Drawn to Combat: Bill Mauldin & the Art of War  

This year's Student Writing Contest is inspired by the special exhibit Drawn to Combat: Bill Mauldin & the Art of War, which is on display at The National WWII Museum through April 18, 2027, in the Senator John Alario, Jr. Special Exhibition Hall.  

William “Bill” Mauldin (October 29, 1921 – January 22, 2003) was an American cartoonist who captured the everyday experience for soldiers on the front lines during World War II. Mauldin was a Sergeant in the 45th Infantry Division press corps and was present for the invasion of Sicily. While serving, Mauldin created American infantrymen characters Willie and Joe, whose stories depicted the hardships, humor, and realities of combat. Later, Mauldin joined the Stars and Stripes military newspaper, which would allow his cartoons to reach troops and other readers around the world.  

Unlike other cartoonists, Mauldin was able to show some of the true challenges present for the soldiers on the front lines. With his honest portrayal of soldiers, Mauldin gained widespread recognition and eventually won his first Pulitzer Prize in 1945. During his postwar life, Mauldin remained a journalist and cartoonist, even winning a second Pulitzer in 1959 for another one of his editorial cartoons.  

Mauldin’s work told powerful stories about the realities of war, sacrifice, and human experience

Prompt
 

Bill Mauldin was able to show the reality of war, sacrifice, and human experience through the art that he created. Poetry can also allow people to express themselves in a way they may not otherwise be able to.

Write a sonnet, villanelle, or free-verse poem that reflects the perspective of an everyday soldier’s life during wartime and the challenges they faced while in combat. Use imagery, emotion, and descriptive language to convey the physical and emotional aspects of living life on the front lines of a war zone.

Poem Types and Requirements

• Sonnets must be between 75 and 200 words. Your sonnet must have 14 lines. More information about sonnets can be found on the Academy of American Poets website.  
• Villanelle must be between 130 and 250 words. Your Villanelle must have 19 lines. There must be five stanzas of three lines and one closing stanza of four lines that follow the ABA, ABA, ABA, ABA, ABA, ABAA pattern. Line 1 repeats in lines 6, 12, and 18. Line 3 repeats in lines 9, 15, and 19.  More information can be found on the ASU Poetry Center website.
• Free verse must be between 100 and 300 words. Your free verse poem does not have a set rhyme scheme or rhythm, allowing for more freedom for the poet. More information can be found on the SuperProf website.

Annotated Bibliography Requirements

• Students must use at least five different sources to inform their poem. Examples include government documents, letters, newspaper articles, books, and/or personal interviews.
• These sources must be cited in an annotated bibliography. An annotated bibliography is a list of the sources that you have used in your project with a small summary and explanation of how they were used. For example, if you use the Pritzker Military website as a source for information about Bill Mauldin, you will cite the source and then explain in the paragraph below how the information from the website was incorporated into your poem.  
• Citations must be in MLA, APA, or Turabian.  
• Each paragraph must have between three and eight sentences.
• More information can be found on the Purdue Online Writing Lab website.  

Contest Policies

Eligibility

The contest is open to US students in grades 7–12 attending public, private, parochial, or home schools; US students under the age of 20 enrolled in a high school correspondence/GED program in any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, or the US territories; and US citizens attending schools overseas.

Submission Requirements

• Students must submit a typed poem and a typed annotated bibliography. Submissions must be uploaded as a PDF.
• Students are only able to submit ONE entry. Any duplicates will be disqualified.
• All poems must be the original work of the student. They may be checked for AI assistance and will be disqualified if AI use is detected within the poem or bibliography.  
• Submissions must be formatted in 12-point fonts (Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman).
• Students must use and cite at least five different sources. Examples include government documents, letters, newspaper articles, books, and/or personal interviews. Submissions must include an annotated bibliography.   
• At the top right corner, students must include their unique code: first two letters of their first name, first two letters of their last name, grade (number), state abbreviation (two letters), and last four numbers of their cell phone number. (Example: 10th grade student Jane Doe from Louisiana – code = JaDo10LA1234). All students are required to name and submit their PDF with their unique code. 

The National WWII Museum is not responsible for lost, late, misdirected, damaged, illegible, or incomplete submissions. By entering, you agree that your essay will become the property of The National WWII Museum and will not be returned. The National WWII Museum reserves the right to print and display the names, photographs, and entries of the contest winners.

Additional Resources

• For more information on Bill Mauldin, refer to the Pritzker Military Museum & Library website.
• For help with writing an annotative bibliography, check out the Purdue Online Writing Lab’s Annotated Bibliographies article.
• For help with avoiding plagiarism, check out the Purdue Online Writing Lab Plagiarism Overview.
• For more general writing tips, visit the Purdue Online Writing Lab website.

Recognition and Awards

There will be two judging categories: Junior (grades 7–9) and Senior (grades 10–12).

• First place winners in both categories will win $750 each.
• Second place winners in both categories will win $500 each.
• Third place winners in both categories will win $250 each.
• Honorable Mentions in both categories will win $100 each.

Decisions of the Student Writing Contest are final. Winners of the contest will be posted to The National WWII Museum’s website and receive a certificate by March 2027.   

For questions, please email student.programs@nationalww2museum.org.