2009 contest format and rules

This year, the contest will be split into two parts- Part A and Part B.

Part A is a simple written test that can be administered in multiple places in Houston and at multiple times. This will be conducted on various occasions from October 17th until Dec 6th at various locations and dates, the details of these opportunities will be published through email, word of mouth, our web site and where possible on radio etc.

Part B is the final which will be conducted at Ashtalakshmi Temple on December 12th at 1PM.

Participants must score at least 50% in Part A to qualify for Part B. Winners will be picked based on the performance in Part B only.

VOLUNTEERS ARE REQUESTED to host Part A in their respective communities in the greater Houston area.

The competition will take place in 4 Categories - Level 1 to Level 4 (based on abilities and not age for children) and one category for adults.

Please note that last year’s TCA Telugu competition winners in any category need to participate at one level higher. Thus someone who participated in Basic level last year, will participate in Level 2 this year and those participated in Advanced Level last year, will participate in Level 4 this year.

SNACKS will be served during the competition.

Part A Written test

Categories
o Level 1 Writing – Basic Letters (Achhulu, Hallulu, a to aha, ka to Bandi Ra)
o Level 2 Writing – Two Guninthalu. You will be given two randomly picked letters among the letters (ka to na) and you will have to write the whole gunintham for both of those letters.
o Level 3Writing – two Guninthalu. Same as above, but from letters pa to ha.
o Level 4 Writing – Vattulu – You will be asked to write vattulu for 10 random letters.

Part B – Level 1

· Reading proficiency
Two letter words and Three letter words
In each round the contestant will be given two (2) choices. If they pass the first choice, they move to the next round. If they miss the first choice, they will be given 2nd choice. If they miss 2nd choice also, they are out of the reading competition.
Winner is based on elimination in each round and the person who stays till the end is the winner.
After the rounds for two letter words and three letter words are done, if we still have a tie Number of two letter words correctly read in one minute will be used to determine the winner. If there is still a tie, judges can increase the word length up to 5 letter words.
Words will not contain letters with guninthalu.

Writing Proficiency
Five 2-letter words; Five 3-letter words; Five 4-letter words will be dictated for the student to write.
Judges may decide to increase the complexity in case of a need for tie breaker.

Vocabulary – Show a picture and ask the student to tell that word in Telugu, Translation of simple words from English to Telugu.
A bowl will contain pictures or English words which could be Numbers 1-10, Days of the week and other common words. If they pick a picture they have to tell the corresponding Telugu word. If they pick an English word they have to tell the corresponding Telugu word.
In each round the contestant will be given two (2) choices. If they pass the first choice, they move to the next round. If they miss the first choice, they will be given 2nd choice. If they miss 2nd choice also, they are out of speaking competition.
Winner is based on elimination in each round and the person who stays till the end is the winner.
Elocution – There is no elocution contest at this level

Part B – Level 2

· Everything from Level 1 plus the following
· Reading Proficiency
o Number of words read in a minute (increasing complexity from 3-letter words till no tie breaker)
o Words will contain letters with guninthalu.

· Writing Proficiency
o Several 3-letter words to 5-letter words, that may contain guninthalu, will be dictated for the student to write.
o Judges may increase the complexity in case a tie breaker is needed.

· Vocabulary – Show a picture and ask the student to tell that word in Telugu, Translation of words from English to Telugu. The complexity more than Basic.
o A bowl will contain the pictures or English words which could be Birds, Animals, Days of Week, Vegetables, Numbers 1 to 20, fruits, Basic colors and other common words. Complexity will increase based on no. of rounds.
o In each round the contestant will be given two (2) choices. If they pass the first choice, they move to the next round. If they miss the first choice, they will be given 2nd choice. If they miss 2nd choice also, they are out of speaking competition.
o Winner is based on elimination in each round and the person who stays till the end is the winner.

· Speech/Elocution – Speak about a topic given at least 10 days in advance.
o Minimum of 1 minute – Maximum of 2 minutes.
o Points will be based on pronunciation, tense, sentence structure, completion within time and relevance to the topic.

Part B – Level 3

· Everything from Levels 1 and 2 plus the following
· Reading proficiency – Ability to read sentences correctly. There is no speed test in this level for sentences, but just accuracy. Sentences will be given with increasing complexity until there is no more tie. Sentences can contain any guninthalu but no vattulu.

· Writing – Ability to write sentences with words containing Guninthalu, but not vattulu. Sentences with varied complexity and number of words will be given. Judges may decide to give more sentences with increased complexity in case a tie breaker is needed.

· Speaking – Should translate sentences from English to Telugu. .
o A bowl will contain a set of sentences. The contestant picks one and translates. The translated sentence will be checked for tense, sense and singular/plural. There is no choice given here.
o Complexity:
First round single sentences. Next round two sentences. Subsequent rounds with increasing complexity.
o Winner is based on elimination in each round and the person who stays till the end is the winner.

· Elocution
o Speak about a topic given at least 10 days in advance.
o Minimum of 2 minutes – Maximum of 3 minutes.
o Points will be based on pronunciation, tense, sentence structure, completion within time and relevance to the topic.

Part B – Level 4

· Everything from Levels 1 to 3 plus the following:
· Reading proficiency – Ability to read sentences correctly. There is no speed test in this level for sentences, but just accuracy. Sentences will be given with increasing complexity until there is no more tie. Sentences with words containing guninthalu and vattulu will be given.

· Writing proficiency – Ability to write sentences with words containing Guninthalu and vattulu. Sentences with varied complexity and number of words will be given. Judges may decide to give more sentences, possibly with increased complexity in case a tie breaker is needed.

· Vocabulary – Should translate complex sentences from Telugu to English.
o A bowl will contain a set of sentences. The contestant picks one and translates. The translated sentence will be checked for tense, sense and singular/plural. There is no choice given here.
o Complexity:
First round single sentences. Next round two sentences. Subsequent rounds with increasing complexity.
o Winner is based on elimination in each round and the person who stays till the end is the winner.

· Elocution – Speak about a more complex topic (argumentative) given at least 10 days in advance.
o Topic will be given 10 days before.
o Minimum of 2 minutes – Maximum of 3 minutes.
o Points will be based on pronunciation, tense, sentence structure, completion within time and how convincingly you are presenting your case.

Telugu Contest Prizes

For each category (Level 1 to Level 4), the prizes are as follows:

Reading: First Prize, second Prize

Writing: First Prize, second Prize

Speaking: First Prize, second Prize

Elocution (Except for Level 1) : First & Second Prize

CONTEST FOR ADULTS (First and second Prize)

Elocution (The speech should be in Telugu only – No reading from paper):
o Topic will be given at least 1 day before (Check your e-mail and website).
o Minimum of 3 minutes – Maximum of 5 minutes.
o Points will be based on Expression, pronunciation, tense, sentence structure, completion within time and relevance to the topic.

For all the contests, Judges will do their best to conduct the contest fairly. In case, given guidelines are not enough to determine the winners, they will be free to add to the complexity of the test as needed, as long as the same complexity rule is used for all the kids remaining at that point in that level.