Galeton VFW Kicks off Annual Youth Scholarship Essay Competition
Galeton, PA - Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 6611 Commander Ronald Danner, Jr. is proud to announce 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 their share of nearly $1 million in local, state and national level 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 2026-2027 competition is “What a Veteran Taught Me About America.” 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 the top prize of $5,000.
Each year, more than 60,600 students participate in the competition worldwide. Deadline for student entries is Oct. 31, and interested students and teachers should contact their local VFW Post 6611 by phone at (706) 577-7293 or email the Post at [email protected] for more information.
For more details on the program or to download this year’s entry form, visit vfw.org/PatriotsPen.
-vfw-
About the VFW: The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. is the nation's largest and most established major war veterans organization. Founded in 1899, the congressionally chartered VFW is comprised entirely of eligible veterans and military service members from the active, Guard and Reserve forces. With more than 1.4 million VFW and Auxiliary members located in nearly 6,000 Posts worldwide, the nonprofit veterans service organization is proud to proclaim “NO ONE DOES MORE FOR VETERANS” than the VFW, which is dedicated to veterans’ service, legislative advocacy, and military and community service programs. For more information or to join, visit our website at vfw.org.
















