MITCHELL – What better year to revive these annual contests locally for students than America’s 250th Anniversary? There are two contests sponsored by Post 9107 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Mitchell for High School and Middle School Youth to compete for a share of awards totaling $2.7 million.
The theme of the contest changes each year. For 2026, the contest asks students to focus on “What a Veteran Taught Me About America.” Teena Ligman, coordinator of the local program, said there are many youth today who don’t have military veterans in their family. If a student doesn’t have access to a veteran to interview, Ligman can help set up an interview for them.
The contest for High School students, 9 th -12 th grades, is called Voice of Democracy and comes with a $35,000 national first-place prize scholarship. Each student submits an audio file on this year’s theme. More than 28,000 high school students compete in the contest each year for a share in the total of $176,000 in national awards. The winner for each state goes home with a scholarship. In 2025, a student from Bloomington, IN won 3rd place in the national Voice of Democracy contest.
The VFW’s Patriot Pen essay contest is open to eligible 6 th -8 th grade students in middle school. They compete for a share of $1 million in awards. The national first-place winner receives a $5,000 award. More than 80,000 students participate annually in this competition. This is an essay contest with the same theme: What a veteran has taught you about America. The essay should be 300 – 400 words in length (+ or – 5 words max). Every word is counted regardless of length.
Ligman explains with each contest students are judged locally and will receive a $100 prize for first place in Lawrence County, then move on to District and then to State, with the winner receiving additional monetary awards at each level.
Beyond the monetary award, winners at the state level of both contests also receive an all-expense-paid four-day immersive trip to attend a Youth Leadership program in Valley Forge, PA. The program includes tours of historic sites and interactive seminars.
The concept of Voice of Democracy and Patriot Pen is to inspire young leaders to understand their responsibilities as citizens and find their voice.
Students in Lawrence County submit their entries, along with a completed entry form, to VFW Post 9107, 2449 VFW Road, in Mitchell, IN. Entries for both contests are due by October 31, 2026. For the Voice of Democracy, record an original 3-5 minute (+ or – 5 seconds max.) audio in MP3 format (no videos) on a flash drive or other electronic device. Students submit the recording, a typed essay, and an entry form. Patriot Pen applicants also need to submit a typed essay. There are other rules, such as not including your name or references to who you are in either essay.
To download the entry form, visit vfw.org/YouthScholarships or see the attachments below. Any youth in the right age bracket in Lawrence County is eligible to compete. If you have questions, call Teena Ligman at 812-278-0139.
