Congratulations to Austin S. Kief from New Marblehead Chapter in Maine for winning the 2013 Kach Essay Contest for Region 1 in the junior category, grade 10 and below and to Steven Knott Jr. from John Eliot Chapter in Massachusetts for winning the 2013 Kach Essay Contest in the grade 11 and above category for Region 1. Steven also won the National Competition in his age bracket! The prompt for this year's essay was “Character Based Leadership”.

The Paul R. Kach 33° Essay Competition awards $300 to each Region winner and is sponsored by the Supreme Council 33°, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States of America. The National winner received an additional $1,200 (making a total of $1,500).