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News and Updates
Houstonfest Scholarships -
2026 Winners Announced!
Scholarships at State
NEW: Pass auf! Preparation
Houstonfest history
Changes and
updates for 2026
Arrival at Kingwood High School
Lunch options
Teacher-to-teacher tips
Tips for Pair Discussion
Daily log of changes to
State-qualifier list
State promo video contest
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!)
Contest
promo video #4 (2025 State-winning submission from
Cedar Ridge High School)
Photo gallery
Important Dates
Mon., Jan. 12, 2026, 4:00 p.m.: Application for
transportation grants from the Houston Saengerbund opens; link will be sent to teachers.
Fri., Jan. 16, 2026, 11:59 p.m.: Application for
transportation grants from the Houston Saengerbund closes.
Wed., Jan. 21, 2026, 11:59
p.m.: Houstonfest registration
spreadsheet due for regular price of $15/student (payment does not have
to be mailed until 1/28).
Wed., Jan. 28, 2026, 11:59
p.m.: Houstonfest registration spreadsheet
due
for late price of $20/student. Deadline to postmark Houstonfest payment.
Sat., Jan. 31, 2026, 9:00 a.m.: Submission of entries in the 7 virtual Houstonfest events due (get
the link to
the Google Form from your teacher - it was sent to teachers on Tue., Jan. 27).
Tue., Feb. 3, 2026, 11:59 p.m.: Remote
judging of the 7 virtual Houstonfest events ends.
Wed., Feb. 4, 2026, 10:00 p.m.: Houstonfest changes (adds,
drops, substitutions) due. After this point, no more changes will be allowed.
Sat., Feb. 7, 2026:
Houstonfest,
Kingwood High School, Houston.
Fri., Feb. 13, 2026, 11:59 p.m.: State
online registration due for "early bird" price of $15/student (payment does not
have to be mailed until 2/21).
Wed., Feb. 18, 2026, 11:59 p.m.: State
online registration due
for
regular price of
$20/student (payment does not have to be mailed until 2/21).
Sat., Feb. 21, 2026, 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). Deadline to postmark your State payment.
Mon., Feb. 23, 2026, 8:00 p.m.:
Entries in
State promotional video
contest
due to State director. Link to submission form was emailed to teachers on Fri.,
Feb. 20.
Tue., Feb. 24, 2026, 11:59 p.m.: Remote
judging of the 7 virtual State events ends.
Sat., Feb. 28, 2026:
Texas State German Contest,
Texas State
University, San Marcos.
Sat., Mar. 7, 2026, 11:59 p.m.: Houstonfest
Scholarship applications due.
Sun., Mar. 15, 2026: Gail Cope
State Scholarship applications due (link to
application form was sent to teachers by State director on 3/2/26).
between Thu., Jan. 1 and Thu., Apr. 30, 2026: submit
Gail Cope Teacher Grant applications.
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Daily Log of
Changes to State-Qualifier List
After Houstonfest, some schools and individuals
opt not to attend State for various reasons. Teachers should inform the
Houstonfest director as soon as possible if their school as a whole or any
individuals from their school will not participate in State. When this happens, the name
of each entry that will not attend State is dropped from the state-qualifier
list, and the next entry (from places 6-10) is moved up. These changes are
reflected in the results spreadsheet
and eventually on the
qualifier list on the State website, but for the convenience of teachers who
are watching for changes that affect their students, this page will also contain
a log of the changes made each day. Whenever possible, the Houstonfest director
will also contact the teacher of anyone who can move up to inform them directly.
Clarification of policy effective
starting in 2023: If a student who qualifies for State cannot
physically attend the State contest, follow these procedures:
-
For individual in-person
events (written tests, one-person oral tests, poetry memory, prose memory,
vocal solo), you must inform the Houstonfest director so that he can drop your
student and move up the next student from places 6-10. You do NOT have the
option to replace the student in such events with someone else from your
school.
-
For any of the 7 virtual
events (digital logo design, oral presentation, photo essay, poetry
reading, prose reading, research paper, video show), the entry is already complete
(although you're certainly welcome to revise/improve it before State if you
want to),
so enter the student in State and submit the virtual entry for them (or they
can submit it themselves), even though they are not attending in person. If
you opt not to enter it after all, inform the Houstonfest director so that it
can be dropped.
-
For non-virtual art events,
enter the student in State and bring the project to State for them, even
though they are not attending in person. If you opt not to enter it after all,
inform the Houstonfest director so that it can be dropped.
