VOICE OF DEMOCRACY:

 

Contest Closed for the year!

Check back for the next year's theme!

 

 Each year, nearly 38,000 high school students from across the country enter to win a share of the $2.2 million in educational scholarships and incentives awarded through the VFW’s Voice of Democracy audio-essay competition.

Minnesota’s Voice of Democracy 1st Place winner Ashley Homme, a junior, sponsored by Post and Auxiliary #1215 from Rochester PLACED 4th in the Nation in the Voice of Democracy Contest winning a $7,000 scholarship.

Other national scholarships range from $1,000-$16,000, and the first-place winner from each (state) VFW Department wins a minimum scholarship of $1,000 and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C.

 WHO CAN ENTER:

 The Voice of Democracy Program is open to students in grades 9-12 (on the October 31 deadline), who are enrolled in a public, private or parochial high school or home study program in the United States and its territories. 

 HOW TO ENTER:

VFW Post 5919 serves the Minnetonka, Excelsior, Shorewood, South Shore area, and other surrounding communities.  Contact VFW Post 5919 for additional assistance and a copy of the entry form. For areas outside the Minnetonka, Excelsior, Shorewood, South Shore area contact your local VFW Post.

For more information contact VFW 5919 through Email:  adj@vfw5919.org

You can download the entry form here.

You can also stop by the Excelsior American Legion and ask for an entry form. The Legion is located at 24450 Smithtown Rd, Excelsior, MN 55331.

Entries begin at the Post level. Once the student creates their essay and completes burning the audio version to an audio CD/flash drive, they can submit their typed version, CD/flash drive and the Voice of Democracy entry form to VFW Post 5919 by the October 31 deadline.

The recording can be no shorter than three minutes and no longer than five minutes (plus or minus five seconds).

 JUDGING CRITERIA:

 Originality is worth 30 points: Treatment of the theme should show imagination and human interest.

Content is worth 35 points: Clearly express your ideas in an organized manner. Fully develop your theme and use transitions to move smoothly from one idea to the next.

Delivery is worth 35 points: Speak in a clear and credible manner

 WHAT IS THE DEADLINE FOR MY ENTRY?

 All entries competing through VFW Post 5919 must be in the hands of VFW Post 5919 by midnight, October 31, 2022.  It is the responsibility of the student to meet this deadline by submitting their entry to the proper location. 

 VOD Prepares You for Life!

Meet People and Build Confidence:

 VOD enables you to meet your peers from all walks of life. Furthermore, it can have a tremendous impact on your future.

"The whole Voice of Democracy program was an experience that still is with me,” said Gary Belkin, a national VOD winner. "I’m now 36, a psychiatrist and ethicist at Harvard and Brown Medical schools where I teach, and also am finishing a doctorate in history at Harvard.”

The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) has approved this contest for its National Advisory List of Contests and Activities.

 Local Winners from Lake Minnetonka Post 5919 will receive:

1st Place - $500.00 + $100.00 to Teacher

2nd Place - $400.00

3rd Place - $300.00