Every year, thousands of high school students lend their words to the Voice of Democracy competition, and this year a local home-school student was a recipient of an award from the VFW post.

Aaron Malawey was given a $250 check earlier this month by VFW Post 5064 for his Voice of Democracy entry and an additional $250 to support him on a future summer trip to Europe. The second check was received for Malawey learning to play “taps” on his trumpet and committing to perform at a future ceremony, such as a funeral or Memorial Day.

The scholarship was established in 1947 and requires entries to be audio-essay format, between three and five minutes long. It opens the floor for students to express themselves through democratic- and patriotic-themed recorded essays which are then submitted to the VFW for judging. The theme for 2024-25 was “Is America Today Our Forefathers’ Vision?” and the judging criteria was based upon originality, how well content was expressed and the delivery of the speech.

Winning entries receive scholarships amounting to between $1,000 and $21,000, and one national first-place winner is awarded $35,000 which is paid directly to the recipient’s American university, college, vocational or technical school. Additionally, the first-place winner from each VFW Department on the state level wins at least $1,000 in scholarship funding. 

State winners are also given an all-expense-paid trip to Washington D.C. to tour the city, be honored by the VFW and its Auxiliary and accept their winnings.