ESSAY WRITING CONTEST

CONTEST OBJECTIVES:
1. To advocate understanding of science and technology in relation to current social issues
2. To encourage critical thinking and educated analysis of the world of science and technology
3. To acknowledge the students’ excellence in written communication

MECHANICS:
1. Eligibility. The contest is open to both junior high school (Bracket II) and senior high school (Bracket
III) participants of NYSTESC 2019. A maximum of TWO (2) eligible participants per affiliated science
club shall be allowed to join. The contestant should NOT be a participant of the Poster Making
Contest, School Quiz Competition, Editorial Cartooning, Extemporaneous Speech Contest, Take
Home Workshops, and Science Exposed. The participants are also reminded that this contest will be
held simultaneously with the Entertainment Night Auditions. To avoid conflicts, participants are highly
discouraged to be contestants of both.
2. Pre-registration. The school shall duly accomplish the pre-registration form (Sheet 3 of Form 3A)
through the downloadables tab of the NYSTESC facebook page
(https://www.facebook.com/psysc.nystesc). Walk-in participants will be accommodated but will have
corresponding deductions.
3. Contest Proper. The theme for the contest shall revolve on a science, technology, and environment
issue related to this year's NYSTESC topic, ENERGY SYSTEMS. This shall be given at the start of
the contest proper. Participants are highly encouraged to be at the contest venue at least 15 minutes
before the contest proper. Schools arriving after the schedule of the contest should inform the
organizers through Ate Elah Palaganas (see contact details provided). Latecomers shall only be
accommodated if NONE of the participants inside the venue have gone out yet. Time extensions will
NOT be given.
4. Duration. The contest shall be good for TWO (2) hours only. All essays must be done on the spot.
The essays should be written clearly and legibly in English with a maximum of 1500 words.
5. Materials. Participants shall be provided with 5 sheets of legal pad paper.
6. Criteria and Judging. There will be separate winners for junior high school and senior high school
participants. The entries shall be judged based on the following criteria:

CRITERIA PERCENTAGE

Focus 25%
(Originality, Matter)

Support 25%
(Theory, Context, Critique)

Organization & Format 20%

(Paragraphs, Transitions)

Language Use & Style 15%

(Word choice, Creativity)

Conventions 15%
(Grammar, Punctuation, Spelling)

TOTAL 100%

a. Non-compliance with these guidelines shall result to disqualification. Plagiarism is strictly not
allowed. Note that use of the participant’s previous works without proper citation is also
considered as plagiarism. Anyone caught cheating in any form shall be reprimanded, and shall be
asked to leave the room immediately.
b. The contestants of the TOP THREE (3) essays per bracket, together with their coaches, shall be
given certificates of recognition. Moreover, the Champion, First Runner-Up, and Second Runner-
Up shall each receive a gold, silver, and bronze medallion during the awarding ceremony,
respectively.
c. PSYSC reserves the right to share all submissions and they shall be properly cited.
d. The scores of any participants will not be disclosed.
e. The decision of the board of judges shall be FINAL and IRREVOCABLE.
f. The NYSTESC 2019 Sessions Committee reserves the right to modify the guidelines, if deemed
necessary, without prior notice.
 POSTER MAKING CONTEST

CONTEST OBJECTIVES:
1. To promote science, technology, and the environment through visual interpretations
2. To encourage imagination and creativity
3. To recognize excellence and skills in the arts

MECHANICS:
1. Eligibility. The contest is open to both junior high school (Bracket II) and senior high school (Bracket
III) participants of NYSTESC 2019. A maximum of TWO (2) eligible participants per affiliated science
club shall be allowed to join. The contestant should NOT be a participant of the Essay Writing
Contest, School Quiz Competition, Editorial Cartooning, Extemporaneous Speech Contest, Take
Home Workshops, and Science Exposed. The participants are also reminded that this contest will be
held simultaneously with the Entertainment Night Auditions. To avoid conflicts, participants are highly
discouraged to be contestants of both.
2. Pre-registration. The school shall duly accomplish the pre-registration form (Sheet 3 of Form 3A)
through the downloadables tab of the NYSTESC facebook page
(https://www.facebook.com/psysc.nystesc). Walk-in participants will be accommodated but will have
corresponding deductions.
3. Contest Proper. The theme for the contest shall revolve on a science, technology, and environment
issue related to this year's NYSTESC topic, ENERGY SYSTEMS. This shall be given at the start of
the contest proper. Participants are highly encouraged to be at the contest venue at least 15 minutes
before the contest proper. Schools arriving after the schedule of the contest should inform the
organizers through Ate Elah Palaganas (see contact details provided). Latecomers shall only be
accommodated if NONE of the participants inside the venue have gone out yet. Time extensions will
NOT be given.
4. Duration. The contest shall be good for TWO (2) hours only.
5. Materials. A 1/4 sized cartolina shall be provided by the organizers. All other materials must be
brought by the individual contestant. Only the following materials shall be allowed to be used: oil
pastel, crayon, permanent marker, cotton, pencil, and eraser.
6. Criteria and Judging. There will be separate winners for junior high school and senior high school
participants. Each individual entry will be judged based on the following criteria:

