Contest Info

Who may participate?

The Lost in Translation Poetry Event is open to students of Vermont Organization of Classics and Language Educators (VOCALE) members, from Pre-K through 12th grade, currently enrolled in French or Spanish. There are also separate categories for students who are native/heritage speakers of each language.

Interested students must register to participate in this event. Students/Teachers must fill out this REGISTRATION FORM by Friday, April 5th. TEACHERS: In order for students to participate in this online forum, you must get consent from their parents. When you register a student, you are confirming that parents/caregivers have agreed to the following statement:

I understand that participation in this event will be through the online platform FlipGrid. Participants' voice and video will be recorded and posted in a private forum, where it can only be viewed by the other participants, teachers, judges, and event organizers. Students will identify themselves by first name only, and no other identifying information will be shared on this platform.  My student has permission to participate in the 2024 Lost in Translation Poetry Event.

What do the students have to do?

Students recite from memory a poem in the target language. Poems are assigned: you can find the selections HERE.  Students are encouraged to be creative and artistic with their interpretations. The students will record their poems in the virtual platform, FlipGrid, where the recordings can be viewed by other participants and reviewed by judges.

What are the levels/categories?

Each school may enter a maximum of 10 students per level in each category and language.

*This category is not a competition, but a community celebration of language and poetry. Each participant will receive a certificate of participation.

How does judging work?

The students will perform their pre-selected poem from memory into a FlipGrid recording between Sunday, April 7 and Friday, April 12. The text of the poems, as well as recordings are available HERE. Students are actively encouraged to be expressive, creative and artistic and may use gestures, intonation and dramatic pauses when interpreting their poems. After the submission deadline, judges will review recordings. 

Winners of each category will receive a $50 prize. 

The judges will score the students' performance based on these four criteria:

The full rubric can be viewed HERE.