The Competition  click here for a downloadable .pdf file

2. Each of the two National Grand Prize Winners and each of their teacher-coaches will receive (1) a $1,000 cash prize and (2) a week-long, all expenses paid trip to London, England, to perform their presentations before The Dickens Fellowship members in London.

3. Each of the two semi-finalists will receive a (1) $500 cash prize and (2) an invitation to join the grand prize winners on the trip to London at a cost to be determined by the contest’s designated travel agency and to present their oral interpretations along with the grand prize winners.

4. Students may select any teacher in any subject area at that student’s current high school to serve as the teacher-coach for this competition

Approved Works
Barnaby Rudge
Bleak House
Dombey and Son
Little Dorrit
Martin Chuzzlewit
Nicholas Nickleby
Our Mutual Friend
The Old Curiosity Shop
The Pickwick Papers

Works Excluded from this Contest
A Christmas Carol
A Tale of Two Cities
David Copperfield
Hard Times
Great Expectations
Oliver Twist
Mystery of Edwin Drood

Timeline (2011-2012)

• October 2011: Official national announcement and rules of this contest
  

• Mon, January 16, 2012: Registration is now Closed
  

• Thu, March 1, 2012: Deadline for all submitted entries
  

• By Fri, June 1, 2012: All winners announced
  

• Dec 26, 2012 - Jan 2, 2013: Trip to London, England, to perform before The Dickens Fellowship, London Headquarters Branch

The Contest Itself –
Rules for the Oral Interpretation Competition

1. The selection may come from any of the approved nine works by Dickens.

2. The selection must be between four and five minutes in length.

3. Students must open with a brief introduction which explains the context of the passage about to be read: What work is it from? When does it occur? Why is it important? This introduction should not last longer than 40 seconds (the time of the introduction is included in the total 4-5 mins.) Remember that the introduction is part of the performance and is being judged also.

4. Students should have the passage with them, although they need not read from it if they have memorized it. Judges will not be influenced by the fact that the piece has or has not been memorized; however, students are expected to be very familiar with the material.

5. A student may choose any passage from the work but should not use more than one scene. Unimportant lines may be left out from the passage selected.

6. Students should present their passage while standing (unless physical restrictions prevent this.) A podium and the use of a microphone are optional.

7. The use of gestures, head and body positions, and vocal variety for clarification of character and action is permitted. Students, however, should remember that they are presenting a dramatic reading, not a dramatic stage performance.

8. No costumes are allowed. Males should wear dress pants, long-sleeved solid-color dress shirt, or a suit and tie. Females should wear appropriate attire, such as a dress, skirt and blouse, or a dressy pant-suit.

How to Register by January 16, 2012  (Registration is Closed)

1. You have the choice of either registering online at our website, AuthorsInk.com OR printing off the Registration Form and mailing it to us. Please mail to Dickens Contest, PO Box 813, Apex, NC, 27502.

2. No student will be allowed to submit an entry without having registered by the Jan 16^th deadline.

3. Registrations postmarked or received after the January 16^th deadline cannot be accepted. Early registration is encouraged, appreciated and eagerly accepted!

4. Once registration is accepted and confirmed, detailed instructions to submit your Dvd/YouTube entry will be supplied.
   

This national contest is sponsored by The Dickens Fellowship in London, England, and organized by the President of the North Carolina Branch, Dr. Elliot Engel. For more information, contact Denise Clark, Contest Coordinator, at 1-800-392-4434 or Denise@AuthorsInk.com.