Oratorical Contest 2023 Rules

 

ORATORICAL CONTEST 2023

Video Entry Submission Deadline: Saturday, Mar 11, 2023

Participants advancing to Finals have been notified!

To submit video entry, follow guidelines below, upload video to YouTube and submit the video link with the receipt # via the form here.

Finals Live Oratorical Date/Time: Saturday, Mar 25, 2023 3.30 pm EDT/2.30 pm CDT/12.30 pm PDT

We know the information below may be overwhelming. Please read it in its entirety. We have addressed most of your questions below. If you still have questions after reading the information provided, please email beecontest@accesslifeamerica.org

 

Contest Levels:

There are 2 levels in Online ALA Oratorical Contest 2023. The contest will provide a platform for kids to think and speak clearly. Students must participate based on their Grade, either in Level I or Level II. They are not allowed to participate in two or more levels.

        • Oratorical Level I: Grades 3, 4 and 5
        • Oratorical Level II: Grades 6, 7 and 8

Oratory Prompt/Topic

  • GRADES 3, 4 and 5: 
    • What would you do if you had no TV or Video Games? 
  • GRADES 6, 7 and 8: 
    • Has the internet been a positive or negative force for society?

Contest Guidelines

  • The following outline is designed to facilitate the procedure(s) of the Video entry and Live Final Oratorical Contest.
  • The contest is organized in TWO (2) segments.
    • SEGMENT 1: Short Oratorical Video 
      • Maximum Time Permitted: 2 minutes
      • Video Entry Form with YouTube Link must be completed
      • Deadline for Submission: Mar 11, 2023, 11.59 pm Local time
      • Only Top Seven (7) or fewer places from the video entry submission will advance to the Live Oratorical Competition
    • SEGMENT 2: Finals (Live Oratorical)
      • Maximum Time Permitted: 4 minutes

Format/Rules/Disqualification:

  • SEGMENT 1 (Video Entry Submission):
  1. Participants must present solo in English.
  2. Participants must submit a short oratorical video.
  3. Length of video:
    1. The length of the video should be no less than 30 seconds and no longer than 120 seconds (2 minutes) for Segment 1.
  4. PENALTY: If under 30 seconds or over 120 seconds, the participant will be disqualified.
  5. Video must be uploaded to YouTube and be made available for viewing by judges on or before the deadline Mar 11, 2023 11.59 pm local time.
  6. Please post the video to YouTube and copy the YouTube video link to the video entry form. Click here for video entry form. It is the participant’s responsibility to ensure the link works and can be viewed by the judges by following the video upload instructions.
  7. Please ensure the video settings are set to “PUBLIC” or “UNLISTED” in order to allow the judges to view the videos. 
    1. Note: The YouTube video submission must NOT be marked private. This will automatically disqualify the participant.
    2. See YouTube Video Upload Instructions
  8. No exceptions will be made for late submissions. The video submission link will be closed and any entries received after the deadline will be automatically disqualified.
  9. The video entry form https://forms.gle/WmfDRrpk9Dvh5Vyf8 must be filled in with the YouTube link, receipt # and participant registration information.
  10. No changes can be made once the video has been uploaded and the video entry form has been submitted.
  11. Only ONE submission is allowed per participant. If there are more than one submission from the participant, the first submission will be considered for the competition. No exceptions. 
  12. The entire speaking area and the participant must be visible properly in the video. An adult may help set up the area but should not assist the participant with the topic once the participant starts speaking.
  13. Submissions must not contain obscenity, profanity, graphic violence, calls or incitement to violence, commercial solicitation or commercial promotion. The content of submission must be suitable for a global, public audience.
  14. Submissions must be original content created by the participant and must not contain any elements that are protected by copyright, license or owned by a third party.
  15. Access Life America reserves the right to disqualify, at their sole discretion any submission that does not comply with the rules.
  16. By submitting the video, the participant affirms that he or she has obtained consent from parent/legal guardian and he or she has obtained necessary rights, licenses, consents and permissions to use all materials, images, text, music etc. 
  17. Anyone found infringing on others’ copyright will be disqualified from the contest.
  18. All conventional video-editing techniques are allowed. Videos may be edited and submitted in a format accepted by the YouTube platform.
  19. All entries will become the property of Access Life America and may be used for promotional and display purposes.
  • SEGMENT 2 (Finals – Live Oratorical)
  1. The Finals Live Oratorical segment will see the Top Seven (7) or fewer positions battle for the overall Top 3 places.
  2. You will be notified via email if you are selected to participate in the Finals on Mar 25, 2023. A Zoom link for live participation will be sent for the Finals.
  3. Participants must present solo in English.
  4. Maximum Time Permitted for Live Oratorical is 4 minutes.
  5. Time will begin with the first spoken word and stop when the participant finishes speaking.
  6. The entire speaking area must have proper lighting and should be visible properly on Zoom video during the live presentation. An adult may help set up the area but should not assist the participant with the topic once the participant starts speaking.
  7. Please ensure you have a good quality, stable internet connection with no video/audio/microphone issues for the duration of the Finals.
  8. The judging panel may pause the contest if the quality of the video or audio degrades to the point of not being able to understand the participant. The participant will resume from where they were paused if the technology issues are resolved in a timely fashion.
  9. The participant may refer to a copy of the speech during its presentation, but should not be reading the speech verbatim, nor does it have to be completely memorized.
  10. Anyone found infringing on others’ copyright will be disqualified from the contest. 
  11. Any quotation, copyrighted or paraphrase material must be identified in the live oratorical by the participant.
  12. Use of props or audience prompters are not permitted.
  13. The decision of the Access Life America judging panel is final and no protests or appeals are allowed.
  • YouTube Video Upload Instructions:
  1. Go to YouTube.com 
  2. Click ‘Sign in’ in the upper right corner. You can sign in with your Gmail account. If you do not have a Gmail account, create one. Or, you will need to create a separate YouTube account using your email address. 
  3. Once you create (and sign into your) YouTube account, click CREATE > Upload videos. You may need to create a channel
  4. Select the file to upload. 
  5. You can use the following format for the title of your video: Student Grade/Your Name (e.g., 1/John Doe). 
  6. Select the privacy setting ‘Unlisted’. 
  7. You may ignore the other fields (Description, Tags, and Category). 
  8. Once your video is uploaded, create a shareable URL link for your YouTube video. Provide the URL link when submitting the video entry form https://forms.gle/WmfDRrpk9Dvh5Vyf8.
  9. For additional support on YouTube, visit: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/57407?hl=en&ref_topic=9257439

