Maryland Society

Americanism Elementary School Poster Contest

What is the poster contest?

It is a contest for elementary school students to create their own original artistic poster based on the current theme. Not only do the judges grade on how well the entries express the theme, but on originality and creativity, as well as evidence of historical research on the given topic. Prizes will be awarded to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners by the MDSSAR and there are also national prizes awarded.

Who is it for?

The Americanism Poster Contest is directed towards 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students, particularly those who are either currently learning about American History in their school curriculum, or are just interested in American History!

How does the contest work?

Please contact the state contest chairman to submit your poster. The contest has some important deadlines that need to be observed. Please make a note of these dates so that your entries can be considered.

• May 1: Posters are due to the local chapter.
• May 15: Chapter poster submissions are due to the State chairman.
• June 1: State winner is due to the National chairman.

Where can I go to find more information?

Please consult the national society website for all of the official rules and procedures of the contest.

Americanism Middle School Brochure Contest

The Sgt. Moses Adams Memorial Middle School Brochure Contest

What is the brochure contest?

It is a contest for middle school students to create their own original educational brochure based on the current year's theme. This contest was designed as a complement to the Americanism Poster Contest for an older age group.

Who is it for?

The Americanism Brochure Contest is open to students in the 6th, 7th, 8th or 9th grades, particularly those who are currently learning about American History in their school curriculum - including ecumenical and home school students. The aim of this contest is to stimulate interest in American History in support of the established school curriculum.

How does the contest work?

Brochures must be a 2-sided, 6-panel, tri-fold, letter sized brochure based on the current year's theme. Please contact the state contest chairman to submit your poster. The contest has some important deadlines that need to be observed. Please make a note of these dates so that your entries can be considered.

• May 15: Brochures are due to the State chairman.
• June 1: State winner is due to the National chairman.

Where can I go to find more information?

Please consult the national society website for all of the official rules and procedures of the contest.

High School Knight Essay Contest

The George S. and Stella M. Knight Essay Contest

What is the essay contest?

It is a contest for high school students to write an essay based on their own original research of a proven topic. The topic of the essay must be an event, person, philosophy, or ideal associated with the American Revolution, the Declaration of Independence, or the framing of the U.S. Constitution.

Students must include at least five references with a minimum of three published book sources. If there are no book sources, the essay will be disqualified.

Prizes will be awarded at the Chapter, State and National levels. Chapter awards are conditional to each chapter. The State will award 3rd place, 2nd place and 1st place prizes of $600, $750, and $2,000 respectively.

NOTE:

Anyone receiving an award with a value $600.00 or greater will need to provide their full name, address and SSN. They will be issued a 1099 per IRS regulations.

Who is it for?

The Knight Essay Contest is for high school students in 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades enrolled in a public, parochial, or private schools (including accredited home schools).

How does the contest work?

The essay must have four parts: (A) 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 from the essay and no reference to the contestant's name of information can be apart of the essay pages or bibliography.

• The title page must include: the title of the essay, contestant's name, address, telephone number and email address. 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.
• The essay must have a minimum of 800 words and not exceed 1,200 words (excluding parts A, C, and D). The essay must be typed double-spaced on white bond paper. No bindings or special covers are needed. Graphics are not permitted. Plagiarism will be grounds for immediate disqualification.
• The essay and bibliography must be documented in MLA format.
• 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.

Essays which meet the rules will be accepted and judged on the following criteria:

• Historical accuracy
• Clarity of thought
• Organization and proven topic
• Grammar and spelling
• Documentation

Important Deadlines

The annual submission deadline to the chapter is December 31st.

Essays may be sent to the state chairman by that date, who will forward them to your local chapter for judging. Chapters must forward their winners for the state contest by January 21st.

Where can I go to find more information?

Please consult the national society website for all of the most up to date official rules and procedures of the contest.

Rumbaugh Historical Orations Contest

Joseph S. Rumbaugh Historical Oration Contest

What is the orations contest?

It is a contest for high school students to write and present a five to six minute oration about an event, personality, or document from the American Revolution and a relationship to America today.

Prizes will be awarded at the Chapter, State and National levels. Chapter awards are conditional to each chapter. The State will award 3rd place, 2nd place and 1st place prizes of $600, $750, and $2,000 respectively.

NOTE:

Anyone receiving an award with a value $600.00 or greater will need to provide their full name, address and SSN. They will be issued a 1099 per IRS regulations.

Who is it for?

The Rumbaugh Orations Contest is for high school students in 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades enrolled in a public, parochial, or private schools (including accredited home schools).

How does the contest work?

The oration must be an original composition of no less than 5 minutes and no more than 6 minutes. The subject must deal with an event, personality or document pertaining to the Revolutionary War and show a relationship to America today. The oration must be essentially the same as the submitted manuscript. Notes and props (including uniforms) may not be used in the presentation.

Each chapter can hold their own contest and determine a winner to send to the state level contest. Before the chapter winner competes in the state contest, the chapter chairman should send the state chairman a copy of the orations, a photograph and biographical sketch of the contestant, and the completed Form B (pages 3 and 4 of the provided PDF).

The judges will select the winners based on the following criteria. Appropriate penalties will be applied if the contestant goes outside the allocated time limits.

