What is the AMVETS Amer­i­can­ism Pro­gram?

It is a patri­otic pro­gram the orga­ni­za­tion offers schools and youth orga­ni­za­tions as a resource for teach­ing chil­dren in kinder­garten through 12th grade about their Amer­i­can her­itage, civics and citizenship. The pro­gram includes flag draw­ing, poster and essay con­tests that are grade spe­cific and age appro­pri­ate. AMVETS and AMVETS Ladies Aux­il­iary spon­sor a series of con­tests at the local and state level wherein chil­dren design flags or posters and write essays. The win­ners at the local level progress to the state con­tests and the state win­ners are then entered into the National competition.

Who is eli­gi­ble?

All school age chil­dren, K-12. They may attend pub­lic, pri­vate, parochial schools or may be home schooled. Par­tic­i­pants may also come through any youth group such as Scout­ing or from Church Sun­day schools.
Stu­dents in kindergarten–1st grade can enter the Flag Draw­ing con­test
Stu­dents in 2nd–5th grades can enter the Poster con­test
Stu­dents in 6th–12th grades can enter the Essay Writ­ing contest

How does a child or young adult par­tic­i­pate?

Teach­ers or youth group lead­ers hope­fully will take the ini­tia­tive to involve their stu­dents. The pro­gram addresses learn­ing stan­dards in civics and presents excel­lent top­ics for writ­ing and art assign­ments, which teach­ers can incor­po­rate into their classes.Teachers may also con­tact a local AMVETS post or depart­ment to invite vet­er­ans to visit their classes. Stu­dents whose teach­ers or schools are not par­tic­i­pat­ing in the pro­gram can still enter the con­test spe­cific to their grade as a take-home or after-school project. Par­ents may con­tact a local AMVETS post or depart­ment, on behalf of their chil­dren, to sub­mit entries or con­tact the AMVETS National Pro­grams Depart­ment at 301–683-4031.

How do I enter?

Entry forms (Word Doc) with con­test rules, includ­ing the “themes” can be down­loaded by click­ing on the link at the top of the page: