VFW Voice of Democracy Essay Contest

Scholarship Overview: Essay contest for high school students

Deadline Date: October 31, 2025

Scholarship Details:

Eligibility Requirements:

• Students in grades 9-12
• Students enrolled in a public, private or parochial high school or home study program in the United States, its territories and possessions; or dependents of U.S. military or civilian personnel in overseas schools.
• U.S. citizenship is not required, students must be lawful U.S. permanent residents or have applied for permanent residence (the application for which has not been denied) and intends to become a U.S. citizen at the earliest opportunity allowed by law. Foreign exchange students, students age 20 or over, GED or Adult Education Students are ineligible.

Application Requirements

• Completed entry form
• Typed essay and a 3-5 minute audio essay

 

Application Requirements: Delaware Residents Only, Essay, Video

Essay Details:

This year’s theme is, “How Are You Showing Patriotism and Support for Our Country?”

Award Amount: 35,000

Award Details:

There are multiple award levels at the local, state, and national stages. Please check with your local VFW Post (vfw.org/FindaPost) for details on local scholarship amounts. Each local post winner advances to the VFW Department (state) competition, where winners receive a scholarship of at least $1,000. The national first-place winner receives a $35,000 scholarship.

Website/URL: https://vfwde.com/di/vfw/v2/default.asp?pid=56691

Scholarship Manager Information:

Contact Name: David Diefenderfer
Contact Email: Post7447cdr@gmail.com
Contact Phone Number: n/a
Additional Contact & Submission Information:

All entries begin at the VFW Post level. The only exception is where schools/classes/youth groups have large numbers of students and wish to conduct their own competition, submitting one winner for each 15 students to the VFW Post. Individual students may submit their entry directly to the Post. Entries sent to VFW National will be returned. One winner for every 15 entries from each Post advances to District and one District winner advances to the state (Department) competition. If you need help finding a participating VFW Post, follow these instructions: First, visit this website vfw.org/FindaPost to “Find A VFW Post.” If you do not have success in finding a Post, or if you have trouble getting in touch with them, you can contact your VFW Department (state) office to see if they can offer any information or assistance. You can visit this link vfw.org/ContactUs and look for “Find a State Contact” to get your VFW state office’s phone number and email.

Filters:

Areas of Study: Open to All
Applicant’s Current Education Level: High School Student (9-11), High School Senior
Location Specific: Kent County, New Castle County, Sussex County, Delaware, National