Awards are as follows:

1. First place: $600 and a recognition certificate
2. Second place: $250 and a recognition certificate
3. Third place: $150 and a recognition certificate

The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) invites all high school students (9th through 12th grades) interested in the American Revolution to participate in the George S. & Stella M. Knight Essay Contest. The contest is open to all students attending home schools, public, parochial, or private high schools in that same grade range. The National Association of Secondary School Principals has placed this program on the NASSP List of Approved Contests, Programs, and Activities for Students.

To participate, students must submit an original 800- to 1,200-word essay based on an event, person, philosophy or ideal associated with the American Revolution, Declaration of Independence, or the framing of the United States Constitution. Each student’s essay will be judged based upon its historical accuracy, clarity, organization, grammar and spelling, and documentation.

Contest entries must be submitted as PDF files attached to emails. The essay must have four parts:

1. title page
2. essay pages
3. bibliography or works cited
4. applicant's biography

The title page, bibliography, and applicant's biography must be listed on separate pages and no reference to the applicant's name or information can be part of the essay pages or bibliography. Please follow these rules exactly. Essays that do not conform to the rules may be immediately disqualified.

1) Title Page – The title page must include the following:

• Title of the Essay
• Applicant’s name, grade, address, phone number & email
• Applicant’s high school’s name, address & phone number
• Statement on how applicant learned about the contest (if from the Internet, include the URL of the website)

2) Essay Pages – The essay must:

• Minimum of 800 and a maximum of 1,200 words (excluding title page, footnotes, bibliography, page and biography)
• First page must include the title
• No applicant information is on the essay pages
• 12-point Times New Roman font and double-spaced
• Use 8 ½” by 11” paper with 1” margins on all sides
• Essay pages are numbered sequentially, starting with “1”
• No graphics, special covers or bindings are allowed

3) Bibliography pages – The bibliography must:

• Citations in the essay and references in the bibliography must be in accordance with a widely used, publicly available citation system (Examples include the Chicago Manual of Style, the MLA Manual of Style, & the MHRA Style Guide)
• The bibliography must specify the system used
• No applicant information is in the bibliography
• Minimum of 5 references, 3 of which must be published works (encyclopedias or internet sources are acceptable but not considered part of the 3 published works)

4) Biography page - The biography must:

• Limited to one page.
• Includes academic awards and achievements, school activities, community activities and plans for college.

Essays which meet the criteria above will be accepted and judged equally on the following criteria:

• Historical accuracy
• Clarity of thought
• Organization and proven topic
• Grammar and spelling
• Documentation

Awards at the chapter and state level may vary. Please contact the specific chairmen for more information.