CRITERIA PERCENTAGE

Message Clarity 35%

(Originality, Theme Accordance)

Design 25%
(Creativity, Style)

Visual Appeal 25%

(Color, Contrast)

Craftsmanship 15%
(Neatness, Smoothness)

TOTAL 100%

a. Non-compliance with these guidelines shall result to disqualification. Plagiarism is strictly not
allowed. Note that use of the participant’s previous works without proper citation is also
considered as plagiarism. Anyone caught cheating in any form shall be reprimanded, and shall be
asked to leave the room immediately.
b. The contestants of the TOP THREE (3) posters per bracket, together with their coaches, shall be
given certificates of recognition. Moreover, the Champion, First Runner-Up, and Second Runner-
Up shall each receive a gold, silver, and bronze medallion during the awarding ceremony,
respectively.
c. PSYSC reserves the right to share all submissions and they shall be properly cited.
d. The scores of any participants will not be disclosed.
e. The decision of the board of judges shall be FINAL and IRREVOCABLE.
f. The NYSTESC 2019 Sessions Committee reserves the right to modify the guidelines, if deemed
necessary, without prior notice.
 EDITORIAL CARTOONING

CONTEST OBJECTIVES:
1. To integrate social sciences from the natural science through arts
2. To foster a venue for critical thinking by crafting a commentary to a specific social or political issue
3. To recognize the participants’ excellence and skill in the arts

MECHANICS:
1. Eligibility. The contest is open to both junior high school (Bracket II) and senior high school (Bracket
III) participants of NYSTESC 2019. A maximum of TWO (2) eligible participants per affiliated science
club shall be allowed to join. The contestant should NOT be a participant of the Poster Making
Contest, School Quiz Competition, Essay Writing Contest, Extemporaneous Speech Contest, Take
Home Workshops, and Science Exposed. The participants are also reminded that this contest will be
held simultaneously with the Entertainment Night Auditions. To avoid conflicts, participants are highly
discouraged to be contestants of both.
2. Pre-registration. The school shall duly accomplish the pre-registration form (Sheet 3 of Form 3A)
through the downloadables tab of the NYSTESC facebook page
(https://www.facebook.com/psysc.nystesc). Walk-in participants will be accommodated but will have
corresponding deductions.
3. Contest Proper. The theme for the contest shall revolve on a science, technology, and environment
issue related to this year's NYSTESC topic, ENERGY SYSTEMS. It shall be given during the contest
proper. Participants are highly encouraged to be at the contest venue at least 15 minutes before the
contest proper. Schools arriving after the schedule of the contest should inform the organizers
through Ate Elah Palaganas (see contact details provided). Late-comers shall only be accommodated
if NONE of the participants inside the venue have gone out yet. Time extensions will NOT be given.
4. Duration. The contest shall be good for TWO (2) hours only.
5. Materials. A letter-sized bond paper shall be provided by the organizers. All other materials must be
brought by the individual contestant. Participants may use pencils provided that black-colored
pens will be used on the final output.
6. Criteria and Judging. There will be separate winners for junior high school and senior high school
participants. Each individual entry will be judged based on the following criteria:

CRITERIA PERCENTAGE

Content 20%
(Information Accuracy, Topic Research)

Creative Thinking 20%

(Creativity, Originality)

Reflective Thinking 20%

(Social Relevance, Metacognition)

Graphics 20%
(Drawing, Storyboard)

Presentation 20%
(Details, Style, Neatness)

TOTAL 100%

a. Non-compliance with these guidelines shall result to disqualification. Plagiarism is strictly not
allowed. Note that use of the participant’s previous works without proper citation is also
considered as plagiarism. Anyone caught cheating in any form shall be reprimanded, and shall be
asked to leave the room immediately.
b. The contestants of the TOP THREE (3) entries per bracket, together with their coaches, shall be
given certificates of recognition. Moreover, the Champion, First Runner-Up, and Second Runner-
Up shall each receive a gold, silver, and bronze medallion during the awarding ceremony,
respectively.
c. PSYSC reserves the right to share all submissions and they shall be properly cited.
d. The scores of any participants will not be disclosed.
e. The decision of the board of judges shall be FINAL and IRREVOCABLE.
f. The NYSTESC 2019 Sessions Committee reserves the right to modify the guidelines, if deemed
necessary, without prior notice.
 SCHOOL QUIZ COMPETITION

