Houstonfest - Arts Rules

News and Updates

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!)

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.

Rules: Art Events

General rules for all art events:

When an event has a spending limit and requires that receipts be provided (Crafts, Doll Costume, Gingerbread House, Needlework, Original Model, Shirt Design), it is acceptable to use items that you already have at home (e.g., flour for your gingerbread house, fabric for your doll costume, etc.), but you MUST include with your receipts a written statement explaining which items you already had on hand along with documentation of the approximate price you would have had to pay for those items had you actually purchased them (e.g., a clipping from a store's weekly sales flyer, a price quote from an online retailer, ebay, Craig's List, etc. -- not a random number that you pulled out of the air). The value of any such items DOES count toward your spending limit.
Failure to include receipts for an artwork as required in the rules will result in a 10-point deduction from the cumulative score.
Failure to include at least the contestant's name and school on an artwork as required in the rules will result in a 10-point deduction from the cumulative score.
It is strongly recommended that you attach this card to all art entries except digital logos and photo essays (which are both now being submitted digitally). This will help the judges greatly by standardizing the way entries are labeled. Extra copies of this card will be available at the contest site.

Club Album:

Entry Limit: 1 entry per school (may be an individual or group project).

The album may be dated from the day of the previous year's Regional Contest (usually the first Saturday in February) until the day before the current year's Regional Contest (usually the first Saturday in February). It should include pictures, articles, artifacts, etc., concerning activities of the German Club. Size and format is open to the choice of the contestants. Originality is strongly encouraged. This should not just be a photo album, but rather a record of the German Club's activities. Be sure to include the name(s) of contestant(s), the school, and the city in a conspicuous place on or inside the entry.

Download critique sheet. Download card for labeling entry.

Crafts:

Entry Limit: 1 entry per school (may be an individual or group project).

Spending Limit: $60 maximum (Along with receipts for purchases made specifically for the project, items used from home must also be listed, assigned a monetary value, and included in the $60 total.)

A craft is the creation of something new and unique. It should be representative of a style or genre, without being a copy or model of an existing item or structure; however, it must relate to German culture. Contestants must create all projects from scratch. No kits. The craft must be clearly named, e.g. Dom, Kuckucksuhr, Trachtenhut, etc., and it should include a backdrop or diorama. Project should include some form of documentation showing the style or genre that the contestant is trying to use, e.g., Gothic-style cathedrals, Black Forest cuckoo clock, crocheted article in Bavarian colors, etc. Possible entries are by no means limited to examples cited within these rules. Documentation should include appropriate citation of sources. Photos of the various stages of the creation process would also be helpful to the judges in determining if the project was actually constructed by the contestant(s). Receipts for expenses must also be included in the documentation. Each entry should have a card with the name(s) of the contestant(s), the school, the city, and the category "Crafts" on it.

Download critique sheet. Download card for labeling entry.

Digital Logo Design:

Entry Limit: 2 entries per school (may be an individual or a group project, but if 2 entries are submitted, they must be by 2 different contestants or groups of contestants) (increased from 1 entry to 2 entries starting in 2025).

Size Limits and Formats: 1-2 megabytes; 2400 × 2000 px; .jpg, .gif, or .pdf

This is a "virtual event." You must submit your entry no later than 1 week before the contest. Specific instructions for uploading the entry will be published on the contest website and/or distributed to teachers each year.

The first-place logo from Houstonfest [and likewise the first-place logo from State] will become the official logo of that contest for the following year. It may be used for print and digital materials, including the contest website. Thus, if incorporating a year into the logo (it is not required), use the next year, e.g., at the 2040 contest, use the year 2041 if you use any year at all. [State qualifiers are encouraged to adapt their regional design to reflect the State contest.] Contestant(s) should NOT include their name(s) or school in the image of the logo itself.

The logo must be German-related and some element of the design must relate to German contest. The logo may be animated or still. All images within the design must be original artwork and/or photos designed by or taken by the contestant(s). Images taken from the Internet or any other source are unacceptable. Contestant(s) may use pictures they have taken from prior contest years; however, no student faces may be visible. Photos of the various stages of the creation and design process by the contestant(s) must be included in a separate PDF from the logo itself. Any words, except for the contest name, must be in German.

Download critique sheet.

Doll Costume:

Entry Limit: 2 entries per school (may be an individual or a group project, but if 2 entries are submitted, they must be by 2 different contestants or groups of contestants).

Doll Size Limits: 12-36" tall; Barbie-doll-size costumes are unacceptable.

Spending Limit: $60 maximum (Along with receipts for purchases made specifically for the project, items used from home must also be listed, assigned a monetary value, and included in the $60 total.)

The costume may be representative of traditions in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, or Liechtenstein but must be a student-made folk costume for a doll. The doll itself may be hand-made or store-bought. Contestant(s) must include a backdrop which contains information about the costume and the place it represents. Documentation should include appropriate citation of sources. Receipts for expenses must also be included in the documentation. Each entry should have a card with the name(s) of the contestant(s), the school, the city, and the category "Doll Costume" on it.

Download critique sheet. Download card for labeling entry.

Gingerbread House:

Entry Limit: 1 house of each style per school (may be an individual or group project): Non-Traditional, Traditional.

Spending Limit: $60 maximum (Along with receipts for purchases made specifically for the project, items used from home must also be listed, assigned a monetary value, and included in the $60 total.)

Size Limits:

Length and width of primary structure: minimum 9" per dimension, maximum 24" per dimension (measurements from wall to wall with a ½" variance).

Height: maximum 24".

Length and width of base: maximum 36" per dimension.

