Activities/Talents
MAHRAGAN AL-KERAZA 2024
Copts Got Talent Competition
_______Rules and Guidelines_____
Welcome to Mahragan El-Keraza 2024 Southern Region of New Jersey
Copts Got Talent Competition!
We are happy to announce Copts Got Talent this year. Copts Got Talent gives our church’s children and youth a platform to showcase their incredible skills and creativity. Please encourage all the children to participate.
All projects are due Friday, 8/23/2024
The competition includes art, photography, research, video composition & music. All submissions must align with our Coptic Orthodox Church teachings and/or be based on the principles of our church ALL PARTICIPANTS MUST PARTICIPATE IN ALL SPIRITUAL COMPETITION (BOOK AND MEMORIZATION) IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE in Copts Got Talent Competition. Participants can choose as many activities as they would like to participate in EXCEPT for the Performing Art competition. The Performing Art Competition is one submission per group per church. Please carefully read the description of each activity before choosing.
All Participants must submit their projects online first by Friday, 8/23/2024. No late submissions will be accepted after that date.
For any questions, please email Coptsgottalent@amservants.com
1. The Arts Competition: (Grades KG - 12th)
This competition is intended to foster artistic creativity within a Christian context while competing with other Mahragan participants. Any submitted non-Christian art will not be accepted.
A picture of the completed art must be submitted first by Friday, 8/23/2024 .The actual project has to be brought in for evaluation on the day of the competition.
Please submit a picture of your art with your name, church name, and your grade to: Coptsgottalent@amservants.com
Guidelines:
Choose one of the projects below:
Dry Media: Any two-dimensional work done with dry media such as pencil, pastel, crayon, charcoal, etc. or combination done on paper or other flat surfaces.
Oil/Acrylic Painting: Any oil based or synthetic based (such as acrylic or alkyd) painting done on a two-dimensional surface such as canvas or hardboard (No Bristol Boards).
Sculpture/Carving:Three-dimensional sculptural work created by carving or modeling. May be figurative or non-figurative. These kinds of projects must be sturdy, properly structured and able to free stand, the overall mark will be negatively affected if the structure is weak & flimsy.
Wet Media Painting: Any water based media such as transparent watercolor, opaque watercolor, water based tempera or any combination of these done on a two-dimensional surface. Includes acrylic thinned down to the consistency of watercolor done on paper (No Bristol Boards).
Woodwork: Wood pieces formed by the use of mechanical aids such as saws, sanders, etc. This includes furniture, musical instruments, tools, toys, etc… whether functional or decorative.
Handcraft: Any handmade item with artistic emphasis that does not fit into any other category such as mosaic, stained glass or pottery paint.
● All art projects must be the original work of the participant and should reflect his or her creative ability and cannot include any printed or copied images from books, magazines, newspapers, the internet etc..
● All work must be done by the participant. It will be negatively affected if the work is clearly not at the level of the participant.
● At the final presentation, all work must be clearly labeled with the name(s) of the participant(s), their grade, church name, and a brief explanation of the project.
● The Mahragan committee and/or the church are not responsible for the art work after the time of exhibition.
● The participant(s) are required to commit to all art competition deadlines, Failing to do so will result in rejecting their submission.
2. Research Competition: (3rd - 12th Grade)
Description:
The Research Competition is an opportunity for participants to go deeper in their faith. They will research, exchange ideas, and improve their communication skills while competing.
Guidelines & Submission:
● Electronic copy (no handwriting) of your research is due by Friday, 8/23/2024 . Please send a copy of your research to Coptsgottalent@amservants.com by the above date including your name, church name, your grade & research topic. There will be no exceptions for research submissions after this date.
● Submissions must be in Arial 12 point font and single spaced. Diagrams with references may be included but are not counted towards the total page count.
● Page count per Grade:
○ Elementary ; 2-5 pages (other than the cover page and references)
○ Middle: 5-10 pages
○ High school: 7-15 pages
● A bibliography must also be included with the submission. Please note that all research papers must be the participant’s original work. Plagiarism is strictly prohibited and will negatively affect your mark.
Steps for research:
● Select a topic and think of a specific thesis (have a question your research will answer)
● Choose appropriate resources (books, online publications, etc.)
● Identify the key information you will use and its source (through highlighting, annotating, etc.)
● Reword the key information in your own words.
● Include your source in your bibliography.