CONTEST OBJECTIVES:
1. To test the participants’ knowledge and understanding of science and technology concepts
2. To encourage mastery of science concepts through healthy competition
3. To recognize excellence of students in the field of science and technology

GENERAL MECHANICS:
1. Eligibility. The contest is open to both junior high school (Bracket II) and senior high school (Bracket
III) participants of NYSTESC 2019. A maximum of TWO (2) eligible participants per affiliated science
club shall be allowed to join. The contestant should NOT be a participant of the Poster Making
Contest, Essay Writing Contest, Editorial Cartooning, Extemporaneous Speech Contest, Take Home
Workshops, and Science Exposed. The participants are also reminded that the elimination round will
be held simultaneously with the Entertainment Night Auditions. To avoid conflicts, participants are
highly discouraged to be contestants of both.
2. Pre-registration. The school shall duly accomplish the pre-registration form (Sheet 3 of Form 3A)
through the downloadables tab of the NYSTESC facebook page
(https://www.facebook.com/psysc.nystesc). Walk-in participants will be accommodated but will have
corresponding deductions.
3. Contest Proper. The competition is composed of two parts – Elimination Round and Final Round.
Both rounds will be done separately for junior high school and senior high school contestants.
4. Elimination Round
a. The Elimination Round is a written exam composed of 75 multiple-choice questions and five (5)
Clincher questions. The questions will be based on the following categories: Earth Science,
Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Information Technology.
b. The exam shall be good for 1 hour and 30 minutes ONLY. Schools arriving after the schedule of
the contest should inform the organizers through Ate Elah Palaganas (see contact details
provided). Latecomers shall only be accommodated if NONE of the participants inside the venue
have gone out yet. Time extension shall NOT be given.
c. Each participant should bring his/her own calculator. Participants are allowed to use a non-
programmable scientific calculator. Borrowing of calculators on the exam proper is strictly
prohibited. Students must also bring their own pencil, eraser, and sharpener.
d. The scores of individual participants in the team will be averaged and recorded. The TOP TEN
teams will qualify for the Final Round.
e. The scores of any participant in the Elimination Round will not be disclosed. The finalists will be
announced in random order and their scores will revert to zero for the Final Round.
f. The INDIVIDUAL TOP SCORER of the Elimination Round of each bracket shall be recognized
and shall receive a gold medallion and a certificate of recognition. His/her coach shall also
receive a certificate of recognition.
5. Final Round
a. The Final Round is an oral competition divided into three (3) levels: Easy, Average, and
Difficult.
b. Latecomers during the Final Round will NOT be allowed to join.
c. Questions in the Final Round shall be based on the NYSTESC 2019 topics: Energy Production,
Energy Conversion, and Energy Utilization.
d. Each level is composed of ten (10) questions. Each question shall be answered within a time limit
of 10 seconds for the Easy and Average Rounds, while 20 seconds for the Difficult Round.
e. Three (3) points are given for every correct answer in the Easy level, five (5) points for the
Average level, and seven (7) points for the Difficult level.
f. Only the finalists are allowed to raise contentions. A finalist is not allowed to contest answers of
other finalists. Contentions shall only be entertained until before the next question is read.
g. In case of a tie, the concerned participants will proceed to the sudden-death clincher round where
in the first team to get the correct answer will be declared as the winner.
h. The TOP THREE (3) teams per bracket, together with their coaches, shall be given certificates of
recognition. Moreover, the Champion, First Runner-Up, and Second Runner-Up shall each
receive a gold, silver, and bronze medallion during the awarding ceremony, respectively.
i. Non-compliance with these guidelines will result to disqualification.
j. The decision of the Board of Judges shall be FINAL and IRREVOCABLE.
k. The NYSTESC 2019 Sessions Committee reserves the right to modify the guidelines, if deemed
necessary, without prior notice.
 EXTEMPORANEOUS SPEAKING CONTEST

CONTEST OBJECTIVES:
1. To promote understanding of science and technology in relation to current social issues
2. To foster a venue for informing, entertaining, and persuading about relevant issues in the society
3. To recognize excellence of students in verbal communication