There are two categories in which each school may enter: traditional houses (like the Hänsel and Gretel house) and non-traditional houses (such as tree houses, shoe houses, castles, churches, etc.). Contestant(s) must build all houses from scratch. No kits. Use any recipe. All visible elements of the project must be edible, except for the base. The primary house or structure must have a roof on it. Photos of the actual building of the house would be helpful to the judges in determining if the house was actually built by the contestant(s). Receipts for expenses must also be included in the documentation. Each house should have a card with the name(s) of the contestant(s), the school, the city, and the category of house (traditional or non-traditional) on it.

Download critique sheet. Download card for labeling entry.

Needlework:

Entry Limit: 2 entries per school (may be an individual or a group project, but if 2 entries are submitted, they must be by 2 different contestants or groups of contestants).

Spending Limit: $60 maximum (Along with receipts for purchases made specifically for the project, items used from home must also be listed, assigned a monetary value, and included in the $60 total.)

Only embroidery, needlepoint, cross-stitch, or quilting are allowed. Sewing machines may be used; however, handwork must be prominently featured in the finished product. Entries must be related to a German theme, such as state or national symbols of German-speaking areas, landscapes, folk traditions, fairy tales, proverbs, etc. Needlework should include some brief form of documentation depicting the design process and progress of the work. Documentation should include appropriate citation of sources. Receipts for expenses must also be included in the documentation. Each entry should have a card with the name(s) of the contestant(s), the school, the city, and the category "Needlework" on it.

Download critique sheet. Download card for labeling entry.

Original Models:

Entry Limit: 1 model per school (may be an individual or group project).

Spending Limit: $60maximum (Along with receipts for purchases made specifically for the project, items used from home must also be listed, assigned a monetary value, and included in the $60 total.)

An original model is a re-creation of a specific object that exists or existed in a German-speaking country or is/was a German-Texan structure. Contestants must build all projects from scratch. No kits. The model must be clearly named, e.g. Kölner Dom, Brandenburger Tor, Bavarian Battle Helmet, etc., and it should include a backdrop or diorama. Project should include some form of documentation as to how the original structure/object looked, from various angles if possible. Documentation should include appropriate citation of sources. Photos of the various stages of construction would also be helpful to the judges in determining if the project was actually constructed by the contestant(s). Receipts for expenses must also be included in the documentation. Each entry should have a card with the name(s) of the contestant(s), the school, the city, and the category "Original Model" on it.

Download critique sheet. Download card for labeling entry.

Photo Essay:

Entry Limit: 1 entry per school (may be an individual or a group project)

Photo Limits: 10-20 photos

This is a "virtual event." You must submit your entry no later than one week before the contest. Specific instructions for uploading the entry will be published on the contest website and/or distributed to teachers each year.

Contestant(s) will write an original story in German to accompany a series of photographs. The story may not be taken in whole or in part from any print or online source, and no advantaged or native speakers may assist with the writing of the story. Photos must be originals taken by the contestant(s). Photos may be either black-and-white or color, or a combination of both. Any size photo is acceptable. The photos may concern any subject, but the part of the story telling what is happening in each photo should be displayed directly under/over/next to the photo.
Two methods of assembling the photo essay are acceptable: a) arrange the photos and captions digitally in Google Slides, Microsoft PowerPoint, etc.; OR b) mount the photos and captions physically on a poster board (22" x 28", no larger, no smaller) and then take a picture of the entire poster as well as individual pictures of the photos and captions and assemble these pictures in Google Slides, Microsoft PowerPoint, etc.
With either method, add a title slide with your name(s), school, the words "Photo Essay," and the title of the project.
Convert this file to a PDF and upload it according to the instructions provided.

Download critique sheet.

Photography:

Entry Limit: 2 entries per school (Entries consist of a single student's work - NO group entries. Photos must be submitted by 2 different contestants.)

Size Limits: 5" × 7" minimum.

Entries consist of 1 photograph, which may include 1 image or multiple images. Image(s) must be original and taken by the contestant. Images taken from the Internet or any other source are unacceptable. Image(s) may be either black-and-white or color, or a combination of both. The photo must be matted and/or framed. The photo must have a German theme, which may be candid or staged. The name of the contestant, the school, and the city must be on the back of the matte/frame. For all images used, additional documentation must include 4" × 6" original, unaltered photo(s) indicating when and where taken.

Download critique sheet. Download card for labeling entry.

Poster Design:

Size Limit: 1 piece of 22" × 28" poster board, no larger and no smaller.

The poster may be about any German-related topic. There must be at least 10 different German words on the poster, or at least 10 words forming a complete German sentence or phrase. Posters must be made by hand-drawing and/or with hand-made extras. No computer-made posters will be accepted. The name(s) of the contestant(s), the school, and the city must be on the back of the poster.

Download critique sheet. Download card for labeling entry.

Because volunteers will hang the posters on a wall using sticky tack so that the judges can view them more easily and naturally, you should attach the card so that it hangs down from the bottom edge of the poster rather than pasting/taping it to the back of the poster.

Shirt Design:

Spending Limit: $60 maximum (Along with receipts for purchases made specifically for the project, items used from home must also be listed, assigned a monetary value, and included in the $60 total.)

No German Club shirts. The design of the shirt should be German-related. All words must be in German, with a minimum of 5 different words - no maximum. Design must be artistically hand-designed, i.e., no store bought decals, AND the design must be hand-applied by the contestant(s), regardless of technique used, e.g., silk-screened, copied, or painted. Photos of the design and application process would be helpful to the judges. For the design to be eligible, it must be on a T-shirt or sweatshirt. Receipts for the shirt and the supplies must be provided with the entry. Each shirt should have a card with the name(s) of the contestant(s), the school, and the city attached to it.

Download critique sheet. Download card for labeling entry.