COMPETITION

SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO?!
Life Among the Ruins of the
Austro-Hungarian Monarchy

International Competition for High School Students

Call for Competition

Exercises – First Round

 

EXERCISES – SECOND ROUND

DEADLINE

You can continue the competition by submitting the completed exercises of the second round no later than midnight (23:59), March 24 (Friday) 2023
to nepostrans.contest@gmail.com

1. VIDEO INTERVIEW AND PRESS REVIEW: TWO IN ONE

Having followed the traces of your chosen characters through their diary entries and virtual walks in the period 1918–1921, we now invite you to sit down with your protagonists and have a talk with them. The recording takes place in the mid-1920s, so a few years have passed when your character rereads the articles you give them. 

Let your speakers reveal how they felt about 3 (three) of the following events in a video interview:

  • the armistice of Villa Giusti/Padua (3 November 1918), 
  • the ‘abdication’ of Charles I/IV (November 1918), 
  • the treaty of Saint-Germain (10 September 1919), 
  • the treaty of Trianon (4 June 1920), 
  • the formation of the Little Entente (1920-1921), 
  • the Spanish flu, 
  • the changing of currencies (from kronen to korona, to dinar etc.), 
  • the repatriation of POWs,
  • the formation of Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes,
  • an optional local or national or international event.

Choose a minimum of 1 (one) article provided by us or a maximum of 2 (two) from your own sources. Make sure 3 (three) events are covered. Turn to your interviewee with questions related to the chosen 3 (three) topics. 

Select three events from the press from the period 1918–1921 and interview your character (or their relative) about their reflections on the chosen events. Cite your sources! If you decide to search for local newspapers, magazines from your own sources (in your local library, museum, or archive), you can receive a maximum of 20 (twenty) extra points for this exercise. We welcome discussion on topics or events concerning everyday life issues. Make sure your selected event is quoted properly and please take a photo or make a scan of it and upload it together with the video if it is not available on the internet.

Be creative, ask interesting questions relevant to the context. Design and produce a cozy atmosphere where your character(s) can reveal their memories. Feel free to interview relatives on a given topic from different perspectives. (You can even clash various viewpoints in the family.) The video can be recorded in English or in your mother tongue. Whether you choose to conduct the interview in your mother tongue or in English, the video must have English-language subtitles or an English-language transcript attached.

Here is what you have to pay attention to:

  • 3 events with relevant sources (out of which a minimum of 1 must come from the sources we provide you),
  • audibility,
  • settings (props, clothes) in almost authentic surroundings,
  • length of the interview must be no less than 3 minutes and no more than 4 minutes,
  • English subtitles/transcript,
  •  proper quotations of the sources.

EVALUATION

1.) Conceptual elements: 60 points

  • thoughts of the speaker(s) are clear and focused on the selected events
  • different interpretations of the events appear in the dialogue
  • well-founded arguments are included in the interview

2.) Design and creative elements: 30 points

  • settings, props
  • English subtitles/transcript
  • length

3.) Properly cited quotations: 10 points

4.) EXTRA POINTS for each event drawn from authentic sources: 10 points/each (maximum 20 points)

 

You can find the required texts here.

You must use a common type of video file format (e.g. mp4, mkv, flv, mov, avi) and must upload your video to Google Drive.

2. EXHIBITION IN A SUITCASE

Let us suppose that your characters are invited to a conference of time travelers. Your characters are asked to present their most precious memorabilia from the period 1918–1921 in an exhibition. Put those five (5) items that you consider the most memorable to your protagonists in your suitcases. These items mean a lot to them. You write some notes accompanying the items explaining why they are so valuable so that the time travelers can get a glimpse of that period from a very personal point of view. The items can be any object: a photo, a postcard, everyday utensils, a piece of cloth, an item from the war, a toy, a map, etc.

Make sure that 

  • all items come from different categories of objects,
  • there are no more than two (2) war items, 
  • if you wish, you can use a “fictional object” as well, but only one. A contemporary item can be accepted as well. In this case you have to make up its story. The note should be around 200 words long.

Select your objects from online museums, photo archives, exhibitions, or your own sources (e.g., family relics, items from a flea market, etc.).

Some recommended sources: 

Tips for groups of objects you can take into consideration: 

EVALUATION

1.) Five (5) items with descriptive and explanatory notes (a title and 5-6 sentences for each item): 75 points

2.) Creative disposal: 15 points

3.) Bibliography and proper citations: 10 points

APPLICATION

Use this app: https://sway.office.com/ to complete this exercise.

DEADLINE

You can continue the competition by submitting the completed exercises of the second round no later than midnight (23:59), March 24 (Friday), 2023 to nepostrans.contest@gmail.com

CONTACT US

Do not hesitate to contact us in case of any questions!

nepostrans.contest@gmail.com