AUBURN – Commander Carl Douglass of the Captain Frank W. Hulett Post 1603, Veterans of Foreign Wars, has announced the kick off of this year’s VFW and Auxiliary Patriot’s Pen essay competition.

Students in grades six through eight in Auburn have the opportunity to compete in the VFW’s annual competition and win U.S. savings bonds and a trip to the VFW and Auxiliary Community Service Conference.

Students begin by competing at the local post level. Post winners advance to District 9, which encompasses Auburn, Lewiston, Greene, Lisbon, Jay, Rumford and South Paris.

District winners compete in the state competition. The state winners compete for more than $75,000 in U.S. savings bonds and a trip to the VFW and Auxiliary Community Service Conference.

Each year, more than 500 Maine students and 130,000 students nationally participate in the Patriot’s Pen competition. Students are invited to write a 300- to 400-word essay on a patriotic theme. This year’s theme is “Why I am an American Patriot.” Deadline for student entries is Nov. 1.

Interested students should contact their local teachers. For more information, an application and a copy of last year’s winning essay, call Donald W. Linscott Jr., chairman, at 782-6873 or by writing Auburn Post 1603, 588 Minot Ave., Auburn, ME 04210.