RULES

· Speech Topics. The speech or declamation topic should be related to one of the following (pick 1 topic). Before presenting your speech, please give its title and also state which of the following topics it belongs to. The topics are so general, it may be possible for you to present anything on any aspect of each topic. However, please be careful not to get controversial so as to offend any individual (personal) or demean any group, institution, or religion.

Sewa
Simran
Kirtan
Family values in Sikhism
Customs and traditions
Morals and ethics
Bridging the generation gap
Role of media on present day Sikhism
The five vices
Importance of religion in today’s society

· Time Limits: Young Speech: 2 – 3 minutes (max 3.5 minutes without point deduction)

Young Sangit: 7 minutes (max 7.5 minutes without point deduction)

Adult Speech: 4 - 5 minutes (max 5 minutes without point deduction)

Adult Sangit: 7 minutes (max 7.5 minutes without point deduction)

· Judgment Criteria for Shabad.

Heading	Description	Maximum Points	Points Given By
Singing (20)	Was each singer (especially lead singers) singing in tune (not out of tune)?	10	Ragi
	Did each singer (especially lead singers) have pleasant singing voices?	3	Ragi
	Were all singers singing together in harmony when required?	4	Ragi
	Was there a demonstration of the use of Raag and other complex singing talent expressions within the shabad?	3	Ragi
Instruments (15)	How good was the keyboard (waja or casio) performance?	3	Ragi
	How good was the beat (taal) through tabla and/or drums?	3	Ragi
	Overall how well did the musical instruments accompany the shabad?	5	Ragi
	Was there any special musical instruments used and how well was it suited and played?	4	Ragi
Stage Presentation (10)	Was the wardrobe of the participants nice? (did they have nice uniform or good wardrobe color coordination?)	5	Ragi
	Did the participants sit in an orderly fashion on stage and look at the audience (pleasant, confident, not giggling)?	3	Ragi
	Was there anything outstanding or special about their stage appearance?	2	Ragi
Shabad (7)	Was the shabad’s verse (words) a good choice in terms of being meaningful for life today (spiritual or otherwise) with a high impact factor?	3	Ragi
	Does the shabad have a good musical melody (tune), pleasing to the listeners and not too complex (i.e., is it a catchy tune)?	4	Ragi
Participants (12)	Were there at least 10 people in the Jatha on stage? Deduct 1 point per less than 10. No maximum limit.	4	YTSA
	Did each participant play an important role (lead singing, accompaniment, or musical instrument) and not just decorate the stage?	4	Judge
	Was there a good mix of participants on stage? For Adults Jatha: was there good representation for men and women (at least 2 of each gender). For Young Jatha: Was there at least 4 children on stage.	4	YTSA
Off Stage Team Spirit (6)	Did team house members off stage appear united and filled with team spirit/cheer (seen in characteristics such as uniform, orderly seating, saying Bolay Sonay Haal, etc.)?	3	Judge
	Was the team house (Young or Adult Group) members off stage actively involved in seva, document distribution, stage arrangement, maintaining silence, and encouraging audience participation during the shabad presentation.	3	Judge
Documents (10)	Was there a document accompanying the shabad in Punjabi and verbose in English for audience sing-along participation?	3	YTSA
	Did the document have English meaning of shabad?	3	YTSA
	Did the document have Thai meaning of shabad?	1	YTSA
	Was the document layout and artwork done in a professional and creative manner (quality paper, presentation style, beautiful artwork, nice illustrations)?	3	Judge
On Time (10)	Was the shabad done on time? Shabad should be completed in 7 minutes (no points deducted if not reach 7.5 minutes). If shorter than 6 minutes should have points deducted as well. Three Points should be deducted per half minute of delay, but if take over 9 minutes should get 0 points for this section.	10	YTSA
Creativity (10)	Overall was there anything special or particularly creative that this team did that deserves some special points?	10	Judge
	TOTAL:	100

· Judgment Criteria for Speech.

