The Constantia Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution is sponsoring two essay contests for students in fifth through 12th grades.

Students in public, private or home schools are eligible. Chapter winners will go on to the state level, from where they may also advance to the division and national competitions.

For fifth- through eighth-graders, the American History Essay Contest will be held. Students will imagine they are living in 1918, right after the end of World War I. Students should state where they are living and how the end of the war will impact their daily life. They will discuss the pros and cons of the changes this war introduced to society and how they imagine those changes will impact the United States in the years to come.

The title of the essay should be “World War I: Remembering the War to End All Wars.”

The essay should be 300 to 1,000 words, depending on grade level.

For ninth- through 12th-graders, the Christopher Columbus Essay Contest will be held. Students’ essays will discuss how Columbus, an Italian, managed to convince a Spanish monarch to fund his voyage. Students will discuss the reasons why a monarch from one country would be interested in hiring an explorer from a foreign county to complete such an important mission and what convinced the Spanish monarch to support Columbus instead of Spanish explorers.

The title of the essay should be “Advantages and Disadvantages of Working Relationships Between Foreign Parties.” The length should be 800 to 1,200 words.

The deadline to submit entries is Oct. 25.

Contact Linda Riddick at 934-1831 or linriddick@verizon.net for more information.