RULES & REGULATIONS 

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1. Applications should be submitted before August 22nd, 2021. Applications received after August 22nd, 2021 will not be considered.

2.  The registration fee for each participant per every single item will be $10.00 & the registration fee for each group item will be $10.00 per participant. The fee should be submitted online  along with the registration form. No registration fee will be refunded after registration and no registration is complete without receipt of payment. Receipt of online payment should be submitted at the registration counter on the day of the Youth Festival.  No walk-in registration will be accepted on the day of the youth festival. Checks should be payable to Illinois Malayalee Association. No cash payments will be accepted.

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3. Competitions will be conducted in the following 3 age groups. 1. Sub Junior (Kinder Garden to Grade 4), 2. Junior (Grade 5-8), 3. Senior (Grade 9-12) and is based on the school grades of children on the day of the festival. Participants should be permanent residents of Illinois and be current students of any Illinois schools. Other descendants may participate in group items only.
 
4. Separate forms and fees are required for group items. Multiple contestants can use one form but need a separate fee for each group member. There must be at least three (3) participants in a group item.
 
5. There will be four sections for competitive items. Section A (Dances), Section  B (Non-Dances), and section C (Group items).  Kalaprathiba (Male) and Kalathilakam (Female) must win at least one prize from both sections A and B. The winner with the highest points from both these sections will be Kalathilakam and Kalaprathibha. He or she must score more points than any other contestants in single items. Points earned in group items  will be not considered for Kalaprathiba and Kalathilakam. In the event of a tie, their points from both group items will be used. If there is no winner from both sections, the person with the highest points from all the single items will be considered for the titles.
 
6.No contestants can register for more than six single items. Participating in group items will not be counted for this limit.
 
7. For any group item, one participant cannot contest in more than once in the same item in the same age category. But they can participate in another age group if age permits. There should be a minimum of 3  participants in the group
 
8. The first, second, and third prize winners will be awarded 3, 2 and 1 points respectively.

9. IMA youth festival committee reserves the right to make any changes or cancel the venue, order, time and rules and procedures of the competition. Judges decision will be final. Any appeals should be submitted in writing to the IMA youth festival appeal committee within one hour of the release of the result.  In case any dispute arises regarding the festival, the youth festival committee will make the final decision.
 
10. No karaoke is allowed for the music competition.
 
11. No Indian songs allowed for Western Dance
 
12. For the Malayalam reading competition, the participants should have done their entire schooling in the USA. Three Malayalam passages for reading will be given for reading and the participant will be asked to read one passage chosen by the judges on the spot.

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13. All participants should bring the necessary materials needed for their competition. Topics for  coloring will be provided only on the spot. Color pencils can be used for coloring.
 
14. Elocution topics will be published on the  IMA website by August 22nd, 2021.
 
15. As much as possible names of the winners will be announced as and when it will be available on the day of the festival. Kalaprathiba and Kalathilakam trophies will be given on stage on the same day.

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16. Maximum time allowed for each item will be as follows:
Bharatha Natyam- 10 min
Folk Dance- 5 min
Cinematic Dance- 5 min
Western Dance- 5 min
Malayalam Film Song-  5 min
Elocution- 5 min
Malayalam Reading-3 min
Group Song - 5 min
 
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
1. All participants should report to the assigned area 30 minutes before the competition begins.
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2. CD’s must be given to the competition organizers 15 minutes before the competition begins. 3. Participants should adhere to the time limit of items
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4. Tentative competition time schedule will be available at the website as and when ready. However, please contact the youth festival conveners for the up-to-date status.

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5. Participants must follow state mandated COVID -19 protocols