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2008 Ambassador's Song and Verse Contest Rules

Theme: Disaster Preparedness Begins With You.  Get Ready!  Better Ready Than Sorry!

Rules of the Contest

1. This contest is open to pupils of all public and private schools registered by the Ministry of Education, Trinidad and Tobago.
2. Each participant will be required to submit a written presentation about their thoughts on the importance of disaster preparedness and management for themselves as individuals and also for the society as a whole.
3. Students may perform their written presentation in:
   a. Verse – as a Monologue, Dramatic Recitation, Choral Speaking or 
   b. Song – as a Calypso, Soca, Raga Soca, Rapso, Chutney, Chutney Soca or Rap
4. Any musical accompaniment that is used may be live or pre-recorded.  If using music belonging to other artistes, appropriate permission must first be obtained from the owners of that music or their authorised agents (unless the music is in the public domain) and the source must be indicated. The organizers of the Contest will not be held responsible for any such breaches under the Copyright Act 1997.
5. Any pre-recorded music must not contain voices.
6. Each school will be responsible for selecting its top three entries and submitting them to the Education District Office by January 17, 2008.
7. Each Education District will be responsible for staging the District Finals between January 18-24.
8. At the National Finals on January 29, there will be eight finalist, one (1) representative from each Education District.
9. At both the District Finals and the National Finals, participants will perform in the position for which they have drawn, prior to the competition.
10. Each performance must not exceed five (5) minutes.
11. Submissions must be original new works that have not been previously submitted for adjudication. No plagiarism. The submission must be the student’s own intellectual creation.
12. Lyrics must not offend the sensibilities of any group of citizens in the society.
13. Lyrics and accompanying performance, for example, dance, must not be lewd, suggestive, indecent or obscene.
14. Group performances will be limited to ten (10) persons.  Submissions must not imitate or resemble previously published, publicized or performed work.
15. Costuming should be kept at a minimum.  No props are allowed.

Adjudication

At the District Finals, a panel of three (3) judges will adjudicate.
At the National Final, a panel of five (5) judges will adjudicate.
An individual who judges at the Education District Finals will not adjudicate at the National Finals.

Prizes

At the District Finals, top prizes for the winning performers for each district are as follows:

            1^st place  - $1,000 and trophy
            2^nd place -   $600 and trophy
            3^rd place  -   $300 and trophy

At the National Finals, top prizes for the winning performers are as follows:

            1^st place  -  $5,000 and trophy
            2^nd place -  $3,000 and trophy
            3^rd place  -  $2,000 and trophy

The school of the 1^st place winner at the National Finals will receive a computer.
The schools of the 2^nd and 3^rd winner at the National Finals will receive education materials.