is submitted to the VFW Post before the contest
deadline of Nov. 1.
Who can enter?
Patriot’s Pen is open to 6th-, 7th-
and 8th-grade students enrolled in public, private or parochial schools
in the U.S., its territories or its possessions. Home-schooled students
also are eligible.
Dependents of U.S. military or civilian personnel
in overseas schools can participate too. (Foreign exchange students
are excluded from the contest.)
How am I judged?
You will be judged on how well you
understand, develop and present the theme. A positive approach is recommended
to express your viewpoint.
Knowledge of the theme is worth 30 points:
You must show a thorough knowledge of the theme in your work. Demonstrate
you have researched the issue extensively.
Theme development is worth
35 points: Answer all relevant facts about the theme such as the who,
what, where, when and why. Relate the theme to your own experiences.
Clarity of ideas is worth 35 points: Write your essay in an easy-to-understand
format. Leave your reader with a clear understanding of your explanation
of the theme.
What is the theme?
VFW’s Commander-in-Chief annually chooses the
year’s theme. This year it is: Citizenship in America
What are the rules?
• Essay length: 300-400 words.
• You
must write your own essay.
• All essays should be typewritten in English
with no color or graphics and cannot be less than 300 words or greater
than 400 words in length. (Essays under or over these word amounts
will be eliminated.) Every word is counted regardless of length. The
essay title (theme) or added footnotes do not contribute to the word
count.
Deadline— The
completed essay and entry form must be in the hands of the VFW Post
Chairman by midnight, Nov. 1, 2006.
Contestants may not identify themselves,
their school, city or state in their essay. Do not put your name on
your essay. The entry form is your essay’s cover sheet. Secure
the Official Student Entry Form with a staple or other fastener on top
of your essay. Essays must be written exclusively for this competition.
Use of the same essay for other competitions will result in
disqualification. Contestants are allowed to enter only once (one Post
competition). Contestants found in violation of this rule will face
elimination from the competition and will be required to return any and
all prize money awarded or received.
The essay must be a contestant’s
original work and a product of the contestant’s own thinking.
The approach to this year’s theme, “Citizenship in America,” should be positive
and clearly focused on the theme. 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 should be judged on the basis of their
essay alone and are not required to present the essay orally. All
essays become property of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. The VFW retains
non-exclusive rights to use your essay and likeness in teh promotion
and execution of the organization's programs and activities.
Note: All entries must
be submitted to a VFW Post competition. If you have difficulty identifying
a sponsoring Post in your area, call the Patriot’s Pen national
office at: (816) 756-3390, ext. 220or e-mail: swilson@vfw.org.
Click the following to download and print an Idea Diagram
VFW Pariot's Pen Contest Manual
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