Art Rules

Entry Limit:  One album 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 activities.

Click here to download the critique sheet for Club Album.

Preparation Tip: Make the Club Album the responsibility of your German Club and/or German NHS secretary and/or historian.

Entry Limit: Three crafts per school; may be individual or group projects. Only one craft per school may go on to State; this is because at other regions, only one craft per school is accepted. 

Spending Limit:  $60.00 max. (Items used from home must be accounted for, given a monetary value, and included with receipts.)

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 student is trying to use, e.g. gothic cathedrals, Black Forest cuckoo clock, Bavarian-style hat, 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.

LABEL your entry with name, school, and any other information requested in rules!  You would not believe the number of entries we get that aren’t labeled!

Click here to download the critique sheet for Crafts.

Note on Spending Limit: It is acceptable to use items that you already have at home, 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, etc. – not a random number that you pulled out of the air). The value of any such items DOES count toward your spending limit.  If you do not include the requested information, there will be a 10 point deduction to the cumulative score.

This event is submitted and judged virtually. The entry is due one week prior to contest day. Websites will be updated each year to reflect the submission due dates.  Instructions for uploading the entry will be published on the contest website and/or distributed to teachers each year.

Entry Limit:  One entry per school; may be an individual or group project

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

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). Image(s) taken from Internet or any other source is 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 creation and design by contestant(s) must be included. Any words, except for the contest name, must be in German.

The 1st Place logo from each regional contest and the Texas State German Contest will become the official logo of that contest for the following year. It may be used for print and digital material, 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.

Click here to download the critique sheet for Digital Logo Design.

Entry Limit:  Two dolls per school: may be an individual or group project – Dolls must be submitted by 2 separate contestants or groups of contestants

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

Spending Limit:  $4.00 max. (Items used from home must be accounted for, given a monetary value, and included with receipts.)

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.

LABEL your entry with name, school, and any other information requested in rules!  You would not believe the number of entries we get that aren’t labeled!

Click here to download the critique sheet for Doll Costume.

Note on Spending Limit: It is acceptable to use items that you already have at home, 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, etc. – not a random number that you pulled out of the air). The value of any such items DOES count toward your spending limit.  If you do not include the requested information, there will be a 10 point deduction to the cumulative score.

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

Spending Limit:  $4.00 max. (Items used from home must be accounted for, given a monetary value, and included with receipts.)

Size Limits:  Length and width of primary structure:  minimum 9″ per dimension, maximum 24″ per dimension; height: 24″ max. (Measurements will be made from wall to wall with a 1/2″ variance.)  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.

LABEL your entry with name, school, and any other information requested in rules!  You would not believe the number of entries we get that aren’t labeled!

Click here to download the critique sheet for Gingerbread House.

Note on Spending Limit: It is acceptable to use items that you already have at home, 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, etc. – not a random number that you pulled out of the air). The value of any such items DOES count toward your spending limit.  If you do not include the requested information, there will be a 10 point deduction to the cumulative score.

Preparation Tips: Winning entries tend to approach the maximum allowable dimensions; small may be cute, but it generally does not win. Also, start early! Completing the gingerbread house will take you longer than you think!

Entry Limit:  Two entries per school; may be an individual or a group project. Entries must be submitted by 2 separate contestants or groups of contestants.

Spending Limit:  $45.00 max. (Items used from home must be accounted for, given a monetary value, and included with receipts.)

Only embroidery, needlepoint, cross-stitch, or quilting are allowed. Sewing machines may be used; however, handwork must be prominently featured in the finished product. Everything 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.

LABEL your entry with name, school, and any other information requested in rules!  You would not believe the number of entries we get that aren’t labeled!

Click here to download the critique sheet for Needlework.

Note on Spending Limit: It is acceptable to use items that you already have at home, 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, etc. – not a random number that you pulled out of the air). The value of any such items DOES count toward your spending limit.  If you do not include the requested information, there will be a 10 point deduction to the cumulative score.

Entry Limit: Three models per school: may be individual or group projects. Only one model per school may go on to State; this is because at other regions, only one craft per school is accepted. 

Spending Limit:  $4.00 max. (Items used from home must be accounted for, given a monetary value, and included with receipts.)

