This contest was originally named in honor of S.A.R. Compatriot President Calvin Coolidge who won an S.A.R. essay contest while a student at Amherst. The contest was reestablished in 1988 by Compatriot McCarthy DeMere.
In 1995, the contest was renamed the George S. and Stella M. Knight Essay Contest in honor of their generous gift to the S.A.R. to support this contest. The contest is designed to give high school students an opportunity to explore events that shaped American History.
2007-2008 CONTEST RULES
1. This contest is open to all students who are
United States citizens or legal aliens. Contestants shall be attending
public, parochial, or private high schools (including accredited home schools).
Contestants shall be in the sophomore, junior or senior grade
of study during the contest year. The contest is conducted in three
phases:
local (Chapter), state (State Society) and National.
The contest must be entered through a Chapter of the Sons of the
American Revolution near the student's residence.
The Knight Essay Chairman for The Long Island Chapter S.A.R. is Mr. Bruce Ward (see below for contact information).
2. The contest is for an original researched and proven topic written in English. The topic of the essay 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. Students must source at least five (5) references with the minimum of three being published book sources to allow for verification of sources if necessary. References from Encyclopedias or Internet sites will be accepted, but are not considered as part of the three published book sources. If there are no book sources (i.e. all are from encyclopedias or internet sources) the essay will be disqualified.
3. The essay must have four parts: A) title page, B) essay pages, C) bibliography (works cited), and D) contestant's biography. The title page, bibliography and contestant's biography must be listed on separate pages and no reference to the contestant'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.
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A) The title page must include the title of the essay, contestant's
name, address, telephone number, and email address (if available). In
addition, the title page must include the name, address, and telephone
number of the high school in which the contestant is enrolled, and the
contestant's grade level.
B) The essay must have a minimum of 800 words and not exceed 1,200 words (excluding title page, footnotes, bibliography page, and biography page). (Word counts based on a word processor are acceptable). The First page of the Essay must include the title of the essay. (No contestant information must appear on these pages as they are separated and distributed to the judges for grading to prevent possible grading bias.) The essay must be typed double-spaced on white bond paper. No bindings or special covers are needed. Graphics are not permitted. An original copy of the essay must be submitted. Poor quality copies will not be accepted. Plagiarism will be grounds for immediate disqualification.
C) The essay and bibliography must be documented in accordance with the Modern Language Association publication, MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (see www.mla.org) or Kate L. Turabian's publication, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (see www.bridgew.edu/Library/turabian.cfm).
D) The contestant's biography is limited to one page. Topics to be included in the biography are academic awards and achievements, school activities, community activities, and plans for college.
4. Entries must be submitted to Mr. Bruce Ward by December 31, 2007. We encourage the electronic submission of the essay, however please confirm with Mr. Ward on how this may be done such as on a floppy disk, CD, or as an attachment to an email message and what format the file should be in such as a Microsoft Word Document (.doc.), Rich Text Format (.rtf), or Portable Document Format (.pdf).
5. Essays which meet the criteria in Rules 1-3 above will be accepted and judged equally on the following criteria:
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A. Historical accuracy
B. Clarity of thought
C. Organization and proven topic
D. Grammar and spelling
E. Documentation
6. AWARDS: The Long Island Chapter S.A.R. provides a $100 savings bond for first prize. Empire State Society S.A.R. also provides a prize (to be determined).
National Society Award:
- First place: $2,000; a winning recognition certificate and
medal; airfare and one night hotel stay for the winner and a chaperone
at the SAR Annual Congress (in Sacramento, CA in July 2008)
Second Place: $1,000
Third Place: $ 500
7. The winning essay of the national contest will be submitted for publication in The SAR Magazine. Participants in this contest agree that their essay may be published in The SAR Magazine and on the NSSAR Knight Essay Contest webpage. Winning essay participants, on all levels, must supply a social security number or alien identification/green card number in order to receive their award.
8. Participants in this contest agree that the interpretation of rules and decisions of the NSSAR and its judges must govern without reservation.
Questions regarding how to submit your essay or specific rules may be directed to Mr. Bruce Ward, Chairman.Email: Bruce Ward