Scholarship details
Since 1947, the $30,000 Voice of Democracy award(s) has been the Veterans of Foreign Wars’ (VFW’s) premier scholarship program. Each year, nearly 57,000 high school students compete for more than $2 million in scholarships and incentives. Students compete by writing and recording an audio essay on an annual patriotic theme.
Study Place: Any accredited college or university
Sponsor: Veterans of Foreign Wars
Who is eligible:
The Voice of Democracy is open to students in grades 9-12 by the Oct. 31 deadline, who are 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. Although 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, previous Voice of Democracy first-place state winners, GED or Adult Education Students are ineligible.
How to Apply:
Record your original 3-5 minute (+ or – 5 seconds max.) essay on an audio CD or a flash drive. One student per CD or flash drive. When burning your CD, make sure that “Create Audio CD” option (or similar) is selected so the program can properly convert your sound file and burn it to a CD. After it has finished, be sure to playback your audio CD on a system other than your computers, such as a standard radio or car CD player, to verify that the conversion/burning process was successful. You will submit the recording, typed essay, and this completed entry form. Provide these items to your school/group competition or local VFW Post for judging. In addition, you can submit your emailed entry form, essay, and audio file to the VFW Post upon approval. You must be the sole author of your essay. The recording must be in your own voice and in English. Hearing/speech impaired students should email the Voice of Democracy National Office at y [email protected] for special instructions. No music, singing, poetry, or sound effects are allowed. The body of the essay must not identify you in any way, (including, but not limited to, your name, school, city, state, race, or national origin) although the recording & typed essay should be labeled with your name, to show ownership. You may enter only one competition at one Post ( if otherwise eligible) per year. At any time during the contest, additional participant personal information could be requested by the VFW, including but not limited to a photograph, SSN, or biographical information.
The link provided will take you straight to the PDF file to file out the application/competition form.
Deadline: October 31, 2020
