Conditions and Regulations

• Entry Form Submission: To enter the competition, submit the Online Entry Form by 2 December 2024.

• Teacher Briefing Session: Schools interested in participating in the competition are strongly encouraged to send a teacher to the NET Section Competitions Briefing Session specific to the Once Upon A Book Storytelling Competition (details provided separately).

• Once Upon A Book Storytelling Showcase video series: To support students' entries, schools are highly encouraged to use the video series produced by the NET Section which focus on different story books and feature a range of storytelling techniques. These videos are designed to help students develop their storytelling skills and create engaging video presentations for the competition.

• Video entries

  • There is no limit to the number of videos submitted by each school.

  • Video submissions can be based on the same or different books.

  • Video submissions can be presented individually or in pairs.

• ​Once Upon A Book Live Unplugged nominations: Schools will nominate up to two video submissions to be considered for the Once Upon A Book Live Unplugged event. Schools can submit two videos in the same division (e.g. two videos in KS1), or in different divisions (e.g. one video in KS1 and one video in KS2).

• The video entries must be in MP4 or AVI format.
• The student(s) must start by introducing themselves and stating the title and author of the book that they are sharing.
• The student(s) must retell the story or a part of the story using a range of storytelling techniques. Refer to the Once Upon A Book Storytelling Showcase video series for ideas.
• The time allowed for performances will vary according to the division. Please refer to the description of the competition.
• Students may choose to wear school uniforms, comfortable clothing, or costumes in the video.
• The use of small props is permitted. 
• Students are encouraged to memorise their lines, but they may use note cards while presenting.
• When filming the video, the student(s) should be visible from the waist up (i.e. a medium shot), the room should be well lit, and the sound must be audible.
• Filming in front of a plain, solid surface is recommended. If filming is done in front of the blackboard, make sure the board is clean. Students may write the book title, create a simple drawing, or hang a hand-drawn poster behind them. However, the background will not affect adjudication, as students will not use backdrops if they are selected to perform their presentations live.
• To avoid using copyright-protected images, the covers of published books must not be shown in the video. If students would like to show the book, they are encouraged to create a mock book cover by hand. Alternatively, they may use an AI-generated image or a copyright-friendly image available through the Creative Commons (See: https://creativecommons.org/) as long as they abide by the licensing agreements.
• Video editing should be minimal. Students must be able to perform their video entries live if they are shortlisted.
  • The camera should be in a fixed position for the duration of the video-recording. Zooming and panning are not permitted. 
  • Sound effects can only be produced by the student(s) during the video-recording.
  • The addition of special effects (e.g. green screen backgrounds, animations, transitions) or sound effects is not permitted during post-production editing.
• In each division of the competition (KS1-KS4), 10 entries will be selected and invited to the Once Upon A Book Live Unplugged event.
• The decision of the judging panel will be considered final, and no correspondence will be entered into regarding adjudication.

• The Once Upon A Book Live Unplugged performance must be a live performance based on the video entry submitted.
• Students are encouraged to memorise their lines, but they may use note cards while presenting. 
• Students may wear school uniforms or comfortable clothing. Time will be allocated for a change into costumes if needed.
• Students may use small props during their performance. However, multimedia resources (e.g. projection of presentation slides) will not be permitted.
• The time allowed for performances will vary according to the division. Please refer to the description of the competition. 
• Students and teachers are expected to show respect during the performances. Mobile phones must be set on silent mode before the start of the event.
• Taking photos or videos is permitted but teachers may only take photos or videos of their own students.
• The decision of the judging panel will be considered final, and no correspondence will be entered into regarding adjudication.

The judging panels will include representatives from the EDB, English teachers, and other professionals in the community with experience in storytelling or public speaking.

Student performances will be assessed on the criteria below: