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Submitted
TOWNSEND – “How Are You Showing Patriotism and Support for Our Country?” is the theme of this year’s Voice of Democracy Patriotic Audio Essay Competition, sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States and its Auxiliary. The national grand prize is a $35,000 scholarship.
Locally, the program is co-sponsored by Townsend VFW Post 6538, Pepperell VFW Post 3291, and their Auxiliaries, and is open to students in grades 9–12 who are under 20 years of age. Eligible schools include North Middlesex Regional, Nashoba Valley Technical, Groton-Dunstable Regional, Ayer Shirley Regional, and Lunenburg high schools, as well as private, parochial, and home-school programs. Citizenship is not required, but entrants must be lawful permanent residents or have applied for residency.
The Voice of Democracy Program gives high school students the opportunity to earn awards and scholarships by writing and recording a three-to-five-minute audio essay on a patriotic theme. Entries will be judged on originality, content, and delivery. Essays should show imagination, human interest, and organization, and recordings must contain only the student’s spoken words—no music, poetry, or sound effects.
At the local Townsend-Pepperell level, prizes include $150 for first place, $100 for second, and $50 for third. The local first-place winner advances to District 15 competition, where cash prizes are awarded. Additional high-scoring local entries may also advance for every 15 entries received. The District’s top winner proceeds to the state contest, where the top five entries each earn a scholarship and cash prize.
The Department of Massachusetts VFW winner will receive a $5,000 scholarship, $500 in cash, and a trip to the Founding Forward Spirit of America Leadership Program in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. This four-day residential program engages students in activities promoting the principles of freedom, including mock congressional debates, a free enterprise challenge, and visits to historic sites. The Massachusetts winner will also receive a share of the $171,000 in national scholarship awards.
The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) has again approved the contest for its National Advisory List of Contests and Activities.
To participate, each student must write an essay on this year’s theme and record it on a flash drive or other electronic device. Recordings must be three to five minutes in length, and the essay as read should be the only sound. Inappropriate use of ChatGPT or other AI tools is not permitted.
To ensure impartiality, essays must remain anonymous in both text and recording, without personal identifiers such as name, school, or background. However, entries must be labeled and submitted with a typed essay and a completed 2025–2026 Official Voice of Democracy Entry Form listing the student’s name, address, and school.
All entries must be submitted to a Townsend or Pepperell Voice of Democracy Chairman by Friday, Oct. 31.
For contest details or to arrange submission, contact Betty Mae Tenney at 978-597-5644 (Ext. 9) or 978-665-4026.
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Cheryl A Cuddahy
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