Houstonfest

News and Updates

Important Dates

Fri., Jan. 15, 2021: Regular deadline to submit registration spreadsheet in order to pay regular price of $10/student (payment does not have to be mailed until 1/25).

Mon., Jan. 25, 2021: Final deadline to submit registration spreadsheet for late price of $12/student and deadline to postmark payment.

Mon., Feb. 1, 2021: Proof sheet of entries sent to teachers for final verification and changes.

Wed., Feb. 3, 2021, 8:00 p.m.: Deadline to submit changes (adds, drops, substitutions). After this point, no more additions or substitutions will be allowed.

Sat., Feb. 6, 2021: Houstonfest (100% remote): some events conducted "live" (online) that day, all others submitted digitally by 9:00 a.m.

Sat., Feb. 13, 2021: Houstonfest online awards ceremony, time TBA.

Wed., Feb. 17, 2021: State online registration due by 11:59 p.m. for "early bird" price of $10/student (payment does not have to be mailed yet). Also, deadline to apply for the Mary El-Beheri Memorial Scholarship and to submit entries for promotional video contest to State director Jennifer Christianson.

Mon., Feb. 22, 2021: State online registration due by 11:59 p.m. at regular price of $12/student.

Sat., Feb. 27, 2021: Texas State German Contest (100% remote): some events conducted "live" (online) that day, all others submitted digitally by 9:00 a.m.

Sat., Mar. 6, 2021: State online awards ceremony, time TBA. Also, Houstonfest Scholarship applications due.

Fri., Mar. 12, 2021: Gail Cope Scholarship applications due.

Fri., April 30, 2021: Gail Cope Teacher Grant applications due.

Houstonfest

Founded in 1980, Houstonfest is an annual competition for Houston-area students in grades 8 through 12 who are learning German. It offers 44 contests for students in German I, II, III, IV, and V, including written and oral tests, declamation, drama, art, and music. There are also categories for "advantaged speakers." Registration is accepted only from German teachers registering their participating students as a group; we do not accept registration from individual students. For the 2020 contest we had 562 students registered from 21 schools.

Entrants placing in the top five in each event at Houstonfest, traditionally held on the first Saturday of February (which will be February 6 in 2021), advance to the Texas State German Contest, traditionally held on the last Saturday of February (which will be February 27 in 2021). At State, Houstonfest's winners compete against the winners of Texas’ other two regional German competitions, Winterfest for the Dallas and North Texas area and Sprachfest for the Central and South Texas area.

Normally, Houstonfest is held at Heights High School in Houston and State at Texas State University in San Marcos. However, due to the uncertainties and risks created by COVID-19, all three regional contests and the State contest will be conducted remotely and with fewer events in 2021. Some events will be conducted live (but online) on contest day, and for other events, contestants will submit their entries digitally by contest day. Judging will be done remotely over several days, and the results will be announced online one week after contest (February 13 for the regional contests and March 6 for State).

Brochure about Texas German contest system

(does not reflect the temporary changes for 2021)

Incentives for schools new to Houstonfest

Back again in 2021: Show your love for the Texas German contest system by producing a promotional video and entering our contest. You could win $250! Click here for the contest guidelines.

In "normal" years, after competition is over and while everyone is waiting for the awards to be tabulated, we have entertainment by the band Das ist lustig and members of the folk dance group Keine Kunst. The Tomball German Festival also traditionally invites winning Chorus, Folk Dance, and Polka Band groups as well as Vocal Soloists to perform at their festival each year and makes donations to the German Clubs of all schools that perform. As 2021 will not be a normal year, unfortunately none of that will happen this year.

The logo in the header is the

winning entry from the

Digital Logo Design

contest held at Houstonfest 2020. It is by Dawson Benner, William Lee,

Sinan Makdisi, and Jimmy Xin of Bellaire High School.

Danke schön

to these businesses who donated or gave us discounts on items for the judges' breakfast in 2020. Every dollar saved on that can instead be invested in the contest and in scholarships!

Starbucks

SW Freeway @ Wilcrest

(donated ALL the coffee!)