Houstonfest - Research Paper 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!)

Important Dates

Mon., Jan. 12, 2026, 4:00 p.m.: Application for transportation grants from the Houston Saengerbund opens (if grants are approved for 2026); link will be sent to teachers.

Fri., Jan. 16, 2026, 11:59 p.m.: Application for transportation grants from the Houston Saengerbund closes (if grants are approved for 2026).

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 link to Google Form from your teacher).

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.

Tue., Feb. 24, 2025, 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.

xxx., Mar. xx, 2026: Gail Cope State Scholarship applications due.

between Sat., Mar. 1 and Thu., Apr. 30, 2026: submit Gail Cope Teacher Grant applications.

Rules: Research Paper

Entry Limit: 2 research papers per school with 1-2 authors each; if 2 entries are submitted, they must be by 2 different authors or pairs of authors (i.e., no contestant may work on more than 1 paper)

Length Limits: minimum 700 words, maximum 1000 words, not including Works Cited

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.

Write a research paper in English on an interesting German-Texan cultural and/or historical topic. The topic should be a little-known person, family, place, building, business, area, group, settlement, organization, church, tradition, activity, practice, etc. The paper should contribute to a greater understanding of German-Texan history and/or culture. The entry must be typed and double-spaced in 12-point Times New Roman or Arial font and include proper in-text citation and a Works Cited page, as per MLA (Modern Language Association) guidelines. Follow the rules in the latest MLA Style Sheet, paying special attention to rules for entering Internet sources. Contestants must use a minimum of 3 sources, at least 2 of which must be non-Internet. Digitally archived sources originally published in hard copy may be counted as non-Internet sources. Sources must include both primary and secondary sources. Primary sources are evidence in the form of artifacts, photos, letters, interviews, music, charts, illustrations, etc. with a direct connection to the era being studied. They may be personally documented by the contestant(s) (photos taken, interviews recorded) or found in personal collections, archives, libraries, museums, etc. Secondary sources are documents that discuss or analyze primary sources and topics - primarily other academic work. Important: The entry must be written solely in a Google Doc. The revision history of the paper will be checked from inception (blank document) to submission. Writing in/from a different platform and then pasting into a Google Doc will result in disqualification of the entry. Plagiarism, which may include insufficient internal citation or Works Cited, as well as AI-generated text will result in automatic disqualification. New in 2026: If using a school Google account, it is the student's responsibility to make sure that they can share a Google Doc outside of their school district. If district policy prohibits sharing, write the paper in a personal Google account.

Using MLA Style, include your name(s), your school, the date, and the title of the paper at the top of page 1.
To include photographs, other images, and/or audio materials, add an appendix after the Works Cited page. Images may be pasted directly into the document. Audio files should be linked, e.g., via a Google Drive link.
Submit the entry according to the instructions provided in the Google Form for submissions, which will include BOTH the link to the Google Doc of the completed research paper, including the Works Cited and any appendix, AND a PDF of the document. When sharing the Google Doc (generating the link), set the "General access" to "Anyone with the link" and "Editor." New in 2026: If this is not correctly set, a 10-point deduction will be applied, and failure to correct the setting within 24 hours of being notified of an incorrect setting will result in disqualification.

Download critique sheet.

Read about

scholarships for the winners of the Research Paper contest at State!

Help with MLA Style:

Purdue University MLA Formatting and Style Guide

Note: Use the 9th edition of the MLA Handbook. If you use online "cheat sheets" that claim to summarize MLA rules, such as the one linked above, rather than referring to the actual MLA Handbook, you do so at your own risk. Make sure that any website you are using is based on the 9th edition from 2021.