George S. & Stella M. Knight Essay Contest
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Contest Deadline: December 31
2018 Texas State and National Knight Essay Winner Kate McCleod reads her Essay at 128th National Congress
E-mail Communications: According to the SAR youth protection policies, SAR members are prohibited from exchanging e-mails with a minor without including another adult, preferably the minor’s parent/guardian, in any such communication. Therefore, when Contestants send an e-mail to any SAR members, please include at least one of your parent(s)/guardian(s).
The George S. & Stella M. Knight Essay Contest calls for an original, researched, and proven topic written in English. The essay’s topic shall deal with an event, person, philosophy, or ideal associated with the American Revolution; the Declaration of Independence; or the framing of the United States Constitution. Each student’s 800 to 1,200-word essay will be judged based on its historical accuracy, clarity of thought, organization, grammar, spelling, and documentation.
Please be aware that the SAR will use software to check submitted essays for plagiarism and the use of Artificial Intelligence (A.I.). Any essay that is found to have been plagiarized or to have used A.I. will result in disqualification.
Eligibility: Texas high school students (9th through 12th grades) – public, private, charter, and home-schooled.
Awards
The George S. & Stella M. Knight Essay Scholarship Contest is three-tiered. Contestants submit their applications to their local SAR Chapter to participate in the Chapter Knight Essay Contest. The first-place winner of the Chapter contest advances to the State Contest, and the first-place winner in the State Contest goes to the National Contest. Submissions to the Chapters are required to be received by December 31st.
Chapter Contest
The Chapter’s first-place winner will receive an Olympic-sized silver medallion suspended from a buff-colored neck ribbon and an engraved certificate – in recognition of their achievement. It is up to each SAR Chapter if a scholarship award is presented and the amount. The winner’s essay may be published on the Chapter’s website and publications. The Chapter will submit the first-place winner’s essay to the State Society to compete in the State Contest.
State Contest
First-Place Winner:
The State’s first-place winner will receive an Olympic-sized silver medallion, suspended from a yellow-colored neck ribbon, an engraved certificate – in recognition of their achievement – and a $3,500 scholarship check. The first-place winner will be recognized at the State Convention in April. The State Society will cover a one-night stay at the convention hotel for the winner and a chaperone. In addition, up to $270 toward travel expenses is available. Convention travel is reimbursed according to the Travel and Expense Allowance page. Additional meals and other costs are not included. The winner’s essay will be published on the State Society’s website and publications. The Chapter will submit the first-place winner’s essay to the National Society to compete in the National Contest.
Second-Place Winner:
The second-place state winner will receive $750 and a recognition certificate. Both will be presented to them at an agreeable time and place between the Contestant and the Chapter that sponsored them.
Third-Place Winner:
The third-place state winner will receive $500 and a recognition certificate. Both will be presented to them at an agreeable time and place between the Contestant and the Chapter that sponsored them.
National Contest
The Texas Society’s contest first-place winner will advance to the national Contest.
First-Place Winner:
The first-place national winner will receive an Olympic-sized medallion, suspended from a blue-colored ribbon, an engraved certificate – in recognition of their achievement – and a scholarship check for $6,000. They are eligible for a $1,500 travel stipend for expenses incurred attending the National Congress to receive their award. The winner’s essay will be published in the National Society’s SAR Magazine and its website.
Second-Place Winner:
The second-place national winner will receive $3,000 and a recognition certificate. Both will be presented to them at an agreeable time and place between the Contestant and the Chapter that sponsored them.
Third-Place Winner:
The third-place national winner will receive $2,000 and a recognition certificate. Both will be presented to them at an agreeable time and place between the Contestant and the Chapter that sponsored them.
Fourth-Place Winner:
The fourth-place national winner will receive $500 and a recognition certificate. Both will be presented to them at an agreeable time and place between the Contestant and the Chapter that sponsored them.
Fifth-Place Winner:
The fifth-place national winner will receive $500 and a recognition certificate. Both will be presented to them at an agreeable time and place between the Contestant and the Chapter that sponsored them.
Contest Requirements
Contestants are required to submit the following:
- Knight Essay Application Form;
- Title Page;
- Essay Pages;
- Bibliography or works cited;
- Contestant’s biography; and,
- Parental Permission Form.
