American Corner Skopje 5th Anniversary Contest!

English Speaking Contest Information


1. PURPOSE

A. To provide an opportunity for speakers to improve their speaking abilities and to recognize the best as encouragement to all.

B. To provide an opportunity to learn by observing the more proficient speakers who have benefited from their English education.

Along with a certificate from the US Embassy, Contest winners in both categories will also win an Ipod Shuffle

2. APPLICABILITY

Contestants must fit within the age/grade requirements of the contest level that they wish to compete in. Junior contest applicants must be between the ages of 12 and 14 . Senior contest applicants must be between the ages of 15 and 18. All applicants must be English as a foreign language speakers, with their mother tongue being a language other than English.


3. RULES AND REGULATIONS

A. Students who wish to participate in the English Speaking Contest must complete an English Speaking Contest Participation Form and return it to the American Corners by the date indicated on the form. People who have not returned a form will be ineligible to compete.

B. Presentations will be 3 to 5 minutes in length. Participants will lose points from their score if they go below or over the allowed time. A green sign will be held up once the participant reaches 3 minutes. A yellow sign will be held up at 4 minutes. A red sign will be held up at 5 minutes.

C. Participants may choose to present in any of the following formats:

1. informational,


2. persuasive,


3. humorous speech,


4. storytelling,


5. poetry recitation, or


6. literary reading.

All content must be original, or as in the case of poetry recitation and storytelling, credit must be given to the original writer.

D. On the day of the contest, the judges will randomly determine the order of the contestant’s presentations in a way that is fair and unbiased.

E. As this is an individual competition, students must present by themselves. Group presentations are not permitted.

F. Students may use 3 by 5 inch note cards to refer to as notes during the presentation. Please note that students will lose points for referring to their notes excessively (example: reading off of the note cards).

G. Props are allowed, but must be necessary for or add to the quality of the presentation. Powerpoint or other electronic presentation types are not allowed. Examples of acceptable props include: pictures, books, demonstration materials, or other. For more information, contact the American Corners nearest you.

H. Following their speech, there will be a short question and answer period where contestants may be asked questions about their presentation by the audience or judges. Their answers will not be used by the judges to determine their score.

I. All participants will be scored using a rubric, which will be available to them prior to the contest. If you need a copy of the rubric, contact the American Corners nearest you.

J. The contest will be scored by a panel of judges who are English language experts. Possible judges may include American Corners staff members, English language fellows, Fulbright scholars, English teachers, and American embassy representatives.

K. Immediately following the final presentation, the judges will tally all of the participant’s scores to determine the winners. Awards and certificates will be presented the evening of March 27th, 2010.


Download the Application form


***Application Deadline is March 18th***