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.

LABEL your entry with name, school, and any other information requested in rules!  You would not believe the number of entries we get that aren’t labeled!

Click here to download the critique sheet for Original Models.

Note on Spending Limit: It is acceptable to use items that you already have at home, 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, etc. – not a random number that you pulled out of the air). The value of any such items DOES count toward your spending limit.  If you do not include the requested information, there will be a 10 point deduction to the cumulative score.

There are three categories: Black & White, Oils & Acrylics, and Pastels & Watercolors. Painting events do not qualify for State because the other regions do not have these events.

Entry Limit: A school may have 3 entries in each category, but an individual student may enter only one piece of art in each category.

All art must represent something Germanic. Although a participant may paint a beautiful apple, it would not be considered eligible. The art may be original or a copy of a painting or a picture. If the artwork is a copy, a picture of the original must accompany the entry.  If the art is original, its connection to a Germanic theme must be documented. If it is a landscape, please document the location in a German speaking country. If it is a portrait, please identify the subject and his/her relationship to German.

LABEL your entry with name, school, and any other information requested in rules!  You would not believe the number of entries we get that aren’t labeled!

Click here to download the critique sheet for Painting.

This event is submitted and judged virtually. The entry is due one week prior to contest day. Websites will be updated each year to reflect the submission due dates.  Instructions for uploading the entry will be published on the contest website and/or distributed to teachers each year.

Entry Limit: Three photo essays per school; may be an individual or group project. Only one photo essay per school may go on to State.

Photo Limits: 10 – 20 photos

Format: .pdf

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.

Click here to download the critique sheet for Photo Essay.

Submission Process:

You may choose one of two methods for assembling the photo essay: arrange the photos and captions digitally in Google Slides, Microsoft PowerPoint, etc. OR 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 then assemble these pictures in Google Slides, Microsoft PowerPoint, etc.

With either method, you must add a title slide with your name(s), school, the event “Photo Essay,” and the title of the project. Convert this file to a single PDF and upload it according to the instructions provided.

The first page of the PDF must include your name(s), school, the name of the event (“Photo Essay”), and the title of your entry. Subsequent pages should contain your pictures and accompanying story.

Preparation Tip: Students, you should come up with the original wording, but it is suggested that you have a more-experienced speaker (teacher, exchange student, German speaker from the community, etc) check it for grammar and syntax.

Entry Limit:  Three entries per school: Entries consist of a single student’s work – NO group entries.  Photos must be submitted by three separate contestants. Only two entries may go on to State.

Size Limits:  5” X 7” minimum

Entries consist of 1 photograph, which may include only one image or multiple images.  Image(s) must be original and taken by the contestant.  Image(s) taken from Internet or any other source is/are unacceptable.  Image(s) may be either black-and-white or color, or a combination of both. 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” X 6” original, unaltered photo(s) indicating when and where taken.

LABEL your entry with name, school, and any other information requested in rules!  You would not believe the number of entries we get that aren’t labeled!

Click here to download the critique sheet for Photography.

Entry Limit:  One entry per school; may be an individual or group project

Size Limit:  One piece of poster board, 22″ by 26″

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.

LABEL your entry with name, school, and any other information requested in rules!  You would not believe the number of entries we get that aren’t labeled!

Click here to download the critique sheet for Poster Design.

Preparation Tip: Students, you should come up with the original wording, but it is suggested that you have a more-experienced speaker (teacher, exchange student, German speaker from the community, etc) check it for grammar and syntax.

Entry Limit:  One entry per school; may be an individual or group project

Spending Limit:  $4.00 max. (Items used from home must be accounted for, given a monetary value, and included with receipts.)

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. The design may be silk-screened, copied, or painted. For the design to be eligible, it must be on a shirt or sweatshirt. Receipts for the shirt and the supplies must be provided with the entry.

LABEL your entry with name, school, and any other information requested in rules!  You would not believe the number of entries we get that aren’t labeled!

Click here to download the critique sheet for Shirt Design.

Preparation Tip: Students, you should come up with the original wording, but it is suggested that you have a more-experienced speaker (teacher, exchange student, German speaker from the community, etc) check it for grammar and syntax.