VFW Announces Annual Publications Contest

Jan 05, 2024

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) is now accepting submissions for its 2024 National Publications Contest. VFW publications published up to four times annually, or five or more times annually, will be judged in four categories.

The categories are:

Department-level publications:

• Newspaper/Newsletter
  • Defined as being printed on newspaper stock.
• Best Feature Story
  • All publications judged together in this category and submitted separately. The story must be a published article of at least 300 words. It can be originally written by your newspaper/magazine staff or by a freelance writer, or be reprinted from a newspaper within your state. Feature articles published in online/electronic newsletters, newspapers or magazines also are eligible, but must be printed in color and submitted via USPS, not email.
• Magazine
  • Defined by physical size and paper stock, or designed for online distribution as a PDF. Online/electronic magazines must be printed in color and submitted via USPS, not email.

District/Post-level publications:

• Overall Design and Content

Each category will be awarded three places: a grand award (first overall), silver (second overall) and bronze (third overall). Grand prize winners will receive a plaque, and the silver and bronze awards will take the form of a certificate suitable for framing.

The VFW Publication Department’s awards system conforms to that of professional societies within the association publishing industry: National Mature Media Awards, Association Trends, Society of National Association Publications, Society of Professional Journalists and Communications Concepts. In other words, the same types of awards for which VFW magazine competes.

All entries submitted must have been published sometime between Jan. 1, 2023, and Dec. 31, 2023.

Examples of eligible subjects for the Best Feature submissions include operations of state VA departments, National Guard/Reserve unit deployments overseas, troop-support activities, Department VFW programs, dedication of state memorials and state or local commemorative events for the 50th anniversary of Vietnam. Editorials or opinion articles WILL NOT be considered this year. Articles written by VFW magazine staff and reprinted in District, Post or Department publications will not be considered. Only one issue per publication will be reviewed by judges. DO NOT send multiple editions, as judges will not review all of them.

All entries should be sent directly to the VFW National Headquarters. Similar to last year, the competition will be open to any submission, not just the winning submissions from the Department level. This is to remove any bias at all levels. A completed entry form and one copy of each submission should be postmarked by April 1, 2024, to:

Publications Contest
VFW Magazine
406 West 34th Street, Suite 523
Kansas City, MO 64111

All issues and articles published between Jan. 1, 2023, and Dec. 31, 2023, qualify. Download the 2024 contest entry form here.