-
For pair events (duet
acting, Einzeltanz, pair discussion), if ONE member of a pair from your
school cannot physically attend State but the other one can, you may replace
the one who can't attend with another student from your school from an
appropriate level (if applicable), provided that the replacement student is
not already part of another pair entering that same event at State. If BOTH
members of a pair cannot attend State, you must inform the Houstonfest
director that you are dropping that event.
-
For group events (those
with three or more participants), you may replace a student who cannot
physically attend State with another student from your school from an
appropriate level (if applicable).
-
In all cases where one student
replaces another at State, reflect the change in your State alpha list
and be aware that the judges will make no special accommodations for
replacement students joining a group at the last minute (e.g., they will be
penalized if they have to read from a script or sheet music in an event that
requires memorization).
Changes made on
2/9/2026:
To fill
spots at State left unclaimed by Sprachfest
and/or Winterfest, the following groups are
invited to compete at State (but will earn no
sweepstakes points or credit towards any
individual scholarship). Please let Rustin Buck
know whether you accept the offer:
Bellaire HS:
Skit 2 (6th
place) - declined.
Clements HS:
Classical
Ensemble (7th place) - accepted.
Grand Oaks HS:
Duet Acting Upper
(Diaz/Gonzalez) (7th place) - accepted.
Varsity Pass
auf! (6th place) - accepted.
Puppet Show Upper
(6th place) - accepted.
Skit 1 (6th
place) - accepted.
Skit 4 (6th
place) - accepted.
Heights HS:
Scavenger Hunt
(6th place) - accepted.
Jordan HS:
Duet Acting Lower
(Suraparaju/Zhang)
(6th place) - accepted.
Duet Acting Lower
(Berger/Newton)
(7th place) - accepted.
Duet Acting Upper
(Jarrett/Steinfurth)
(6th place) - accepted.
The Woodlands HS:
Folk Dance
(6th place) - accepted.
Tomball
Memorial HS:
Einzeltanz (Kohut/Morales)
(6th place) - accepted.
Tompkins HS:
Classical
Ensemble
(6th place) - accepted.
Contemporary
Music (Day/Mozisek)
(6th place) - declined.
Einzeltanz (Cozzie/Flores
Nucamendi)
(7th place) - accepted.
Changes made on
2/9/2026:
Affecting
Kingwood HS:
Drop I.
Tomongha (Jordan HS) from Culture 4, move
up Noah Herbst (Kingwood HS).
Drop M.
Vasan (Jordan HS) from Listening
Comprehension 2, move up Gustavo Pinto
(Kingwood HS).
Changes made on
2/12/2026:
Affecting Jordan HS:
Drop C. Stone (Taylor HS) from
Poetry Memory 2,
move up Jessica Lui (Jordan HS).
Affecting Taylor HS:
Drop D. Prabhu (Cinco Ranch HS) from
Culture 3,
move up Noelle Zunker (Taylor HS).
Affecting Tomball Memorial HS:
Drop E. Bramlett (Cinco Ranch HS) from
Directed Dialogue 2,
move up Jude Buckman (Tomball Memorial HS).
Drop E. Bramlett (Cinco Ranch HS) from
Timed Writing 2,
move up Jude Buckman (Tomball Memorial HS).
Affecting Tompkins HS:
Drop M. Labnongsang (Cinco Ranch HS) from
Extemporaneous Speaking 3,
move up Adhitya Nadathur (Tompkins HS).
Change made on
2/15/2026:
Affecting The Woodlands HS:
Drop Y. Niu (British Int'l) from
Sight Reading 2,
move up Madison Mueller (The Woodlands HS).
Change made on
2/17/2026:
Affecting Tomball Memorial HS:
Drop J. Lui (Jordan HS) from
Poetry Memory 2,
move up Joseph Macon (Tomball Memorial HS).
Changes made on
2/19/2026:
Affecting Bellaire HS:
Drop J. Macon (Tomball Memorial HS)
and M. Romero (Bellaire HS) from
Poetry Memory 2,
move up Atticus Hammer (Bellaire HS).
Affecting Jordan HS:
Drop E. Jeffryes (Heights HS) from
Listening Comprehension 1,
move up Deeksha Suraparaju (Jordan HS).
Affecting Tomball Memorial HS:
Drop E. Murtuzali (British Int'l) from
Poetry Memory 3,
move up Shantanu Patil (Tomball Memorial HS).
Affecting XX HS:
Drop XX (XX HS) from XX,
move up XX (XX HS).
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When is the next Houstonfest?
Saturday,
February 6, 2027 Where
is Houstonfest?
99% certain:
Heights High School
413 E. 13th St.
Houston, TX 77008
Link to Texas State German Contest
Texas
State German Contest on Facebook
Texas
State German Contest 40th Anniversary Facebook Group |