The contest, sponsored by Honoring America’s Veterans, is open to Arizona students in grades 9-12, including homeschooled students of high school age.
This year’s theme, “250 Years of Freedom, 30 Years of Honor,” recognizes both the nation’s 250th anniversary and the 30th anniversary of the Phoenix Veterans Day Parade.
“The theme was selected as a tribute to the service and sacrifice our nation’s veterans provide us,” HAV Executive Director Paula Pedene said. “We want to hear from our young people today about what the service and the sacrifice of our veterans means to them.”
Essays must be 350 to 400 words and will be judged on their focus on the theme, creative writing, grammar, originality and content. Students must certify that artificial intelligence tools, including ChatGPT and Copilot, were not used to write their essays.
One first-place winner will be selected from each grade level, with winners receiving $250 each. Teachers of winning students will receive $250 for their classrooms.
Winners will ride aboard a Hall of Flame fire truck in the 2026 Phoenix Veterans Day Parade. Their essays will be published in the parade program and on the Honoring America’s Veterans website, and winners will receive Veterans Day commemorative items.
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