Event Rules

  • Only German teachers may register students for German contests; we do not accept registration from individual students.
  • Any German teacher who registers one or more contestants must attend the contest and serve as a judge.
  • Each contestant…
    • must be in grade 7*, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12; (*7th graders may only participate if the course is a full-year German I credit course)
    • must be a student at a school where the registering teacher works;
    • must be currently enrolled in a German course at that school, or if not, must have previously completed at least one year of German instruction AND be a current member of that school’s German Club or German NHS. (EXCEPTION: Polka Band may have 2 non-German student members and Classical Ensemble may have 1 non-German student.)  The spirit of this rule is to prevent a team from recruiting “mercenary” artists, dancers, musicians, writers, etc. who have no real connection to the school’s German program in order to bolster the team’s folk dance team, poster, photo essay, research paper, etc. On the other hand, we do not want to exclude the occasional student who loves German and who took one, two or three years of it and who wants to continue participating in the contest but who, for whatever reason, is not currently taking German. Please note, however, that any contestant not currently enrolled in a German course should be entered in the level he/she would be in if he/she had continued taking German. For example, if John stops taking German after completing German III but still wants to enter contests the next year, he should be entered in Level 4 events.
  • For liability reasons, video recordings are not allowed in any room where students are competing or performing. If parents and/or teachers wish to record a performance, they should plan on doing it during any rehearsal or performance at their respective school. The contest director may assign a designated contest photographer to take pictures or video footage throughout the contest for informational or publicity purposes. This will be immediately submitted to the director on contest day. No student faces may be used from this footage. However, the contest director will accept video segments as well as still photos from individual schools after contest has occurred (to be used for promotional purposes, e.g., on the website). By submitting these, teachers give permission for contest directors to use them for informational or publicity purposes. Before submitting such photos/videos, teachers must make sure that students have permission forms on file at their school allowing for photos/videos to be used on the website.
  • Teachers should follow their district policy regarding student participation in the contest.
  • NO SMART DEVICES ALLOWED IN COMPETITION ROOMS!!! (This may include, but is not limited to, phones, watches, glasses, earbuds, anything with camera or wifi connectivity)

* These events are only performed at some/all Regionals, but DO NOT advance to the state-level contest!