News and Updates

Teacher-to-Teacher Tips

Houstonfest Scholarship Winners

Scholarships at State

Plays will be performed at Houstonfest

Daily log of changes to state-qualifier list

What's new for 2013

Important Dates

Jan. 14, 2014:  Regular deadline to submit registration spreadsheet in order to pay regular price of $10/student (payment does not have to be mailed until 1/21)

Jan. 21, 2014:  Final dead-line to submit registration spreadsheet for late price of $12/student and deadline to postmark payment

Jan. 28, 2014:  Proof sheet of entries sent to teachers for final verification and changes

Jan. 30, 2014, 8:00 p.m.:  Deadline to submit changes (adds, drops, substitutions).  After this point, no more additions or substitutions will be allowed in individual events.  Substitutions in group events may continue in emergency situations.

Feb. 1, 2014:  Houstonfest, Lanier Middle School

Feb. x, 2014:  State online registration due by 11:59 p.m. in order to qualify for early-bird price of $10 per student.  Online registrations submitted after this point incur the regular registration fee of $12 per student.  Also, deadline to apply for the Mary El-Beheri Memorial Scholarship.

Feb. x, 2014:  State online registration due by 11:59 p.m. (regular deadline).

Feb. x, 2014:  Postmark deadline for State payment, regardless of whether you completed your online registration by the early-bird or the regular deadline.

Feb. 22, 2014:  Texas State German Contest, University of Texas at Austin

Mar. 1, 2014:  Houstonfest Scholarship applications due

Mar. x, 2014:  Gail Cope Scholarship applications due

Plays at Houstonfest

The official rules say that plays are performed only at State, unless there are more than three entries, in which case a competition may be held at the regional level.  At Houstonfest, however, it is a general policy that we will always perform plays at Houstonfest, regardless of how many are entered.  Performing the plays at Houstonfest gives the students valuable practice in preparation for State (and also a looming deadline to get them in gear!).

Don't worry if your play is not in tip-top shape by Houstonfest or if you can perform only a portion of what you plan to perform at State.  Just put the best product on stage that you can for Houstonfest.

New for 2014:  If when registration closes there are 5 or fewer plays entered, schools who have entered will have the option to perform and compete for a trophy and sweepstakes points or NOT perform and receive an automatic bid to State (but of course receiving no sweepstakes points or trophy at the Houstonfest level).  Schools are definitely encouraged to perform, but only if they can make a good-faith effort; the judges will have the latitude to find that an attempted performance is so lacking in merit that it does not deserve sweepstakes points or a trophy (but may still advance to State) -- for instance, if the performance lasts only a few minutes or if most or all of the actors are reading their lines from a script.