The SAR Youth Video Contest is an exciting new format for sharing what you know about the American Revolution. Tell us about a person, battle, document, or event from the American struggle for independence in video form. The key is to BE CREATIVE! Your project could be filmed or animated. It could look like a cable news broadcast or a pretend movie trailer. Perhaps you will create a music video or even a rap battle. Show the judges you can think outside of the box.
Entries must contain ORIGINAL content and must be based on scholarly research of the presented topic. Content may not violate copyright laws. The subject of the entry should focus on an event, personality, document, or topic pertaining to the American Revolution. Emphasis on the Revolution’s 250th anniversary is recommended. The style, approach, and perspective are not limited.
- Annual Contest
- Eligible contestants: 6th – 12th grade students
- Video length: 3 – 5 minutes
- Individual or group projects accepted
- At least three research references are required
- National contest deadline: 15 February
- See the link below for complete contest rules.
Contest Awards
First Place: $1750*
Second Place: $500
* The First Place winner at the National level will receive a stipend of up to $1500.00 to reimburse travel to the NSSAR National Congress to participate in the Youth Awards Luncheon.
Cash awards greater than $600 may be received as a scholarship with the completion of appropriate tax documents.
The contest will be administered at the Chapter, State, and National level. Contestants begin the process by submitting an application to their local Chapter coordinator. Each first-place winner will advance to the next level. Awards at the Chapter and State level are at the discretion of the Chapter and State Society, respectively. At-Large entries may be accepted in the absence of local programs.
Video Contest Application Form
National Chairman: Keith A Weissinger, MD
Donate to the Youth Video Contest
Submission Deadlines – Please Read This
A Message to Students, Parents, and Educators
The date on this page is not the date a student, parent, or teacher turns an entry in to a chapter.
SAR contests move in three steps:
- Student submits to a local Chapter
- Chapter winner goes to the State Society
- State winner is due at National Headquarters on the date below
Chapter deadlines are usually about two months before the National date and differ by chapter. Example: If National Deadline is March 15, a local Chapter Deadline may be due sometime in January.
Contact your local Chapter for the date that applies to you. Find a chapter by searching “Sons of the American Revolution near me,” or through your State Education Chair at this link:
https://www.sar.org/state-education-chairs/
Dates the SAR State Society Winning Entries Must Be Received at Headquarters
History Teacher Grant. February 10
SAR Elementary School Poster Program: June 1
Arthur M. & Berdena King Eagle Scout Program: February 15
George S. & Stella M. Knight Essay Program: March 15
Joseph S. Rumbaugh Historical Oration Program: May 15
National ROTC/JROTC Recognition Program: April 15
Sgt. Moses Adams Memorial Middle School Brochure Contest: June 1
Youth Video Program: February 15
2025-2026 Video Winners
First Place (tie): Brooklyn Dunn (18 years), Ohio Society — American Revolution Foundations
First Place (tie): Jonathan and Benjamin Shepherd (16 and 13 years), Indiana Society — The Battle of Trenton
Second Place: Emery Penaloza (13 years), California Society — The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere
2024-2025 Video Winners
2025 1st Place Winner “Threads of Freedom” by Maddox Lewis, Georgia Society
2nd Place Winner, Gavin and Adalyn Andrews, Maryland Society, “News in the Colonies”
2025 Honorable Mention Josephine Abbott, Washington Society, “Sybil Luddington”
