event

The 4th Macao-wide English Poetry Writing and Recital Contest

17

May

USJ is organising the 4th Macao-wide English Poetry Writing and Recital contest under the theme of “Mini me in a wide wide world”. Registration is open from now to 14th March, 2025.

The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) is organising the 4th Macao-wide English Poetry Writing and Recital Contest under the theme of “Mini me in a wide wide world”.

Students are expected to imagine themselves as a young child travelling to a place and create a vivid poem of their experience from their viewpoint.

General Guidelines:

The competition is open to local educational institutions of the following categories:

• Elementary School students: Grade 3-6;
• Secondary School students: Form 1-6;
• University students (Bachelor and Master degree programmes) including Mainland and International students. Finalists are required to be present at the Final Contest Recital, otherwise they will be disqualified from the contest.

Note: Winners of previous “Macao-wide English Poetry Writing and Recital Contests” are ineligible to participate in any further “Macao-wide English Poetry Writing and Recital Contests.”.

Important Dates:

• Registration period: Now – 14^th of March 2025
• Submission of written poems: 17^th of March –  3^rd of April 2025
• Semi-finals Announcement: 30^th of April 2025
• Final Contest Recital: 17^th of May 2025* (Venue: Fátima Auditorium, University of Saint Joseph, Ilha Verde Campus)

Finalists are required to be present at the Final Contest Recital, otherwise they will be disqualified from the contest.

*Date may change due to unforeseen situations.

Registration: Online Registration >

Application Fee:

Application Fee of MOP 10* per participant should be made before 14^th March 2025. Payment accepted by (i)cash/cheque submitted to USJ Ilha Verde Campus or (ii) bank transfer to: 

*Application fees are generally non-refundable

Note to Participants:

1. Creativity within the rules is encouraged. Poems may use figures of speech, descriptive imagery, tones, sounds, and punctuation.
2. Poems must be submitted in Font 14 (Times New Roman) PDF form , identified in the document by contestant’s Name (as shown on ID), Grade, and Category
3. File Name: Name of Participant_Category_Name of School
4. Hand written poems must be written in black and/or blue ballpoint or ink pen (no cursive handwriting), and should not be accompanied by any drawings that covers the poem.
5. Schools must email an Excel file with the full list of entrants to contest@usj.edu.mo, subject line: School nameand Category.
6. Participant List download: 參賽者名單_Participant_List
7. Poems must be in English, must have a title, and must be within the specified number of lines by category.
   • Elementary Category: minimum of 10 lines and maximum of 14 lines of poetry;
   • Secondary Category: minimum of 14 lines and maximum of 20 lines of poetry;
   • University Category: minimum of 20 and maximum of 40 lines of poetry.

Terms and Conditions:

1. Entrants must submit typed original content, none of which should have been previously published or performed in any media or stage.
2. There must be no profanity or otherwise inappropriate language used.
3. The use of AI is limited to ideas creation only, any poems suspected of being generated by AI or plagiarism may result in disqualification of the applicant.
4. All entries are judged anonymously, so both the entrant’s name and the entrant’s school name must not appear anywhere in the poem.
5. There is a limit of one single entry per person. No amendments are allowed once submitted.
6. During the Final Contest, judges will evaluate the poems and performances independently and shall not have any verbal or written contact with the contest organising staff.
7. The competition organisers reserve the right to adjust the judging panel without notice and not to award prizes if, in the judges’ opinion, such an action is justified.
8. University of Saint Joseph (USJ) will collect and process applicants’ personal data for the purposes of contest registration and statistical analysis. 
9. The data from photos, recordings and videos that are collected during contest associated events will be for the purposes of education and publicity. These data, once collected, may be shared with other units within USJ for transfer, processing and utilisation. In accordance with the prevailing ‘Personal Data Protection Act’ in Macao, applicants are entitled to access and amend their personal data. you may submit a signed request in order to exercise these aforementioned rights.
10. Copyright of the poems entered will remain with the creator. By entering this contest, the contest organizer is granted non-exclusive, perpetual, royalty-free license to reproduce, promote, use, and display the essay in all media formats including exhibitions without prior consultation and notice.
11. The organiser reserves the right of final decision and interpretation of the terms and results of this competition.

Finalists Rules:

1. Upon arrival, Finalists are required to register at reception with their student card and identification document (BIR/PASSPORT)
2. All Finalists are allowed to enter the venue with one supervisor and one family member.
3. Finalists should not wear any school uniform nor mention their school name at the Final Contest.
4. Finalists should only mention their assigned number and their name during the Final Contest event.
5. The poem recital must be performed from memory; no notes are allowed on stage.

Judging Criterion:

Portion I: Poetry Writing (25% of total grade) 

1. Relevance to the theme:  20 points
2. Creativity/Style and Originality: 30 points
3. Coherence of form and structure (harmony of words): 25 points
4. Clarity of imagery and language: 25 points

Portion II: Poem Recitation (75% of total grade) 

1. Stage presence and presentation: 30 points
2. Poise and spontaneity: 30 points
3. Intonation and poetic expression: 20 points
4. Clarity and diction: 20 points
5. Recitation – Accuracy: 30 points 

Total: 100%

Cash Prizes and Trophies:

• Prizes for the Elementary category are MOP 1,500 (first place), MOP 1,000 (first runner-up), and MOP 500 (second runner-up).
• Prizes for the Secondary category category are MOP 3,000 (first place), MOP 2,000 (first runner-up), and MOP 1,000 (second runner-up).
• Prizes for the University category are MOP 5,000 (first place), MOP 3,000 (first runner-up),and MOP 2,000 (second runner-up).

Other Prizes awarded through the contest are sponsored by: TBC. All Final participants who attend the Final Contest will be awarded with a Certificate of Participation.

Should you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us via e-mail: contest@usj.edu.mo, or telephone: +853 8592 5613.

Highlights of past competitions: