2024 Competitive Events and Judging Criteria
German Day 2024 will accept asynchronous entries for certain categories, although the majority of competitions will occur in person. If you have students who would like to submit an entry because they aren’t able to attend German Day, please contact us at German.Day@umich.edu.
As a general rule, all content should be original and align with a PG-13 rating.
Deadline for submitting projects: Friday, April 5th, 2024
Deadline for registering for in-person competitions: Friday, April 5th, 2024
Submit projects and register for events here:
There are 4 levels of events:
- Level 1: 1 year of German
- Level 2: 2 years of German
- Level 3: 3 years of German
- Level 4: 4+ years of German or Native/Heritage German speaker
Description of Competitions
Art Displays, Category A (2-D Artwork)
2-D Art Displays (paintings, drawings, posters, etc.) can be made by individuals, small groups or an entire class. Displays must include a title and short description / explanation in German. Displays will be judged on their relation to the German Day theme, use of the German language and culture, creativity, originality and aesthetic appearance.
All levels.
Art Displays, Category B (3-D Artwork)
3-D Art Displays (sculptures, models, dioramas, lego constructions, etc.) can be made by individuals, small groups, or an entire class. Displays must include a title and short description / explanation in German. Displays will be judged on their relation to the German Day theme, use of the German language and culture, creativity, originality and aesthetic appearance.
All levels.
Comics
Comics can be made by individuals or small groups. Comics must include a title in German. Comics will be judged on their relation to the German Day theme, use of the German language and culture, use of the comic medium to tell a story, creativity, originality and general appeal.
All levels.
Commercials
5 minutes max
Students produce a commercial as an individual or group. They will be judged on their relevance to the German Day theme, use of the German language and culture, creativity, originality, comprehensibility and general appeal. Content should be PG-13 and original.
All Levels. Level 1 may include English if necessary.
(Fan)zines
Zines (booklets with original texts and images) can be made by individuals or small groups. A Zine is a self-made booklet, created by physically writing, painting/drawing,cutting and/or gluing text and images together on paper. The publication is usually folded and stapled. Zines must include a title in German. Zines will be judged on their relation to the German Day theme, use of the German language and culture, the story told, creativity, originality and general appeal.
All levels.
Music
5 minutes max - not including the spoken introduction of the piece
Student(s) can perform music individually, in pairs or in groups. Before each performance, student(s) must explain briefly in German what they will perform and how/if it relates to the German Day theme. Musical performances will be judged on accuracy, style, ability to communicate through music.
All levels.
Podcasts
5 minutes max
Students produce an audio episode in German as a group all focused on the German Day topic. Participants will be judged on the podcast´s relevance to the German Day theme, use of the German language, creativity, originality, and comprehensibility.
All levels. Level 1 may include English if necessary.
Podcasts should be submitted as an audio file.
Poetry
5 minutes max. per student
Each participant will recite one German poem from memory. The recitation must include the poem’s title and author. Students will be judged on pronunciation, phrasing, presentation, interpretation and accuracy.
All levels.
Reading
5 minutes max. per student
Students will be given a text and have 1–2 minutes to look it over. They will then read the text for the judges. Hint: Texts are based on the German Day theme. Readings are judged on pronunciation, accuracy, and fluency.
All levels. Maximum 2 entries per school, per level.
Short-Short Stories / Flash-Fiction
Students produce their own self-written piece of fiction between 500 to max 1,000 words. Participants will be judged on the story´s relevance to the German Day theme, use of the German language, creativity, originality, and comprehensibility.
All levels.
Short-Short Stories / Flash-Fiction should be submitted as a pdf or word document.
Skits
10 minutes max
Students perform a skit in German as a group. Skits will be judged on their incorporation of the German Day theme, use of the German language and culture, creativity, originality, comprehensibility and general appeal. Content should be PG-13 and original.
All levels.
Speaking
3 minutes per student
The contestants at each level will interact orally with the judges and other students, if necessary. In addition to questions relating to the German Day theme of the year, judges may introduce any of the following topics: Wie geht's?, meine Familie, meine Hobbys, meine Interessen, meine Deutschklasse, meine Heimatstadt, Kleidung, Essen und Trinken, das Wetter, Sport, die Arbeit, in der Schule, letzten Sommer, eine Reise, Pläne für die Zukunft, Filme, Bücher, mein(e) Lieblings _____.
