2023-2024 Texas History Essay Contest

TOPIC: "Battle of San Jacinto"

PRIZES:

1st Prize: $4,000.00
2nd Prize: $3,000.00
3rd Prize: $2,000.00

NOTE:

Please be sure to read ALL the rules that apply to this essay contest. Double spaced, foot notes, spell check, etc will be enforced. If you do not follow each of the rules, your essay will be rejected.

ELIGIBILITY:

Graduating Seniors in any High School may enter. History, Government and English students are particularly encouraged to participate.The authors of the three best essays submitted will be the winners if the essays so warrant. They will be recognized and the prizes presented by The Sons of the Republic of Texas at the annual San Jacinto Celebration in Houston. The prizes will be scholarships to the college of each winner's choice or will be given to the student directly.

PURPOSE:

The uniqueness of Texas and Texans is recognized around the world. The purpose of this Texas History Essay Contest is to encourage students to explore the pioneer spirit of Texans on the early-day frontier, their methods of accomplishing their goals under very difficult circumstances, and the results of their efforts that we can see today. It is hoped that the topic chosen will stimulate the thinking of our youth, who will assume responsibility for the conduct of our affairs on local, state, national and international levels in the near future.

TOPIC:

Each year, students are invited to submit essays reflecting an awareness of Texas history and exploring its relevance to the building of Texas.

RULES:

The rules are clearly defined on the downloaded application. Five copies of the essay plus a CD are required for submission.The student must follow the format of the Chicago Manual of Style or Turabian's Manual for Writers. Examples of end notes and of a bibliography appear in this example. Information must come from a reliable published source (magazine/book) and students must acknowledge the author and publisher.

CRITERIA:

Criteria to be used by judges in selecting the winners will be depth of research in Texas history, originality of thought and expression, and organization.

DEADLINE:

Entries must be postmarked on or before January 31. The original essay, the copies, and the CD will be sent to:

The Sons of the Republic of Texas, 1717 8th Street, Bay City, Texas, 77414.
If there are questions, please email Janet Knox, or call (979) 245-6644 in Bay City, or write to the address given above.

SRT Texas History Essay Guidelines

SRT Texas History Essay Application

A cash award of two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500) is presented by the Sons of the Republic of Texas to the author of a work of creative writing on the Republic of Texas judged best by the Judging Committee. This award is presented at the annual membership meeting in the spring (usually first week end of April) of the next calendar year.

The purpose of this award is to encourage literary effort and research about historical events and personalities during the days of the Republic of Texas,1836-1846, and to stimulate interest in this period. The judges determine which entry best portrays the spirit, character, strength, and deeds of those who lived in the Republic of Texas. The award was made possible through the generosity of the late Mr. and Mrs. Summerfield G. Roberts of Dallas. Mr. Roberts was a former Executive Committeeman of the Sons of the Republic of Texas and a Knight of the Order of San Jacinto. A student and lover of Texas history, he had eight ancestors who were all residents of the Republic of Texas.

The manuscripts must be written or published during the calendar year for which the award is given. No entry may be submitted more than one time. There is no word limit on the material submitted for the award. The manuscripts may be fiction, nonfiction, poems, essays, plays, short stories, novels, or biographies. The competition is open to all writers everywhere; they need not reside in Texas nor must the publishers be in Texas. Judges each year are winners of the award in the last three years.

Five (5) copies of each entry must be mailed to the General Office of the Sons of the Republic of Texas, postmarked no later than January 15. These copies are used by the judges and added to the archives of the Sons of the Republic of Texas. No copies are returned.

Entries accepted June 1 through September 30

The Presidio La Bahia Award, administered by the Sons of the Republic of Texas, was established on April 22, 1968, through the generosity of Kathryn Stoner O'Connor, as an annual literary award. The Kathryn Stoner O'Connor Foundation was also responsible for restoring the Presidio La Bahia near Goliad as a museum and a Texas shrine. The purpose of the award is to promote suitable preservation of relics, appropriate dissemination of data, and research into our Texas heritage, with particular attention to the Spanish Colonial period. Material may be submitted concerning the influence on Texas culture of our Spanish Colonial heritage in laws, customs, language, religion, architecture, art, and other related fields.

A total of $2,000 is available annually for winning participants in the competition, with a minimum first Place prize of $1,200 for the best published book. At its discretion, the SRT may award a second Place book prize. Beginning in 1993, the SRT established a separate category with a prize for the best published paper, article published in a periodical, or project of a non-literary nature.

For more Information, please see the attached PDF document

Presido La Bahia Information

Email the contact noted below to request a speaker on a subject of Texas History between 1835 and 1846.

Many different subjects are available from many parts of Texas. This includes history and activities of the Texian residents, Flag Programs and talks, and some biographies.

No fee is expected, but for long distances a small mileage compensation is appreciated. In some cases a dining arrangement is also appreciated.

Contact the chairman, Jason Chall by: Email