MEADVIEW- Commander Elizabeth Buckingham of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. Post 11014, 210 E Meadview Blvd, 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- to 400-word patriotic-themed essay. The theme for the 2021-2022 competition is “How Can I Be A Good American?”

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 October 31 and interested students and teachers should contact their local VFW Post 11014 by phone at 760-464-1167 or email the Post at tlc3conniet@yahoo.com for more information.

For more details, please visit www.vfw.org/PatriotsPen.