The Eleventh National CLASS Essay Contest

1. The contestant must be a student currently enrolled in a Mandarin Chinese program during the current school year at an elementary school, a middle school or a high school that is fully accredited by the regional Accreditation institutions like Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), or is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS).

2. The instructor of the contestant must be a current member of the Chinese Language Association of Secondary-Elementary Schools (CLASS). The annual membership fee ($40.00 as of April 2014) must be paid by the instructor before students are eligibility to compete.

3. Essays must be written on the paper with writing chart provided and hand written legibly. Any illegible writing will result in deducted points.

4. Eligibility of Contest Entry: All entries must be student’s original independent work*. No contestant may use an essay by another contestant in previous years or resubmit an essay that was a previous submission. CLASS reserves** the right to disqualify contestants with identical essays or aboriginal essays.

5. It is the responsibility of the instructor to place each of his/her students in the most appropriate category commensurate with the student’s background and training. CLASS reserves the right to disqualify a contestant who provides false background and training information.

6. Each contestant must agree to compete in his/her assigned division and category as outlined below.