News and Updates

Special Rules and Procedures for the 2021 Remote Contest

Houstonfest Scholarships

Scholarships at State

Teacher-to-Teacher Tips

Tips for Pair Discussion

Photo Gallery 2014

Arrival at Heights High School

Lunch options

Plays will be performed at Houstonfest

Daily log of changes to state-qualifier list

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.

Advantaged Speakers

Below are the "normal" rules for Houstonfest in a non-pandemic year.  To preserve a record of the normal rules, alterations to the rules for the 2021 remote contest will not be reflected here but rather documented at this link: Special Rules and Procedures for the 2021 Remote Contest.  In particular, several events that are normally open to Advantaged Speakers will unfortunately not be offered in 2021. 

“Advantaged speakers” are students who meet one or more of the following criteria:

• They have lived in a German-speaking country six weeks or more at one time since the age of 13.

• They reside with a native speaker of German who regularly speaks German at home.

• They speak German at home.

• They regularly (annually or biannually) visit or have visited a German-speaking country, visiting German-speaking homes.

• They have attended a school where all subjects were taught in German for one or more years.

No exchange students from German-speaking countries may enter any event at Houstonfest, including the "advantaged speaker" categories.  (They are, however, welcome to help out as judges.)  Exchange students from non-German-speaking countries may enter events for which they qualify (regular or advantaged, depending on their circumstances).

It is left to the professional judgment of the teacher to determine the eligibility of students.  Questions of eligibility should be addressed to the contest director prior to the contest registration deadline.  If a student is designated advantaged in one event, he/she must be entered as advantaged in all events.

Advantaged speakers may compete ONLY in the following events:

• Advantaged speaker test

• Extemporaneous speaking, advantaged category

• Poetry memory, advantaged category

• Prose memory, advantaged category

• Skit, level 4 (inform judges as to which actors are advantaged)

• Puppet show, upper level (inform judges as to which actors are advantaged)

• Play (inform judges as to which actors are advantaged)

• Most cultural events:  chorus, classical ensemble, club album, contemporary music (as instrumentalists only, not as vocalists), crafts, digital logo design, doll costume, folk dance (Einzeltanz or group), gingerbread house, needlework, original model, photography, polka band, poster, research paper, shirt design, video.  Advantaged speakers may NOT compete in photo essay or vocal solo.

Just to be perfectly clear, advantaged speakers are NOT allowed to enter the following events: contemporary music as vocalists (but OK as instrumentalists), culture, directed dialogue, duet acting, grammar, listening comprehension, oral presentation, Pass auf!, pair discussion, photo essay, poetry reading, prose reading, puppet show (lower level), reading comprehension, scavenger hunt, sight reading, skit (levels 1-3), spelling, timed writing, vocabulary, and vocal solo.