French Contest


The French language and Francophonie Week is organized every year around March 20th, which is International Francophonie Day. It is a major event for all the French language lovers, and a great occasion to show one’s attachment to the language of Molière by celebrating its richness and diversity.

The purpose of the “French Contest” event is to invite students to play and express themselves in either a literary or artistic form. We are pleased to invite you to join this venture and encourage your students to participate in this French Contest 2016 edition.

Please find the terms and guidelines below.

Terms and Guidelines 

1. Public The French contest “Autoportraits” is open to all students of French in grade K-12. The students must be currently enrolled in a public or private school, or institution offering French language courses in Florida.

2. Assignment The contest consists of submitting an individual assignment (as prizes will be individual) that will be a self-portrait in the form of a drawing or a photograph with a written text in French. The work should include an artistic dimension and a real linguistic work.

For this purpose the students will have to draw a self-portrait or take a picture of themselves, and write a brief legend in French that will describe the given picture (30 words maximum).

The drawing or picture should show the student represented in a context which reminds that of France or any other francophone country. The students are thus invited to imagine themselves in a French-speaking environment.

The text in French should be integrated in the artwork on the same page, not on the back of the page. The format and techniques will be the following:

• The drawing can be black and white or color. Drawing paper should be used. The size must be Us Letter or Ledger/Tabloid. Techniques used can be as diversified as charcoal, colored pens, colored pencils, Francophonie Concours d’Autoportraits 2016 pastels, collage, black ink pens or paint. (The use of a fixative is recommended for protecting the artwork) 

• The photograph can be a head shot or a whole body shot (please avoid close-ups). It can be black and white, color or sepia. Photo paper should be used. The size should be no smaller than 5/7 inches, 8.5/11 inches, and no larger than 11/14 inches. It is recommended to create an original setting, with a decorated background or set up, using accessories (sheets, banners, flags, costumes, disguises, wigs, hats, glasses, bottles, pieces of furniture, cutlery, food, drinks etc.) 

3. Submission deadlines The contest will open up on November 24th 2015. The deadline for submitting entries is February 12th 2016 (date as per postmark).

To participate, please send entries via post mail along with completed form and parental authorization (documents are attached) to the following address: Martine Johnston French Consulate in Miami / Cultural Services 1395 Brickell Avenue Suite 1050 Miami, FL 33131 email: martine.johnston@diplomatie.gouv.fr

The completed form and signed parental authorization must be attached to the back of the artwork

4. The Selection The entries will be evaluated and selected by a jury composed of cultural professionals, academics and linguists. The submissions will be judged on the following criteria:
 Originality/Creativity (Quality of the production, capacity for imagination)
 Quality of writing in French (Relevance of the text as regards to the drawing/picture)
 Respect of the rules (Respect of the theme, the format and the techniques)


5. Results announcement and Prize-giving celebration Results will be announced on March 16th, 2016

There will be 3 prizes awarded consisting of:

• First prize: a $500 value gift 
• Second prize: a $250 value gift 
• Third prize: a $100 value gift The prize-giving celebration will take place before the end of the school year.