• Composition
• Delivery
• Significance
• History

All submissions are due to the State chairman no later than March 31. Contestants will have to be notified about the location of the Annual meeting so that they can make arrangements to attend the state contest. The winner of the state level contest will receive their cash prize, an engraved medal, and travel and hotel arrangements for the contestant and one chaperone to attend the SAR National Congress to participate in the national contest.

Where can I go to find more information?

Please consult the national society website for all of the most up to date official rules and procedures of the contest.

Eagle Scout Scholarship

Arthur M. & Berdena King Eagle Scout Scholarship

What is the Eagle Scout scholarship?

The contest is open to all Eagle Scouts who are currently registered in an active Troop/Crew/Unit and have not reached their nineteenth birthday during the year of application. The year that the Eagle rank was awarded is not restricted. The contest year runs annually from Jan 1 to Dec 31 and applications are due to the Maryland Society on or before Dec 31 annually.

The application consists of:

• Two-page Application Form
• 4-Generation Ancestor Chart
• 500-word Patriotic Themed Essay

Past winners and their patriotic themes can be found on the National Society's website and used for guidance, located here.

Prizes and recognitions will be awarded at both the Chapter and State levels. The Chapter award will vary from Chapter-to-Chapter. As of 2023, the State will award 3rd place, 2nd place and 1st place prizes of $600, $750, and $2,000 respectively. The State winner will proceed to the National level where the prizes, as of 2024, are as follows: $10,000 for 1st place and $4,000 for runner-up and so forth. Contestants may apply more than one year as long as they meet the age-related requirements.

NOTE:

Anyone receiving an award with a value $600.00 or greater will need to provide their full name, address and SSN to the Treasurer. The winner will then be issued a 1099 per IRS regulations.

Where can I go to find more information?

Eagle Scouts should contact their local MDSSAR Chapter for assistance in submitting their scholarship application. You may find specific Chapter contacts on the Chapters page.

Please consult the National Society's website for all of the official rules and procedures of the contest.

ROTC/JROTC Recognition Program

The MDSSAR participates in the NSSAR ROTC/JROTC programs. This page supplements the information contained on the NSSAR website and also provides specific data for Maryland ROTC/JROTC unit participation in these programs. MDSSAR ROTC/JROTC activities are conducted at the Chapter level through an appointed ROTC/JROTC program representative.

ROTC Program

The MDSSAR ROTC program consists of the selection of a cadet from each Maryland ROTC unit for presentation of the SAR ROTC award. The selection is made by the unit's Senior ROTC Instructor from all of the unit's cadets, including those of other schools who participate in the host school's ROTC unit. Recipients are selected for a high degree of merit with respect to leadership qualities, military bearing and general excellence.

The selected cadet will receive the SAR Gold ROTC Medal with a ribbon bar and certificate. No recipient may receive the medal more than once. The awards are usually presented by a member of the MDSSAR Chapter at the unit's annual award ceremonies near the end of the school year.

Nomination of the cadet to receive the award must be provided to the local MDSSAR Chapter several weeks before the awards ceremony in order to prepare the certificate and arrange for a member to make the presentation. In some cases it may not be possible to have a presenter at the ceremony, in which case the medal, certificate and check will be provided to the Senior ROTC Instructor prior to the awards ceremony.

JROTC Program

Each JROTC unit may submit the nomination of one 11th grade cadet (male or female) for the SAR Bronze JROTC Medal award each year. Each nominee is encouraged to participate in the Outstanding JROTC Cadet Competition described below.

Nominations for the Outstanding JROTC Cadet Competition must be received by the local MDSSAR Chapter by March 1st to be considered in the competition.

Selection of the nominee shall be by the Senior Military Science Instructor and should include merit in patriotism, leadership, military bearing, scholarship, and general excellence. The Senior Military Science Instructor may consider the writing of the essay a class assignment of all 11th grade cadets. Cadets should be encouraged to seek criticism of their draft essays from their English instructors in order to make this a true learning experience.

Selection of the Outstanding JROTC cadet at each level will be made by SAR members. Consideration will be given to the nominee's scholastic standing, grade point average, levels of participation and leadership both in the JROTC, extra curricular activities, as well as the quality of the essay. Particular attention will be given to spelling, grammar, punctuation, as well as quality and applicability of the essay content.

Awards

The winner of the outstanding JROTC Cadet competition in each MDSSAR Chapter will receive the OJROTC Bronze Medallion, a ribbon with a bronze star and gold frame, and a certificate.

The Chapter winners must be submitted to the State ROTC/JROTC Committee no later than April 1st for consideration in the State Level Outstanding JROTC Cadet competition. The winner of the State Level competition is invited to an MDSSAR function for presentation of their award, which consists of the JROTC Medallion, a framed ribbon with a silver star, a certificate, and a $200 monetary award.

The State winner must be forwarded to the National Society SAR no later than May 1st for consideration in the National Outstanding JROTC Cadet Competition. The winner of the National Competition will be invited, with a chaperone, to the NSSAR National Congress for presentation of the award. Travel expenses up to $1000 will be provided. The national award consist of the JROTC Gold Medallion with a gold framed ribbon with a gold star, a certificate and $1000 monetary award.

MDSSAR ROTC Chapter Contacts

Where can I go to find more information?

Please consult the national society website for all of the most up to date official rules and procedures of the contest.