2026-2027 Catholic Citizenship Essay Contest

Overview

All 8th Graders (OLS and Religious Education students) are invited to participate in the 2026-2027 Knights of Columbus (K of C) Catholic Citizenship Essay Contest. This contest encourages today’s youth to be more connected to their community and their Catholic faith through creative writing. The local contest is being hosted by St. Francis Knights of Columbus Council #4401.

Student essays must be original compositions (no AI or other writing assistance) of 500-750 words that address the following topic:

“The rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God.”

In 500–750 words, students should explain what this quote from former U.S. President and Knights of Columbus member John F. Kennedy’s 1961 Inaugural Address means, as well as its importance for the flourishing of a nation.

Deadline for submissions is December 15, 2026 at 10:00pm. We expect to complete judging over the holidays and announce winners in early January.

Prizes
Cash prizes will be awarded for the top three essays.

Past Winners

2025-2026
1st – Arianna Boukouris** | 2nd – Aaden Rillo | 3rd – Felicity Soderquist

2024-2025
1st – Gabrielle Arnold | 2nd – Maeve Weiss | 3rd – Garritt Maas

2023-2024
1st – Charlotte Moscone | 2nd – Alexander Boukouris* | 3rd – Matthew Kellow

2022-2023
1st – Savannah Shammami | 2nd – Jayven Arafat | 3rd – Hope Gerard

2021-2022
1st – Victoria Kakos* | 2nd – Dillan Arafat | 3rd – Natalia Martinez-Necoechea

2020-2021
1st – Antonio Boukouris | 2nd – Myrna Gilbert | 3rd – Clare Norgard

* State of Michigan 1st Place Winner
** National and State of Michigan 1st Place Winner

Instructions

Please read carefully before submitting:

1. Download the entry form by clicking here.
2. Fill out the top portion of the entry form and have your parent/guardian sign.
3. Scan or take a picture of the completed entry form. (Only the 1st page is needed. You do not need to include the 2nd page)
4. Write your 500-750 word essay on the topic described and save as a doc, docx, or pdf file.
5. DO NOT include your name anywhere in essay (not even in the header). If your essay contains your name we will need to remove it before sending to the judges. This may lead to the formatting of your essay (margins, font, etc) to change. You may include your name only in the filename of the document (ex: john-smith-essay.pdf) but it is not required.
6. Upload your essay file and entry form file below.

For technical assistance with your entry, confirming receipt of your entry, or problems related to your submission, please have your parent/guardian email Jim Filbert jimfilbert@gmail.com

For questions about the essay contest, such as the topic, prizes, or judging, please have your parent/guardian email Tom Rancour at tprancour@gmail.com