Students may also introduce topics. Students will be judged based on pronunciation, grammatical accuracy, quantity and fluency.
All levels. Maximum 2 entries per school, per level.
Spelling Bee
There are 3 levels (beginner (1-2 yrs. of German), more advanced (3-4 yrs. of German), native speaker). The spelling bee words will all be spelled using the German alphabet. If a word has an umlauted vowel the student should say a-umlaut, o-umlaut, or u-umlaut in order to properly distinguish it from an un-umlauted vowel. The difficulty/length of the words will increase as the competition progresses. Once a student misses, they are out of the competition.
Videos, Category A: German for All (Deutsch für alle)
“German for All” allows you and your class to promote German language and culture in your community! For example, students might teach basic German words and phrases to another class, sing German songs at a community center, foster a city partnership or exchange program, have a fashion show that focuses on German styles and trends from the 20s, perform a scene from a German play or movie —the possibilities are endless! Entries will be judged on how effectively and creatively contestants promote the study of German.
All levels.
Videos should be uploaded to YouTube as an "unlisted" video. If you are not able to upload a video to YouTube, please send the video file to german.day@umich.edu. Powerpoint presentations or Google Slide Decks are also an acceptable submission format.
Videos, Category B: Karaoke
5 minutes max, not including the spoken introduction of the song
Students create a video recording of themselves individually, in pairs, or in groups singing along to or covering a song. They can sing along to a recording, such as a YouTube or karaoke song video or play their own instruments. Before each performance, student(s) must explain briefly in German what they will perform and how/if it relates to the German Day theme. Here’s an example of a song cover video in German: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0QyeMuFIdc (from minute 00:20 on).
Musical performances will be judged on accuracy, style, and ability to communicate through music. Performers will also be judged on how their performance and song choice relates to this year’s German Day theme.
All levels.
Videos should be uploaded to YouTube as an "unlisted" video. If you are not able to upload a video to YouTube, please send the video file to german.day@umich.edu.
Videos, Category C: Cooking Shows
10 minutes max
Students produce a video of themselves preparing a German dish in the style of a cooking show. Students may work alone or in a group. Videos should depict the entire cooking process from start to finish; consequently students should stop filming when something is cooking/baking, and resume filming when the next step transpires. Students should explain each step, the ingredients, the measurements, and temperature if applicable. In short: Teach us how to cook food from German speaking countries/communities. Videos will be judged on their relation to the German Day theme, use of the German language and culture, creativity, originality, comprehensibility, general appeal, and showmanship.
All levels. Level 1 may include English if necessary.
Videos should be uploaded to YouTube as an "unlisted" video. If you are not able to upload a video to YouTube, please send the video file to german.day@umich.edu.
Videos, Category D: News Broadcasts
5 minutes max
Students produce a video of a news broadcast about current events as an individual or a group. Videos will be judged on their relevance to the German Day theme, use of the German language and culture, creativity, originality, comprehensibility and general appeal. Content should be PG-13. No fake news!
All levels. Level 1 may include English if necessary.
Videos should be uploaded to YouTube as an "unlisted" video. If you are not able to upload a video to YouTube, please send the video file to german.day@umich.edu.
Videos, Category E: German Lessons (You are the German teacher!)
5 minutes max
Students produce a video of themselves “teaching” a German grammatical or cultural topic. Videos will be judged on their relevance to the German Day theme, use of the German language and culture, creativity, originality, comprehensibility and general appeal. Content should be PG-13 and original.
All levels. Level 1 may include English if necessary.
Videos should be uploaded to YouTube as an "unlisted" video. If you are not able to upload a video to YouTube, please send the video file to german.day@umich.edu.
Website Design
Students produce a website as an individual or group. Websites will be judged on their relevance to the German Day theme, use of the German language and culture, creativity, originality and general appeal. If you use material you do not create yourself, do so sparingly and cite all sources. Plagiarism means automatic disqualification. Click here to view past website entries.
All levels. Level 1 may include English if necessary.
Website Designs should be submitted as a URL.
