George S. & Stella M. Knight Essay Contest
The New Jersey Society, Sons of the American Revolution (NJSSAR), and the New Jersey, Sons of the Revolution (SRNJ), invite 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 US citizens and legal resident 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 2017-18 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 on its historical accuracy, clarity, organization, grammar, spelling, and documentation.
The contest is conducted in three phases: the local chapter, state-level society, and national phases. The contest must be entered through a SAR chapter near the student’s residence. To find your local NJSSAR Chapter, click here. In some cases, the contest may be entered at the state level. If the local chapter is not participating, the student may apply directly to the NJSSAR Education Committee Chair, Roger S. Williams, 609-389-5657, roger@princetonsar.org. The essay that is judged to excel will be awarded an honorarium for the scholarship.
The primary honorees will submit to the next level, i.e. Chapter ➣ State ➣ National.
Chapter Award: The award varies according to the chapter. An adjunct Award from the Sons of the Revolution of New Jersey, Daniel Morgan Chapter (SR-NJ), is for an essay specifically focused on colonial Hunterdon County. Colonial Hunterdon County includes all of the townships of modern Hunterdon County - Hopewell, Lawrence, Ewing Townships, and the city of Trenton. For this award, students may submit to the SR-NJ Daniel Morgan Chapter and the NJSSAR Jockey Hollow or Princeton Cranbury Chapters, To find your local New Jersey Chapter, click here.
State Society Award: Primary honoree, $500. The state-society honoree is placed in nomination for the national award. A secondary honoree will be awarded $250
Nation Award: Primary honoree: $5,000; a medal and recognition certificate; up to $500 toward travel expenses and one-night hotel stay for the winner and a chaperone at the annual SAR Congress. Secondary Honoree: $2,500 and a recognition certificate. Tertiary $1,000 and a recognition certificate.
Only one entry per student is permitted per contest year. A complete set of rules and the application for both the applicant and the sponsoring SAR members can be found below. Please be aware that the local application deadline dates may vary, so interested applicants should reach out to their local SAR member listed below for further details. For further information or questions, contact the NJSSAR Education Committee Chair, Roger S. Williams, 609-389-5657, roger@princetonsar.org