HeritageFest Singapore

Rules & Regulations

Who May Participate

1. This competition is open to all students currently enrolled in a primary school in Singapore, be it a local or foreign school.
2. There are two competition categories:
   1. Lower Primary category – for Primary 1 to Primary 3 students (or their equivalent)
   2. Upper Primary category – for Primary 4 to Primary 6 students (or their equivalent)

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How to Participate

1. Students must select two different stories to tell at the competition – one for the qualifying round and another for the Finals, if they are shortlisted.
2. Each story must be about a hero from one of the many communities that call Singapore home, e.g. Singapore's Lim Nee Soon, Eunos Abdullah, G. Govindasamy and Professor Ernest Monteiro, India's Mahatma Gandhi, Philippines' Jose Rizal, Thailand's King Chulalongkorn, Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh, etc. These heroes must be from a community different from that of the participant's.
3. Participants may not invent a story although they may improvise and tell the story in their own style. Research for these tales may be conducted online, in the libraries, etc.
4. All participants who are shortlisted for the Finals will be required to submit a copy of their research material, including their sources, for both their stories to the Organisers.
5. Each participant would have between 5 – 7 minutes to narrate their chosen story. Contestants may opt to use actions, props or costumes, at their own expense, to help to bring their stories to life.

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Competition Details
Submission of Applications

1. Schools may participate in both categories and select up to two representatives for each category.
2. The Organisers will shortlist the participants for the qualifying rounds based on the content of the story submitted.
3. Schools must submit the following to the Organisers via the online entry form at www.heritagefest.sg before Friday, 15 May 2009, 11.59pm:.
   • The details of the participants.
   • The soft copy of the story which they will tell at the qualifying round.
4. Schools are encouraged to submit their entries early to avoid technical problems posed by last-minute heavy user traffic, e.g. server congestion, failure, etc.
5. Entries received after the closing date and time will not be accepted for whatever the reason.
6. If the closing date of the competition is extended due to unforeseen circumstances, an announcement will be made on www.heritagefest.sg.

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Qualifying Rounds

1. The qualifying rounds will be conducted between 25 – 30 May 2009.
2. All participants shortlisted for the qualifying round will be notified through their teachers of the actual date, time and venue for the qualifying round closer to date.
3. The top 10 participants from each category would then be selected to compete in the Finals.
4. The announcement of the finalists for both categories will be made online at www.heritagefest.sg on Friday, 5 June 2009. All finalists will also be notified through their teachers regarding their shortlist as well as the details for their submission of:
   • The story which they will tell at the Finals.
   • The research material, including their sources, for both the stories told at the qualifying round and the Finals.

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Finals

1. The Finals will be conducted at the Asian Civilisations Museum's Ngee Ann Auditorium on Wednesday, 1 July 2009.
2. The announcement of the winners for both categories will be made online at www.heritagefest.sg on Monday, 6 July 2009. All winners will be notified by post through their teachers.
3. All winners will be required to perform their winning stories at various Singapore HeritageFest 2009 events from 15 – 26 July 2009. Where possible, the Organisers will endeavour to schedule these events on weekends and/or after school hours.
   Please note:
   • Announcements of any changes to the dates, or rules and regulations which may occur due to unforeseen circumstances will be made on www.heritagefest.sg.
   • If the Organisers are unable to contact the shortlisted finalists, or if the shortlisted finalists fail to respond to the notification within 14 days, the Organisers reserve the right to replace him/her with another participant.
   • The care of the participants and supporters, including all transport arrangements, is the responsibility of the school. The school must also arrange its own permission/consent forms for parents.

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Judging

1. The Organisers will convene a panel of judges for both the qualifying rounds and the Finals to judge based on the following criteria:
   • Content of story
   • Diction
   • Expression (includes the use of props, costumes, etc)
   • Effectiveness of overall presentation
2. The judges' decision is final and no correspondence pertaining to the judging process will be entertained.

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Publicity

All participants and participating schools may need to accept media interviews for publicity purposes should the need occur. The Organisers will inform the participants and their schools should such a need arise.

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Organisers' Rights

The Organisers (defined as the National Heritage Board and the Ministry of Education):

• Will not insure the entries it receives or be responsible for any loss or damage of the entries;
• Will not return the entries received;
• Reserve exhibition rights and publication rights to any photographs or footage of the participants taken during the competition, as well as the stories submitted, in print, broadcast and electronic media without requiring the permission of the participant and without any fee payment. However, the Organisers will acknowledge the participants if their photos, footage or entries are used;
• Reserve the right to publish any official photographs taken by participants in connection with the competition;
• Have the right to disqualify any participant for non-compliance of the rules and regulations and any copyright infringements, and select another participant instead;
• Will not be liable for any copyright infringement on the part of the participants; and
• Reserve the right to modify the competition prizes and its rules and regulations without prior notice.

For enquiries, please call the festival hotline at 6736 0503.

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