FRA Americanism Essay Contest
Offered by Fleet Reserve Association
About this scholarship
The Fleet Reserve Association’s 2026–2027 Americanism Essay Contest invites students in grades 7–12, including home-schooled students, to submit an original essay on the annual patriotic theme. The grand national winner receives $1,500. Within each grade group, national first place pays $1,000, second place $750, and third place $500; branches and regions may also offer local prizes. Entries advance from local branch judging to regional and then national competition. The essay may not exceed 350 words, must fit on one side of one page, and must show the designated theme exactly as its title. The student’s name belongs only on the separate official cover sheet. Every entrant needs sponsorship from an FRA branch, a Ladies Auxiliary unit, or an FRA member-at-large, and the official page includes a branch finder so students can identify where to send the essay and cover sheet. The current rules also require the student to certify that artificial intelligence was not used to write the essay. Mailed entries must be postmarked, or emailed entries received by the sponsoring branch, no later than December 1, 2026.
Eligibility
- Be enrolled in grade 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12, or the home-school equivalent
- Obtain sponsorship from an FRA branch, Ladies Auxiliary unit, or FRA member-at-large
- Write an original essay on the designated 2026–2027 theme in no more than 350 words
- Place the theme title on the essay and keep the entrant’s name off the essay page
- Attach the completed official cover sheet with the required student and school information
- Certify on the cover sheet that artificial intelligence was not used to write the essay
- Submit only one entry during the contest year
- Deliver the entry to the sponsoring branch or member by December 1, 2026