News and Updates

Changes and updates for 2024 (new!)

Contest Promo Video #1 (students from one school tell why they love contest)

Contest Promo Video #2 (one student tells why she loves contest)

Teacher-to-Teacher Tips

Houstonfest Scholarships

Scholarships at State

State Promo Video Contest

Tips for Pair Discussion

Arrival at Heights High School

Lunch options
 

Daily log of changes to state-qualifier list

Photo Gallery

Important Dates

Tue., Jan. 16, 2024, 11:59 p.m.:  Houstonfest registration spreadsheet due for regular price of $12/student (payment does not have to be mailed until 1/22).

Mon., Jan. 22, 2024, 11:59 p.m.:  Houstonfest registration spreadsheet due for late price of $15/student. Deadline to postmark Houstonfest payment.

Sat., Jan. 27, 2024, 9:00 a.m.:  Submission of entries in the 7 virtual Houstonfest events due (get link to Google Form from your teacher).

Tue., Jan. 30, 2024, 11:59 p.m.:  Remote judging of the 7 virtual Houstonfest events ends.

Wed., Jan. 31, 2024, 9:00 p.m.:  Houstonfest changes (adds, drops, substitutions) due. After this point, no more changes will be allowed.

Sat., Feb. 3, 2024:  Houstonfest, Heights High School, Houston.

Fri., Feb. 9, 2024, 11:59 p.m.:  State online registration due for "early bird" price of $12/student (payment does not have to be mailed until 2/14).

Wed., Feb. 14, 2024, 11:59 p.m.:  State online registration due for regular price of $15/student. Deadline to postmark State payment.

Sat., Feb. 17, 2024, 9:00 a.m.:  Submission of entries in the 7 virtual State events due (get link to Google Form from your teacher). Also, Mary El-Beheri Memorial Scholarship applications due.

Mon., Feb. 19, 2024, 8:00 p.m.:  Entries in promotional video contest due to State director.

Tue., Feb. 20, 2024, 11:59 p.m.:  Remote judging of the 7 virtual State events ends.

Sat., Feb. 24, 2024:  Texas State German Contest, Texas State University, San Marcos.

Sat., Mar. 2, 2024, 11:59 p.m.:  Houstonfest Scholarship applications due.

Sun., Mar. 10, 2024:  Gail Cope State Scholarship applications due.

rolling basis:  submit Gail Cope Teacher Grant applications.

Rules

All rules in one document

Rules for the 7 virtual events in one document

Show your love for the Texas German contest system by producing a promotional video and entering our contest. You could win $250! Click here for the contest guidelines.

Teachers must collect and submit this Consent and Release of Liability form for each student who participates in any virtual event at Houstonfest (and State). (Technically, this applies only to students entering one of the seven virtual events, but if for simplicity's sake you decide to collect them from all your students, that's certainly fine.) The forms of all students participating from each school must be scanned or otherwise consolidated into ONE PDF document and submitted before the date of the regional contest using this Google Form. The initial submission will also be good for the State contest (no need to resubmit for State).

General rules:

• All participants in Houstonfest are responsible for taking care of and keeping up with their own belongings. Neither the host school (Heights High School), its German teacher Mark Johnson, Houstonfest, Houstonfest director Rustin Buck, the Houstonfest steering committee, nor the umbrella organization Texas State German Contests, Inc. is responsible for items lost or left behind at the contest.

• Only German teachers may register students for Houstonfest; we do not accept registration from individual students.

• Any German teacher who registers one or more contestants must attend Houstonfest and serve as a judge (unless the director grants an exemption, which will be done only in extremely extraordinary situations).

• Teachers should follow their school district's policy regarding student eligibility to participate in contests.

• Each contestant...

  • must be in grade 7*, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 ( * 7th-graders may enter if they are enrolled in a course that earns them credit for German I by the end of 7th grade, i.e., they will move on to German II in 8th grade; students who are taking German 1a in 7th grade and will continue to German 1b in 8th grade should wait until their 8th-grade year to start entering contest);

  • must be a student at a school where the registering teacher works;

  • must be currently enrolled in a German course at that school, or if not, must have previously completed at least two years of German instruction AND be a current member of that school's German Club or German NHS. There are two exceptions to this:  A Classical Ensemble may contain one "wild-card" student who is not currently taking and has not previously taken German. A Polka Band may contain up to two such "wild-card" students. "Wild-card" entries are allowed only in these two events.

The spirit of the foregoing rule is to prevent a school from stacking its entries with "mercenary" artists, dancers, musicians, writers, etc. who have no real connection to the school's German program in order to bolster the team's entries. On the other hand, we do not want to exclude the occasional student who loves German and who took two or three years of it and who wants to continue participating in Houstonfest but who, for whatever reason, is not currently taking German. Please note, however, that any contestant not currently enrolled in a German course should be entered in the level they would be in if they had continued taking German. For example, if John stops taking German after completing German III but still wants to enter Houstonfest the next year, he should be entered in Level 4 events.

The contest director may assign a designated contest photographer to take pictures or video footage throughout contest for informational or publicity purposes. This will be immediately submitted to the director on contest day. No student faces may be used from this footage.

However, the contest director will accept video segments as well as still photos from individual schools after contest has occurred (to be used for promotional purposes, e.g., on the website). By submitting these, teachers give permission for Houstonfest and Texas State German Contests, Inc. to use them for informational or publicity purposes. Before submitting such photos/videos, teachers must make sure that students have permission forms on file at their school allowing for photos/videos to be used on the website.