Expert Overview

The George S. & Stella M. Knight Essay Contest is the Sons of the American Revolution’s national essay competition, in which high school students write a researched essay of 800 to 1,200 words on the American Revolution, the Declaration of Independence, or the framing of the Constitution. Entries are judged at chapter, state, and national levels.

Format

Individual

Judging Format

Jurors, Criteria based: Historical accuracy, clarity, organization, grammar and spelling, and documentation

Monetary

Grade Eligibility

Rising Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors

Geographic Eligibility

U.S.

Discipline

Essay ContestHistoryCreative WritingJournalism

Entries

Not published

Percent Awarded

Not published

Important Dates

Dates vary by location

Check with your local SAR member for deadlines and submission details.

Passed

Open

Approaching: < 1 mo.

Priority: < 2 weeks

Urgent: < 1 week

Registration Cost

see website

About

The contest is open to U.S. citizens and legal residents in grades 9–12, including home-schooled students. Entries begin at a local SAR chapter or state society, and deadlines vary by state, from December 31 to early February in the examples the SAR lists. Each entry is a PDF with a title page, a bibliography of at least five references (three of them published works), and a one-page biography. Judges score historical accuracy, clarity, organization, grammar, and documentation.

The SAR receives an average of about thirty state-level winners each year for the national round. A chapter win is local recognition; state winner and national placement are the credentials that travel. The bibliography requirement makes this a short history paper rather than a personal essay, and the cited-source standard is the part that transfers to college coursework.

The Knight Essay Contest is the right competition for a student who wants to research a topic from the founding era and defend an argument in a documented essay, judged by a historical society rather than a writing program.