AUBURN — Chairman Donald W. Linscott Jr. has announced that the Auburn Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. is holding the 62nd Voice of Democracy scholarship competition and requests that all high school students in the Auburn area that are interested in the contest contact him immediately for the rules and an application.

The award will include a trip to Washington, D.C. and a four-day trip to the “Spirit of America” Youth
Conference hosted by the Freedoms Foundation and VFW at Valley Forge,
Pa.

Students compete by writing and recording a three- to five-minute audio essay expressing their views of the theme “Does America Still Have Heroes?” The Auburn VFW is responsible for entries from Edward Little and Poland high schools as well as home-schooled students in grades nine through 12 who live in Auburn or Poland.

The two winners of the Auburn competition will each win $200 in cash and prizes and advance to the District 9 competition and will compete against winners from Lewiston, Lisbon, Monmouth, Jay, South Paris and Rumford. District prizes are $150, $75 and $50.

The district winner will advance to the state competition, competing against the other 11 districts in Maine. Maine VFW awards scholarships and every entrant in the state competition will be awarded at least a $100 U.S. savings bond and the winner will go to Washington to compete for a $30,000 scholarship. All those winners will receive at least a $1,000 national scholarship.

Interested students should contact Linscott at 782-6873 or the VFW Post 1603 at 783-2561 from 3 to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Students should leave name, address and telephone number to receive a brochure, application and last year’s winning essay. All entrants will have the availability of the VFW computer and arrangements can be made to assist in taping if needed. All scripts and tapes must be in the chairman’s hands by Nov. 1.