Reminder

Branch Eligibility Guidelines

The Branch must meet all the national deadlines and pay the Branch Participation Fee.
The Competition must be open to all high schools in the area the Branch targets for the program.
A minimum of 6 schools must each agree to hold a school competition from which a winner will be selected to advance to the Branch competition.
All stages of the Competition must be judged by a panel of at least 3 individuals familiar with Shakespeare's works.

Branches

Branch Deadlines

Once an ESU Branch decides to participate in The English-Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition, the Branch must adhere to the following national deadlines. Only those ESU Branches who complete all the appropriate paperwork by the deadlines will be eligible to send contestants to the National Competition.

BY september 14, 2016

• The Branch must complete the Branch Participation Agreement Form by this date.

• The Branch must also pay the $600 Branch Participation Fee. Payment can be made online (credit card) or by mail (check). Note: If paying by check, the check should be made payable to The English-Speaking Union and enclosed with a copy of the Branch Participation Agreement Form.

BY MARCH 6, 2017

• The Branch must hold their Branch Competition by this date. (Exceptions can be made for special circumstances, but requests must be approved by ESU National Headquarters ahead of time.)

• The Branch must notify ESU National Headquarters of the results of their competition by this date. Notification should be made through the submission of the Branch Winner Entry Form. (In case of any scheduling conflicts with the Branch winner, we highly recommend the Branch also send in their Branch runner-up's information.)

• The Branch must send in copies of the Branch winner's monologue and sonnet that he/she will perform at the National Competition. These documents should be submitted with the Branch Winner Entry Form. (We recommend the Branch ask for these documents from the student and/or their teacher at the Branch Competition.)

• If the Branch winner has documented hearing, learning, physical, and/or visual disabilities, the Branch must notify the ESU National Headquarters by this date. This will ensure that appropriate arrangements are made during the National Competition for the student.

BY MARCH 15, 2017

• The Branch must arrange student travel to the National Competition.

BY June 1, 2017

• The Branch must submit travel receipts for the student winner for reimbursement.

• The Branch must complete the Branch Competition Questionnaire by this date. This electronic questionnaire will be sent to the Branch Shakespeare Coordinator in Early Spring. Hard copies are available upon request.

• The Branch must submit a participation list with contact information for those schools and teachers who participated in their Branch Competition to ESU National Headquarters. TIP: We suggest using the Teacher Email Contact List.

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