GENERAL MECHANICS:
1. Eligibility. The contest is open to both junior high school (Bracket II) and senior high school
(Bracket III) participants of NYSTESC 2019. A maximum of ONE (1) eligible participant per bracket
per affiliated science club shall be allowed to join. The contestant should NOT be a participant of
the Poster Making Contest, Essay Writing Contest, Editorial Cartooning, Take Home Workshops, and
Science Exposed. The participants are also reminded that the elimination round will be held
simultaneously with the Entertainment Night Auditions. To avoid conflicts, participants are highly
discouraged to be contestants of both.
2. Pre-registration. The school shall duly accomplish the pre-registration form (Sheet 3 of Form 3A)
through the downloadables tab of the NYSTESC facebook page
(https://www.facebook.com/psysc.nystesc). Walk-in participants will be accommodated but will have
corresponding deductions.
3. Contest Proper. The competition is composed of two parts – Elimination Round and Final Round.
4. Elimination Round.
a. The Elimination Round is a written speech outline contest on the topic to be given on the
contest proper. The theme for the contest is either a science, technology or environment issue
related to this year’s NYSTESC topic, ENERGY SYSTEMS.
b. The speech outline writing shall be good for TWENTY (20) minutes only. Participants are
highly encouraged to be at the contest venue at least 15 minutes before the contest proper.
Participants arriving after the start of the contest should inform the organizers through Ate Elah
Palaganas (see contact details provided). Latecomers shall only be accommodated if NONE of
the participants inside the venue have finished yet. Time extension shall NOT be given.
c. Participants will be provided with ONE (1) letter-sized paper where they can write their
speech outlines. Participants are not allowed to bring any devices such as laptops and mobile
phones.
d. After the alloted time, the entries will be judged. At this moment, the contestants are not
allowed to consult other participants, nor other individuals. Should they need to go outside of the
contest venue, a facilitator will accompany him/her.
e. The top SEVEN (7) qualifiers from the screening round will be immediately announced
and will then advance to the finals round.
f. The scores of any participant in the Elimination Round will not be disclosed. The finalists
will be announced in random order and their scores will revert to zero for the Final Round.
g. There will be separate winners for junior high school and senior high school participants.
The speech outline will be judged according to the following criteria:

CRITERIA PERCENTAGE

Central Idea 30%

(Originality, Focus)

Subtopics 25%
(Supporting statements)

Organization & Format 20%

(Consistency of symbolization and
indentation)

Sources 15%
(Citation of accurate and relevant
information on the topic)

Convention 10%
(Grammar, Punctuation, Spelling)

TOTAL 100%

5. Finals Round
a. After the announcement, the finalists will go to the preparation room. Again, any form of
communication towards other participants are not allowed. A facilitator will be there to assist
should there be any concerns.
b. The order of the speakers will be randomly picked by the contestants. Each participant
will be called one by one to the speech room where they will deliver their speeches in front of the
judges.
c. The speech must not be less than THREE (3) minutes nor greater than FIVE (5)
minutes. A timekeeper will visually notify the contestant with notecards for the time remaining in
minutes. Corresponding deductions will be applied for contestants who will not comply with the
time requirements.
d. The participants should deliver their speeches according to the outline they have
submitted in the elimination round. Any form of written notes will not be allowed during the
speech.
e. The extemporaneous speech will be judged based on the following criteria:

CRITERIA PERCENTAGE

Content 30%
(Appropriateness of content to topic)

Organization 25%
(Unity of thought, logical development)

Delivery 20%
(Voice Quality, Pitch, Articulation)

Stage Presence 15%

(Personal appearance, Posture,
Confidence)

Sources 10%
(Accuracy of statements)

TOTAL 100%

f. Non-compliance with these guidelines shall result to disqualification. Plagiarism is strictly

not allowed. Note that use of the participant’s previous works without proper citation is also
considered as plagiarism. Anyone caught cheating in any form shall be reprimanded, and shall be
asked to leave the room immediately.
g. The TOP THREE (3) speakers per bracket, together with their coaches, shall be given
certificates of recognition. The Champion, First Runner-Up, and Second Runner-Up shall each
receive a gold, silver, and bronze medallion during the awarding ceremony, respectively.
Moreover, the Champion for this contest will be given a chance to perform the speech during the
Entertainment Night.
h. PSYSC reserves the right to share all submissions and they shall be properly cited.
i. The scores of any participant will not be disclosed.
j. The decision of the board of judges shall be FINAL and IRREVOCABLE.
k. The NYSTESC 2019 Sessions Committee reserves the right to modify the guidelines, if
deemed necessary, without prior notice.