Patriot's Pen

Patriot's Pen, a youth-essay writing contest endorsed by the National Association of Secondary School Principals' contest criteria, is a nationwide competition that gives students in grades 6,7 and 8 the opportunity to write essays expressing their views on democracy. Annually, more than 115,000 students participate in the contest.The Patriot's Pen program is designed to foster patriotism by allowing students the opportunity to express their opinions based on an annual theme.

The grand prize is a $10,000 savings bond and a trip to Washington, D.C..

This year's topic is "Are You Proud of Your Country?"

You can read more about the contest and find the official entry form at the VFW's national website.

The entry deadline is November 1st, 2011. Good luck!