Heading	Description	Maximum Points	Points Given By
Introduction (5)	Did speaker mention the title of the speech and the topic it falls under?	5	Judge
Speech Content (35)	How relevant, important, or interesting is the chosen topic for Sikhs in general and Thai-Sikhs in particular?	10	Judge
	Were there many good points on the topic made minus the weak points (please try to count – at least 4 good points to get total score)?	15	Judge
	Any quotes made from the Gurbani or other Sikh writings?	10	Judge
Presentation (15)	Did speaker(s) address the audience and not appear to read the speech?	5	Judge
	Did speaker(s) appear confident and poised (good posture) during the presentation?	5	Judge
	Was the speaker(s) articulate in the delivery of the speech (clearly spoken and not rushed)?	5	Judge
Language Usage (15)	Was the grammar correct?	5	Judge
	Did it have good choice of words (meaningful, but simple vocabulary used) and nice sentence structure (not too long, not too short)?	5	Judge
	Was there some creative play with the language that you particularly liked (eg. Some rhymes, quotes, mix in some Punjabi/Thai, etc.)?	5	Judge
Participants (5)	Although only one speaker is required, did the house team try to create an interesting mix of participants for the speech delivery?	5	Judge
Off Stage Team Spirit (5)	Did team house members off stage appear united and filled with team spirit/cheer seen in characteristics such as maintaining silence, paying attention, active involvement, saying Bolay Sonay Haal cheer, etc?	5	Judge
On Time (10)	Was the speech done on time? Young Speech should be completed in 3 minutes (no points deducted if not reach 3.5 minutes) –- 5 points will be deducted per half minute delay after 3.5 minutes. Adult Speech should be completed in 5 minutes maximum –- 5 points will be deducted per half minute delay after 5 minutes.	10	Judge
Creativity (10)	Overall was there anything special or particularly creative about the speech?	10	YTSA
	TOTAL:	100

· Team Points Distribution: The following distribution of team points for this event is final.

Division	Points for Rank 1	Points for Rank 2
Adult Jatha	25	19
Young Jatha	20	15
Adult Speech	8	6
Young Speech	7	5
Total:	60	45

SCHEDULE

10:00	Shabad	Youth	Red	“Tum Karo Daya Mere Sayeen”. Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Page 674.
10:10	Speech	Youth	Yellow	“In Listening, Understanding, & Following Gurbani, High Moral Values & Ethics Are Embedded Deep within Us”. Speech by Saranveer Singh Muchal & Sahibdev Singh Muchal.
10:15	Shabad	Youth	Green	“Ray Jan Man Madho Sio Laiaye”. Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Page 324. Kabir Ji Gauri.
10:25	Speech	Youth	Green	“Kirtan”. Speech by Simran Kaur and Dayavir Singh.
10:30	Shabad	Youth	Blue	“Sajan Raang Rangiladhe Rang Laal Banaya”. Raag Suhi Mehla 1, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Page 767.
10:40	Speech	Youth	Blue	“The Role of Media on Present Day Sikhism”. Speech by Ramneek Kaur Doowa.
10:45	Shabad	Youth	Yellow	“Mohan Kar Aavo Karo Jodariya”. Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Page 1209.
10:55	Speech	Youth	Red	“Kirtan”. Speech by Master Pavarit Bagga and Baby Kirti Sachdev
11:00	Speech	Adult	Green	“Bridging the Generation Gap”. Speech by Jasnam Kaur.
11:05	Shabad	Adult	Blue	“Kar Kirpa Prabh Deen Dayala. Teri Ot Puran Gopala.” Raag Devgandhari Mehla 5, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Page 463.
11:15	Speech	Adult	Yellow	“Seva: The Thinking behind the Deed”. Speech by Dhammandeep Singh Khanijou, Sukhbir Singh Narula and Amarjit Kaur Doowa.
11:20	Shabad	Adult	Yellow	“Ram Gosaiya Ji Ke Jeevana, Mohe Na Bisaro, Mein Jan Tera”. Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Page 345.
11:30	Speech	Adult	Red	“On Customs and Traditions: The Sikh Marriage”. Speech by Karamveer Singh.
11:35	Shabad	Adult	Green	“Tum Karo Daya Mere Sayeen”. Panasri Mehla Panjva 5, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Page 673.
11:45	Speech	Adult	Blue	“Simran”. Speech by Navneet Kaur Sachdev.
11:50	Shabad	Adult	Red	“Jis Ke Sir Oopar Tu Swami”. Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Page 749-50.
12:05	Speech			Closing speech by SGSS committee member
12:15	Prizes			Announce winners and distribute certificates.
12:30	Langar			Langar Lunch for All Sangat

FINAL SCORE

Division	Points Rank 1	Points Rank 2	Top Team	2^nd Team	Red Points	Green Points	Blue Points	Yellow Points
Adult Jatha	25	19	Y	B	0	0	19	25
Young Jatha	20	15	G	Y	0	20	0	15
Adult Speech	8	6	G	B	0	8	6	0
Young Speech	7	5	R	Y	7	0	0	5
Total:	60	45			7	28	25	45