The above documents are to be submitted via e-mail to the SAR Chapter as attached PDF individual files. This is a total of six (6) files. When submitting your documents, all filenames should use the following convention: LastName FirstName – File Description.XXX.
For example, “Smith Jane – Knight Essay Bibliography.pdf,” “Smith John – Parental Release.pdf,” “Smith Jane – Knight Essay Application.pdf.”
To find the nearest SAR Chapter, please visit the Chapter Locations webpage. If you have problems locating a Chapter, please e-mail the Texas Society’s Knight Essay Chairman.
Essay Requirements
Contest entries that do not conform precisely to these requirements will be disqualified. The following are the essay’s formatting requirements:
Title Page:
The following must be listed on the Title Page:
- Title of the Essay;
- Contestant’s name, grade, address, phone number & e-mail address;
- Contestant’s high school’s name, address & phone number;
- Parent/guardian’s name & e-mail address;
- Statement on how the applicant learned about the Contest (if from the Internet, including the website’s URL); and,
- The total word count (excluding articles, Title Page, footnotes, Bibliography Page, and Biography Page) is to be listed.
Essay Pages:
The essay must:
- Contain a minimum of 800 and a maximum of 1,200 words (excluding Title Page, footnotes, Bibliography Page, and articles of speech, and Biography Page);
- The first essay page must include the title;
- No Contestant information is on any of the Essay Pages;
- Use 12-point Times New Roman font and double-spaced;
- Page size is 8 ½” by 11” with 1” margins on all sides;
- Essay Pages are numbered sequentially, starting with 1 (the first page of the essay, not the Title Page);
- No graphics, special covers, or bindings are allowed; and,
- The total word count (excluding articles, Title Page, footnotes, Bibliography Page, and Biography Page) is to be listed on the essay’s last page.
Bibliography Page(s):
The bibliography must:
- Include citations (footnotes, endnotes, or in-text) in the essay;
- Bibliographic references must be in accordance with a widely used, publicly available citation system (MLA 9th ed.; Chicago 17th ed.; or MHRA 3rd ed.), and the Bibliography Page must specify the system (and version) used at the top;
- No Contestant information is included on the Bibliography Page; and,
- A minimum of five (5) references are cited, three (3) of which must be published works (encyclopedias or internet sources are acceptable but not considered part of the three (3) published works).
Biography Page:
The biography must be:
- Limited to one page; and,
- Include academic awards/achievements, school activities, community activities & college plans.
Please consult the National Society rules or contact the Texas Society’s Knight Essay Chairman for more information.
Scoring of Essays
Essays that meet the criteria above will be accepted and judged equally on the following criteria:
A.) Historical accuracy
B.) Clarity of thought
C.) Organization and proven topic
D.) Grammar and spelling
E.) Documentation
Essays should have a clear introductory section that provides the essay’s thesis, usually in the first paragraph. The following paragraphs should give facts and evidence supporting the essay’s thesis. Finally, the essay concludes with a section summarizing the points to prove the essay’s stated thesis. This is the basic essay structure taught in ELA classes.
Deadline & Questions
Contestants who start their essays at the beginning of the school year should have plenty of time to use the available resources to improve their essays. Below is a suggested timeline:
August – Start researching your topic.
September – Complete your research.
October – Complete the first draft. Solicit comments and review.
November – Review comments and complete the final draft.
December 15 – Submit to the SAR chapter to ensure you have no errors.
December 31 – Submit all six (6) PDFs to the SAR Chapter.
If Contestants have any questions, please contact the SAR Chapter’s Knight Essay Chairman or the Texas Society Knight Essay Chairman.
Rights & Tax Information
All participants in this Contest agree that their essays may be published in the SAR Magazine and on the SAR website, in addition to their state and chapter websites and publications.
Winning essay participants, on all levels, may be required to supply a tax identification number to receive their cash award(s). By entering this Contest, all participants agree that if their essay is chosen as a winning essay at the Chapter, State, or national levels, it will become the property of the Sons of the American Revolution. All participants further agree that the national winning essays may not be submitted to any other contest or used for any other purpose without the express permission of the national SAR Knight Essay Contest Chairman.
Information for Chapters
Chapter & State Essay contest information is posted on the private side of the Texas SAR site and can be obtained by clicking here.