A HIGHER PURPOSE
Our Catholic Faith is Key and central to who we are as Knights of Columbus. We are called to evangelizer our faith to others as well as pass it on to future generations.
The Missouri Knights of Columbus Missouri State Essay Contest . . . sponsored by the IWKnights . . . is to encourage the youth to become citizens grounded in their Catholic faith through creative writing and is open to all qualifying Catholic students.
This contest encourages today’s youth to be more connected to their community and their faith. The goal of this program is to involve young Catholics in grades 6th through 8th (public, private, parochial or home schools during the current school year) in civic discourse and instill in them religious and life-affirming values. The essay should be 500-750 words on a specific topic, changing every other year. Entrants will be judged on grammar, style, and how clearly they present the theme in a way that showcases creativity, imagination and overall development of the topic.
Please Note:
The deadline for submissions is November 25, 2025 at 5:00am. Any entries received after the deadline will not be accepted.
Missouri Knights of Columbus Missouri State Essay Contest Rules
Rules for the entries and for the Judging
- Essays must reflect the assigned theme and be the student’s original work (See below for the Missouri Knights of Columbus Missouri State Essay Contest topic).
- Essays must be printable on 8½” by 11” paper, double-spaced, with one-inch margins. and be between 500 and 750 words in length.
- The student’s name should appear on the essay.
- All entries become the property of the Missouri Knights of Columbus and will not be returned.
- judging
- Judges (three or more) will be selected by the sponsoring Knights of Columbus council Members of the IWKnights Council and/or Ladies Auxiliary or clergy may serve as judges.
- A 100-point scoring system will be used to determine the winner.
- 35 Points: Content — How thoroughly is the topic examined?
- 30 Points: Grammar — How well is the essay written with respect to sentence and paragraph construction?
- 35 Points: Style — Does the essay show creativity, imagination and development of the topic in a logical and compelling style?
- A 100-point scoring system will be used to determine the winner.
- Judges (three or more) will be selected by the sponsoring Knights of Columbus council Members of the IWKnights Council and/or Ladies Auxiliary or clergy may serve as judges.
- Entries submitted for the MO Contest do not qualify for Supreme Council Essay Contest because Missouri Knights of Columbus Missouri State Essay Contest and the Supreme Council Catholic Citizenship Essay Contest have different topics and different age groups.
- Only the top one (1) essay selection per grade level for State judging will be submitted to the Missouri Knights of Columbus State Council Essay Chairman by January 31, 2026. There is no separate district level judging. Following the State of MO judging, plaques are awarded to the top three winners in each grade level in the State.
Missouri Knights of Columbus Missouri State Essay Contest Topic
2025 - 2026 Essay Topic
The office of the papacy was established by Jesus Christ nearly 2,000 years ago when He chose St. Peter to lead His Church on earth. On May 8, 2025, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected the 267th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church and the first United States Citizen to ever be elected Pope!
The 2025-2026 (MO State) Essay Topic is as follows: "Given the fact that Pope Leo XIV was born and raised in the United States, how do you think that can inspire young men and women in our country to consider the priesthood and religious life?"