Liability and Rights

  • Access Life America does not endorse any messages expressed in the Videos or in the Final Live Oratorical.
  • Access Life America expressly disclaims any and all liability in connection with the submitted video and Live Oratorical.
  • Access Life America  does not permit copyright infringing activities or infringement of any other intellectual property rights, and reserves the right to remove and disqualify any submission deemed to be in violation of rules.
  • Participants will retain sole ownership of their original work. 
  • Participants specifically agree to give Access Life America permission to use all content submitted for purposes of judging the contest.  
  • By registering for the contest, participants grant Access Life America a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sub-licensable and transferable license to use, reproduce, distribute, prepare derivative works of, and/or display the submission, in any media formats and through any media channels in perpetuity in connection with the activities and operations of the contest.
  • Participant assumes sole responsibility for the contest submission and the material contained in it, and for any consequences of submitting or posting it.
  • Access Life America reserves the right at any time to disqualify any participant or entry deemed not in compliance with the rules of the contest. 
  • Participants agree to indemnify and hold harmless Access Life America and its sponsors, their parent, subsidiary and affiliated companies, employees and volunteers from and against any and all claims, damages, obligations, losses, liabilities, costs or debts, and expenses in connection with the contest. These indemnification and hold harmless obligations will survive indefinitely beyond the conclusion of the contest.
  • Access Life America assumes no liability or responsibility for any loss or harm resulting from any user’s participation or technical problems in the contest..
  • Use of the contest website and information is at the user’s own risk. Contest Sponsors are not responsible for any personal injury, property damage, or losses resulting from participation in the contest.
  • By participating in the contest, the contestant releases Access Life America and sponsors from any and all claims arising from or relating to such contestant’s participation in the contest, whether directly or indirectly.

Rubric, Awards and Certificates

  • Rubric for judging Segment 1 and 2 will take into consideration poise, content, delivery, presentation and overall effectiveness.
  • Segment 1 – Video Entry Submission: The judging panel will select Top 7 video entries who will advance to Segment 2 – Finals Live Oratorical based on rules/rubric for the contest.
  • Segment 2 – Finals Live Oratorical: The judging panel will determine the winners based on rules/rubric for the contest.
  • 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners shall be declared at a later date. A separate Webinar link will be sent to attend the session where winners will be announced.
  • All participants in the Oratorical Contest will be given a digital “Certificate of Participation” from Access Life America.
  • The certificate will be emailed to participants. 
  • Trophies will be presented to Top 3 participants in Level I and Level II at a later date during a separate event or mailed to the address provided during the registration.