Last Revised: 4 January 2023
Contests
All Chapter contests must be judged in December of each year and Chapter winners submitted to the appropriate State Contest Chairmen on or before January 15th. (Chapter entries received after that date will not be considered.) State Chairmen, with the exceptions of the Oration Contestants, are to judge and have results ready for submission to National Society Chairs not later than February 1st. Kentucky Society’s Oration contest is judged at the Kentucky Society’s Annual Meeting.
Arthur M. & Berdena King Eagle Scout Contest (submission deadline – 15 January) – is open to all Eagle Scouts who are currently registered in an active unit and have not reached their 19th birthday during the year of application. (The application year is the calendar year, 01 January to 31 December.) The year that the Eagle rank was awarded is not restricted. You may apply more than one year if you meet the age requirements but no more than $10,000 total may be granted to any one Eagle Scout. Prizes and recognition may also be awarded at the Chapter and State levels. Entrants need complete only one application – the one for the Chapter competition. That application consist of a four page application requesting each Eagle Scout’s personal information, qualifications, recognition’s received and leadership traits; a four generation ancestor chart and a 500 word essay on any patriotic theme dealing with the American Revolution. Each Chapter’s winner will be entered in the Kentucky Society competition for a State winner. Our Kentucky Society winner will be entered in the National competition to compete with winners from other States for the National Scholarship. For additional information please click on here. Award amounts at the National Competition: 1st Place – $10,000, 2nd Place – $6,000, 3rd Place – $4,000 (No Scout is eligible to receive more than $10,000 collectively throughout their eligibility).
Essay (submission deadline – 15 January) – The Knight Essay 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 Freshman, 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. he contest must be entered through a Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution near the student’s residence. In some cases, the contest may be entered at the State level (if the State does not have chapters or the chapters are not participating). Only one entry per student is permitted per contest year. If the State does not participate, then the essay may be submitted to the At Large judge listed on our website. The first place National winner is prohibited from participating in following years’ contests. For additional information please click the word “Essay” above.
JROTC/ROTC (submission deadline – 15 January) – is open to contestants from all Kentucky Chapters. Each Chapter is encouraged to send in their winning applicant by January 15. Applicants will be selected, by the JROTC Instructor, from each of the local high schools affiliated with that chapter. The Cadet must submit a 500 word essay on “How JROTC Has Prepared Me To Become A Better Citizen Of The United States Of America.” The application must also have Letters of Recommendation from the JROTC Instructor and the Principal focusing on Leadership and a Certified Transcript from the school’s Counselor verifying the Cadet is in the top 25% of their overall Junior Class. (Note: The Cadet must also be a Junior.) ROTC/JROTC Medal Recognition Program – These medals and certificates are awarded by local Chapters to the cadet(s) or midshipmen who have been selected by a participating schools’ Commanding Officer as having a high degree of merit based on: leadership qualities, military bearing, patriotism, scholarship & general excellence. Commanding Officers are given full latitude in the selection of the recipients. Contact should be made in early March to determine recipient’s name, rank, etc. ROTC/JROTC programs normally have their Honors & Awards Ceremonies in late April or May. For ROTC/JROTC units with fewer than 500 cadets or midshipmen one medal will be awarded for each year. For larger units, one medal may be presented for each 500 students enrolled in the unit. In cases where a school has more than one ROTC/JROTC unit each unit is counted separately.
ROTC Medals are Silver in color. No recipient may receive it more than once. JROTC Medals are Bronze in color. No recipient may receive it more than once. Sea Cadet Medals are Bronze in color. Although no longer eligible to receive the SAR JROTC (Bronze) Medal, effective 15 Jun 1998, the U.S. Navy Sea Cadet Corps is an outstanding program and should be supported by recognizing the outstanding Navy Sea Cadet Corps Cadet with the Bronze Good Citizenship Medal.
Middle School Brochure Contest (submission deadline – 31 January) – The Middle School Brochure Contest was a pilot program in past years, but became an official contest at the 2013 National Congress. The brochures must be on an 8 1/2″ x 11″ tri-fold with original, hand drawn artwork. The weight of the paper must be 32 pounds or less. Pictures from magazines, books and the internet are prohibited. Tracing is permissible and hand drawn art work can also be pasted onto the brochure. Use of a lighter weight paper is recommended for pasting. The text must be researched and hand written. The theme must pertain to an event, personality, an ideal or philosophy, specific Revolutionary War Battle, the Declaration of Independence or the U.S. Constitution. The theme is selected annually by the Americanism committee and will always be the same as the Americanism Poster contest. The judging criteria includes appearance, content, creativity and correctness.
Oration (submission deadline – 15 January) – The Joseph S. Rumbaugh Historical Oration Contest is open to all students attending home school, public, parochial, or private high schools who are in their freshman, sophomore, junior or senior (grades 9 through 12) year of study.
Poster (submission deadline – 31 January) – The Americanism Elementary School Poster Contest is directed towards students in the 4th or 5th grades, depending on which grade the American Revolution is taught in their educational system – including ecumenical and home schooled students. The National Society Elementary School Poster Contest will stimulate interest in American History in support of the Curriculum. The contest is also open to members of the Cub Scouts, Brownies and CAR (Children of the American Revolution) who are in the same grades but whose school system may not be participating in the contest. In the case where the local school system, or its equivalent, is participating, the young person must enter the contest through the school and not as a separate entry. For additional information please click the word “Poster” above.
History Teacher Award (submission deadline – 10 January) – The Tom & Betty Lawrence American History Teacher Award is used to identify, recognize and commend an Outstanding Social Studies Teachers. These extraordinary educators at private, public and parochial institutions, who teach our children in a middle or high school setting, will be recognized for actively addressing the history of the American Revolutionary era. The Tom and Betty Lawrence American History Teacher Award winner will represent a teacher whose instruction on the Revolutionary War era from 1750 – 1800 demonstrates educational efforts in the classroom that exceed and excel above current, accepted, curriculum requirements. For additional information please click “History Teacher Award” above.
NSSAR Educational Outreach – The Sons of the American Revolution has been conducting education programs for elementary school children near Louisville, Kentucky, their national headquarters for a decade. These professional development sessions will enrich eastern Kentucky educators’ core knowledge about the American Revolution. Participating educators will integrate new content and interactive activities with their students at schools in rural counties of eastern Kentucky.