Evaluation Criteria:
● Cover Page (Includes research topic, picture / image) 10%
● Knowledge of Research Content (This is to be done by asking a question about the topic and/or related to theme) 40%
● Organization (Paragraphs, Subheadings, Quotes, etc.) 20%
● Sources/References (Giving credit for the writer or source that was used – No sources will automatically disqualify the submission) 10%
● Mechanics (Spelling, Grammar, Punctuation errors) 20%
3. Instrumental / Vocal Music Competition:
This competition is for any youth who possesses special instrumental and/or vocal talent within the church context.
This is an online submission competition. Your video must be sent to us by Friday, 8/23/2024 to the following email: Coptsgottalent@amservants.com.
In your video, you must include your full name, grade, and your church before performing. You can either say it at the beginning of the video, or write it as a text in your video.
There is no specific length or time restriction, however judges reserve the right to judge only the first 15 minutes of lengthy compositions.
You may choose to perform solo or with a group.
Recordings must consist of unedited, uninterrupted video footage of the participant from a single camera angle with coverage of the performer’s full or upper body at all times.
One submission per person/group.
The competition committee will have the authority to disqualify a participant or a group on the basis of the performance or selection or any other rule violation.
4. Performing Arts Competition.
This competition is intended to encourage participants to showcase their talents within the church context.
Participating churches may participate with one team/ performance per age group.
This is an in-person competition.
Group 1: Lower elementary pre k-2nd
Group 2: Upper elementary 3rd- 5th
Group 3: Middle school 6th-8th
Group 4: High school 9th-12th
Rules:
Four age groups allowed to participate: Lower elementary, upper elementary, middle school, and high school.
This is a group (ministry) competition. Thus NO individual submissions are allowed.
Only 1 submission per age group is allowed
Allowed categories of submissions (you must choose one from below):
5. This competition will be in person. A FORM that must be filled out will be sent before Friday, 8/23/2024 . Each church will have to state how many teams will participate and in which category.
6. Any performance that includes LESS participants than the minimum limit for its category will be automatically disqualified from the competition.
7. Any performance that will be LESS than the time allowed for its category will also be automatically disqualified from the competition
8. Evaluation Criteria
Creativity and Novelty (30%)
The Performance of the participants (30%)
The impact of the message delivered (40%)
All Participants must submit their projects online first by Friday, 8/23/2024. No late submissions will be accepted after that date.
For any questions, please email Coptsgottalent@amservants.com
Dry Media: Any two-dimensional work done with dry media such as pencil, pastel, crayon, charcoal, etc. or combination done on paper or other flat surfaces.
Oil/Acrylic Painting: Any oil based or synthetic based (such as acrylic or alkyd) painting done on a two-dimensional surface such as canvas or hardboard (No Bristol Boards).
Sculpture/Carving:Three-dimensional sculptural work created by carving or modeling. May be figurative or non-figurative. These kinds of projects must be sturdy, properly structured and able to free stand, the overall mark will be negatively affected if the structure is weak & flimsy.
Wet Media Painting: Any water based media such as transparent watercolor, opaque watercolor, water based tempera or any combination of these done on a two-dimensional surface. Includes acrylic thinned down to the consistency of watercolor done on paper (No Bristol Boards).
Woodwork: Wood pieces formed by the use of mechanical aids such as saws, sanders, etc. This includes furniture, musical instruments, tools, toys, etc… whether functional or decorative.
Handcraft: Any handmade item with artistic emphasis that does not fit into any other category such as mosaic, stained glass or pottery paint.
Guidelines & Submission:
Steps for research:
Evaluation Criteria:
In your video, you must include your full name, grade, and your church before performing. You can either say it at the beginning of the video, or write it as a text in your video.
There is no specific length or time restriction, however judges reserve the right to judge only the first 15 minutes of lengthy compositions.
You may choose to perform solo or with a group.
Recordings must consist of unedited, uninterrupted video footage of the participant from a single camera angle with coverage of the performer’s full or upper body at all times.
One submission per person/group.
The competition committee will have the authority to disqualify a participant or a group on the basis of the performance or selection or any other rule violation.
Four age groups allowed to participate: Lower elementary, upper elementary, middle school, and high school.
This is a group (ministry) competition. Thus NO individual submissions are allowed.
Only 1 submission per age group is allowed
Allowed categories of submissions (you must choose one from below):
Creativity and Novelty (30%)
The Performance of the participants (30%)
The impact of the message delivered (40%)