News and Updates
NEW:
Changes and updates for 2025
Arrival at Kingwood High School
Lunch options
Teacher-to-teacher tips
Tips for Pair Discussion
Houstonfest Scholarships
Scholarships at State
NEW:
Houstonfest history
Contest
promo video #1 (students from one school tell why they
love contest)
Contest promo
video #2 (one student tells why she loves contest)
Contest promo
video #3
(hilarious 2024 State-winning submission from our own Klein Oak High School!)
State promo video contest
Photo gallery
Daily log of changes to
State-qualifier list
Important Dates
on a rolling basis but no later than Wed., Apr. 30, 2025 for payment
during the 2024-2025 school year: submit
Gail Cope Teacher Grant applications.
Mon. Jan. 13, 2025, 4:00 p.m.: Application for
transportation grants from the Houston Saengerbund opens (IF THEY ARE OFFERED AT
ALL; if so, teachers will be sent a
link to a Google Form).
Tue., Jan. 21, 2025, 11:59
p.m.: Houstonfest registration
spreadsheet due for regular price of $12/student (payment does not have
to be mailed until 1/27).
Mon., Jan. 27, 2025, 11:59
p.m.: Houstonfest registration spreadsheet
due
for late price of $15/student. Deadline to postmark Houstonfest payment.
Sat., Feb. 1, 2025, 9:00 a.m.: Submission of entries in the 7 virtual Houstonfest events due (get link to
Google Form from your teacher).
Tue., Feb. 4, 2025, 11:59 p.m.: Remote
judging of the 7 virtual Houstonfest events ends.
Wed., Feb. 5, 2025, 10:00 p.m.: Houstonfest changes (adds,
drops, substitutions) due. After this point, no more changes will be allowed.
Sat., Feb. 8, 2025:
Houstonfest,
Kingwood High School, Houston.
Fri., Feb. 14, 2025, 11:59 p.m.: State
online registration due for "early bird" price of $12/student (payment does not
have to be mailed until 2/19).
Wed., Feb. 19, 2025, 11:59 p.m.: State
online registration due
for
regular price of
$15/student. Deadline to postmark your State payment.
Sat., Feb. 22, 2025, 9:00 a.m.: Submission of entries in the 7 virtual State events due (get
the link to a
Google Form from your teacher). Also,
Mary El-Beheri Memorial Scholarship and Sandra Dieckman GTHS Memorial
Scholarship
applications due (to submit the application, get the link to a Google
Form from your teacher).
Mon., Feb. 24, 2025, 8:00 p.m.:
Entries in
State promotional video
contest
due to State director.
Tue., Feb. 25, 2025, 11:59 p.m.: Remote
judging of the 7 virtual State events ends.
Sat., Mar. 1, 2025:
Texas State German Contest, Texas State
University, San Marcos.
Sat., Mar. 8, 2025, 11:59 p.m.: Houstonfest Scholarship applications due.
Sun., Mar. 16, 2025: Gail Cope
State Scholarship applications due.
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Houstonfest
Founded in 1980, Houstonfest
is an annual competition for Houston-area students in grades 8
through 12 (and some in grade 7) who are learning German. It offers 42 contests for
students in German I, II, III, IV, and V, including written and oral
tests, declamation, drama, art, and music. Because some contests have
multiple levels, there are actually 88 different competitions! These
include some competitions exclusively for "advantaged speakers"
and some that are conducted
virtually through online submission. Registration is accepted only from German
teachers registering their participating students as a group; we do not
accept registration from individual students.
Totally new to
contest? We know that it's a lot to take in. A good introduction to this sprawling enterprise is this new
two-page overview of the contest system.
Incentives
for schools new to Houstonfest
We had 483 students
from 18 schools registered for Houstonfest 2024 along
with at least 130 adult volunteers!
Teachers and others from
the local German-speaking community serve as judges. If you are interested
in serving as a judge, contact director
Rustin Buck by email and he'll
send you a link to a Google Form to sign up.
Entrants placing in the top five in each
event at Houstonfest, traditionally held on the first Saturday of
February, advance to the
Texas
State German Contest, traditionally held on the last Saturday of
February. Note that an exception
to these rules of thumb will occur in 2025, when Houstonfest will be on Saturday, February 8, and State on Saturday,
March 1. At State, Houstonfest's
winners compete against the winners of the other two Texas regional German competitions,
Winterfest
for the Dallas and North Texas area and
Sprachfest for
the Central and South Texas area.
Houstonfest
is held at Kingwood High School (starting in 2025) and State at Texas State
University in San Marcos.
After competition is over and while everyone is waiting for
the awards to be tabulated, we usually have
entertainment by the band
Das ist lustig and
local professional German folk dancers.
The
Tomball German
Festival also traditionally invites winning 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.
For more information:
New:
Overview of Texas German contest
system
Contest Promo Video #1
(students from one school tell why they love contest)
Contest
Promo Video #2
(one student tells why she loves contest)
New:
Contest Promo Video #3
(hilarious 2024 State-winning submission from our own
Klein Oak High School!)
Show your love for the Texas German contest
system by producing a promotional video and entering our contest (videos #1 and #3 above
are past winners).
You could win $250! Click here for the contest guidelines.
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The logo in the header is the
winning entry from the
Digital Logo Design
contest held at Houstonfest 2024.
It is by Kendra Lucero of
Brazoswood High School.
Danke schön
to these organizations who sponsor Houstonfest with monetary or in-kind
contributions!
Starbucks
SW Freeway @ Wilcrest
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When is the next Houstonfest?
Saturday,
February 8, 2025 Where
is Houstonfest?
Kingwood High School
2701 Kingwood Dr.
Kingwood, TX 77339
(new location in 2025!)
Link to Texas State German Contest
Texas
State German Contest on Facebook
Texas
State German Contest 40th Anniversary Facebook Group |