STATE CHAIRPERSON RESPONSIBILITIES
      The State Chairperson for the Knight Essay Contest will administer the program by ensuring advertisements are provided to the schools according to the established deadlines, receiving essays, checking essays for adherence to mechanical rules (length, margins, references, etc.), distributing essays to Contest Committee, notifying winners, and submitting winning essay to the National Society SAR. The State Chairperson, in consultation with the State Committee, is responsible for establishing the exact dates for deadlines each year.

STATE COMMITTEE RESPONSIBILITIES
      The Nevada Society SAR Knight Essay Contest Committee shall be comprised of members from the Signers Chapter (Southern Nevada) and members from the Northern Nevada Chapter as appointed by the NVSSAR State President. The responsibility of the Essay Contest Committee is to read, evaluate, and rank the submitted essays and select the winning essay and first runner up. In the event of a tie, the President Nevada Society SAR will decide the top two rankings.

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
      Awards are subject to available funds and may vary from year to year. The proposed award is $300 for the First Place Nevada Winner and $100 for the Second Place Nevada Winner. All participants will receive a certificate and a letter from the State President and/or the Chapter President from the appropriate region of the state.. The appropriate chapter secretary will send a press release to the winner’s and first runner up’s hometown newspaper(s) and ensure the winner’s and first-runner-up’s name, school, and essay title are posted on the Nevada Society SAR’s web site.

National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution
Knight Essay Contest Rules

2009-2010 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 [two] phases: local (Chapter)[Not used in all locations.], state (State Society) and National. The contest must be entered through a Chapter [or the State Society where stated] of the Sons of the American Revolution near the student's residence. In some locations the contest is to be entered at the State level. Only one entry per student is permitted each year. Entries must be submitted to your Chapter or State Society by the due date shown for your location's deadline. The date varies by location, so please check the deadline dates listed on the State Society Contacts page. Click here on State Society Contacts to locate your local contact and to find your deadline 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 3 being book sources. References from Encyclopedias or Internet sites will be accepted, but are not considered as part of the three source references. The use of all electronic sources will cause the essay to be disqualified. Plagiarism will be grounds for immediate disqualification. The essay must have a minimum of 800 words and not exceed 1,200 words excluding title page, footnotes, bibliography, and biography. One or two letter words such as I, to, and we are not counted. When counting words in a date, a numerical date (1776) or a date spelled out (seventeen seventy-six) shall be counted as one word. Names of places such as New York City shall be counted as one word.
      3. The essay shall have four parts: a) title page, b) essay, c) bibliography (works cited), and d) contestant's biography. The bibliography and contestant's biography shall be listed on separate pages. Information on the title page shall include the title of the essay, contestant's name, address, and telephone number. In addition, the title page shall include the name, address, and telephone number of the high school in which the contestant is enrolled, and the contestant's grade level. 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. The essay shall be typed double-spaced on white bond paper using a computer, word processor, or typewriter and stapled. No bindings or special covers are needed. Graphics are not permitted. The original copy of the essay must be submitted. Poor quality copies will not be accepted. NSSAR encouerage the encourage the electronic submission of the essay, however in these cases please confirm with your chairman 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. The essay shall be documented in accordance with the Modern Language Association publication, MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers or Turabain's, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations.
      6. Entries must be postmarked prior to 31, December 2009 [except where otherwise shown for your Chapter/State].
      7. The essay will be judged on the following criteria:

            A. Historical accuracy
            B. Clarity of thought
            C. Organization and proven topic
            D. Grammar and spelling
            E. Documentation

      8. AWARDS: State and Chapter prizes vary. Please contact specific chairmen for more information.

National Society:

      First place: $2,000 a winning recognition certificate; airfare and one night hotel for two at the SAR Annual Congress in in Cleveland, OH in June 2010.
Second Place: $1,000
Third Place: $500

      9. The winning essay of the national contest will be submitted for publication in The SAR Magazine. Participants in this contest agree that their essays may be published in The SAR Magazine and on the Knight Essay Contest Web Page.

      10. Participants in this contest agree that the interpretation of rules and the decisions of the NSSAR and its judges shall govern without reservation.

      11. Please follow the rules exactly. Essays that do not conform to the rules will be disqualified.

      12. Winning essay participants, on all levels, must supply a social security number or alien identification/green card number in order to receive the award.

NEVADA SOCIETY SONS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION ANNOUNCES

GEORGE S. AND STELLA M. KNIGHT ESSAY CONTEST

General Rules:
      Open to any public, private, or parochial high school sophomore, junior, or senior who is a United States citizen or legal resident. Prepare an original essay in English dealing with an event, person, philosophy, or ideal associated with the American Revolution, the Declaration of Independence, or the framing of the United States Constitution. All essays must adhere to the rules established by the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. The entire rules can be accessed on-line at:http://www.sar.org/youth/knightrules.html

Nevada Rules ---- Essays must adhere to all rules established by the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. The entire rules can be found on-line at: http://www.sar.org/youth/knightrules.html

Participants must send completed essays to:

Anthony Perry,
Nevada Knight Essay Contest
3820 Light Year Dr.
Las Vegas, NV 89115-1244

Deadlines

Essays must be postmarked by December 31, 2009
Winners will be notified by March 2010
Advance Email attachment copies can be sent to: "clonnadgh@embarqmail.com"
However if the essay is not received, postmarked by the deadline, the electronic submission will be disqualified.

Awards
First Place - $300, Certificate, Submission to National Knight Essay Contest to compete for $2,000 First, $1,000 Second, or $500 Third place national award and other prizes {subject to change. See national contest rules for complete awards.
First Runner-up - $100, Certificate
Participants Certificate

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The National Association of Secondary School Principals has placed this program on the NASSP National Advisory List of Contests and Activities for 2008-2009. NASSP Student Contests and Activities Page