The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups
English Public Speaking Contest 2021
Rules and Regulations
District Preliminary Rounds
I. Contest Format
a. Definition of District
Each Contestant is assigned to one of the 5 districts, namely Hong Kong Island (including outlying islands), Kowloon East, Kowloon West, New Territories East, New Territories West, based on their school location.
b. Type of Speech
Contestants are required to deliver a 3-minute speech on a self-selected topic and submit the recorded speech to the Secretariat no later than 23:59, 19 January 2020.
Your speech must NOT exceed 3 minutes. Speech content beyond 3 minutes will NOT be considered.
c. Contest Video Requirements
(i) Contest video submission period starts from 30 December 2020 to 19 January 2020.
The link to the upload site, along with the submission instructions, will be published on the Contest website in due course. Reminder emails will also sent to all Contestants and teachers in charge at least a week in advance of the start of the submission period.
(ii) Late Submission will NOT be accepted. Contestants should avoid last-minute submission due to the large volume of submissions and potential technical issues.
(iii) Multiple submissions will NOT be accepted. Each Contestant should only submit one Contest video. In the event of multiple submissions, only the first submission will be adjudicated.
(iv) The Contest video must be a single shot video footage. Post-production or editing, such as editing soundtracks, applying filters or transition effects, adding text, subtitles, or images, adjusting colours or lighting, etc., are strictly forbidden. Contestants in breach of this rule will be disqualified.
(v) Contestants must name their file following the format below:
Contestant No._District_Full Name
(a) Please include your Contestant No. in the file name. The Contestant No. will be sent to all eligible Contestants after the applications are closed.
(b) Please capitalise your surname.
(b) Please include your district abbreviation in the file name.
e.g. S0000_KLN West_CHAN Ka Man Chris
Districts and Abbreviations
Hong Kong Island – HK Island
Kowloon East – KLN East
Kowloon West – KLN West
New Territories East – NT East
New Territories West – NT West
(vi) Contest video must be in mov or mp4 format.
(vii) Contest video must be at least 720p (1280 x 720).
(viii) It is strongly advised that Contest video to be filmed in the landscape aspect ratio, that is 16:9 or 4:3.
(ix) The Contest video must at least capture the Contestant from the waist up.
(x) The Contest video should clearly show the full appearance and actions of the Contestants.
(xi) Contestants are strongly advised to record their speech indoors and in a quiet and safe environment. Contestants should not wear a surgical mask during speech delivery which will affect judging.
(xii) Contestants should make sure that their voice is clearly recorded, and the audio should synchronise with the video.
d. Originality of Speech
Plagiarism is strictly forbidden. Every speech must be original and Contestants must not share their speeches with other Contestants. Contestants will be required to declare that their speeches are original by the time of the Contest video submission. Those in breach of this rule will be disqualified.
e. Mention of School
Contestants are not allowed to disclose their schools in the video by any means, whether implicitly or expressly, such as showing a school flag or mascot in the background. Contestants in breach of this rule will receive a mark penalty.
f. Attire
Contestants are not allowed to wear school uniforms or any attire that may indicate their schools in the Contest video. Contestants in breach of this rule will receive a mark penalty.
Contestants should exercise their own discretion as to what is the appropriate attire for the Contest; yet business casual attire is advised.
g. Use of Props and Cue Cards
Contestants are not allowed to use any props during the delivery of the speech. Contestants in breach of this rule will be disqualified.
Contestants can use cue cards at their own discretion.
II. Contest Details
a. Judging Panel
A judging panel usually consists of 2-3 adjudicators. All adjudicators will be required to sign a Statement of Confidentiality and declare any conflicts of interest.
b. Judging Criteria
Contestants’ performance will be assessed based on the following criteria:
• Substance of Speech (50%)
• Style and Techniques (30%)
• General Effectiveness (20%)
c. Progression of Contest
The 1st to 8th places of each session will go into the District Semi-finals. The adjudicators’ decision for the results of District Preliminary Rounds is final. Certificates will be awarded based on their results in the District Semi-finals.
For Contestants in the 9th and 10th places in each session, they will be awarded with Certificate of Good Performance.
For the rest of the Contestants, they will be awarded with a “Certificate of Participation”.
III. Announcement of Results
Results of the District Preliminary Rounds are tentatively to be announced on the Contest website by 23:59, 10 February 2020 (Wednesday).
Contestants who successfully enter the District Semi-finals will be notified by email too.
Comments by adjudicators will be sent to the District Semi-finalists in the week following the announcement of results of the District Preliminary Rounds.
Other Contestants shall receive the comments by email in the weeks following.
IV. Disclaimer
The adjudicators’ decisions for the results of all rounds of Contest are final.
The Secretariat of The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups English Public Speaking Contest (“the Secretariat”) reserves the rights for any changes without notice. In event of other disputes, decisions by the Secretariat shall be final and conclusive.
V. Enquiries
a. Address
The HKFYG Leadership Institute
302 Jockey Club Road, Fanling, New Territories, Hong Kong
b. Email
SC@leadershipinstitute.hk
(Please add SC@leadershipinstitute.hk to your Safe Senders List so as not to miss any emails or updates from the Secretariat.)
c. Contact Number
(852) 2169 0255
d. Office Hours
Monday to Friday, 10:00-13:00, 14:00-18:00
Saturday, 09:00-13:00
Last Updated: 25 November 2020