“Our Children’s Stories” Competition

Competition Overview
Storytelling is a very special tradition in Bhutan - passing down our rich cultural heritage from
one generation to another. In this national storytelling competition “Our Children’s Stories”,
Class VII to Class XII students from schools across Bhutan will have an opportunity to share
real stories, in English or Dzongkha, from their families and communities. Students are invited to
participate by submitting a short video of themselves narrating a story. This competition aims to
inspire students through storytelling, exchange perspectives from different communities, nurture
a vibrant literary culture and celebrate the narrative tradition in Bhutan.

Deadline for submission: EXTENDED from June 16th to June 23rd, 2023.
Winners will be announced July 21st, 2023.

Eligibility Criteria
● Videos should be between 3-5 minutes in length
● The student must choose to narrate their whole story in ONLY either Dzongkha or
English.
● Each participating student may only make ONE submission to this competition.
● Students must be between class VII and Class XII attending a school in Bhutan
● The student participant is the only person allowed to appear in and narrate the story in
the video.
● Must be a story of a real experience shared to you or a real experience of your own.
● The story must be based in Bhutan and feature Bhutanese people.
● Make a list citing the URLs for all visual aids sourced from the internet.
DO NOT delete your video until after the competition is over!

Students may incorporate a maximum of 5 visual aids throughout the video as long as the
participating student remains as the primary narrator in the story. Please be sure the video is
recorded in a horizontal frame format. Videos submitted to Bhutan Echoes may be used for
promotional purposes. No special camera tricks or video editing is required to participate and
win!
What We’re Looking For
We’re looking for the best delivery of stories that offer an insightful and intimate exploration of
the Bhutanese experience. We are seeking narratives that are delivered naturally, with passion
and captivate viewers ensuring their engagement throughout. Students’ should convey their
story with a natural flow as if they’re sharing a captivating story with a close friend. Avoid a strict
and unnatural step-by-step delivery of your story and its aspects (such as those on the judging
rubric). Tell us where you got your story from. We want to hear the true stories of our Bhutanese
communities!

Please note:
We are not accepting folktales or any other fictional stories for this competition. For this
competition, we are specifically looking for real stories from the people of Bhutan. We
encourage participants to share captivating and authentic stories from their own lives, families
or communities. We would like the real stories of Bhutan to connect and inspire people as they
showcase the diverse experiences and narratives within Bhutan.

Prizes and Recognition

In total, there will be 12 remarkable individuals recognized in this competition who will win prizes
for themselves, and the school they’ll be representing.

Winning Categories Prizes for Each Winner

1 overall winner of the Dzongkha category 15k to student and books to school

1 overall winner of the English category 15k to student and books to school

1 winner from each class level spanning from 6k to student and books to school
Class VII to Class XII

1 Honorable mention Books

.
● 1 overall winner of the Dzongkha category
● 1 overall winner of the English category
● 1 winner from each class level going from Class VII to Class XII
● 1 Honorable Mention
The videos of the winners of the Dzongkha and English Categories will be screened at the
Drukyul’s Literature Festival 2023.

These exceptional participants will be selected by a panel of judges who will meticulously
assess the quality of their work using a comprehensive judging rubric.
Competition Tips
● Ask ask ask your questions! Clarifying your concerns about this competition can only
improve your submission and increase your chances of winning!
● Take a close look at the attached Judging Rubric to understand the point awarding
criteria before the student tells the story and records the video.
● For students who do not remember a real story told to them, encourage them to
interview one of their family members, friends, teachers, or community members. Ask to
document the story while interviewing and re-tell it in their own compelling way when
recording the video.
● Students should like the story they’re sharing. If you like and enjoy the story you are
going to share, you are more likely to do a better job at getting your audience interested
in your story too.
● Tell your story from memory naturally for a more authentic storytelling experience.
● For students without smartphones for recording videos or data to upload videos, schools,
teachers and caregivers should help with recording or uploading the videos on their
phones to share on the student’s behalf.

Submit Your Video

Submit your video by emailing your video to contact@bhutanechoes.org.
1. Name your video file, your full name and class level. Ex. Pema Dema_Class 7, or Pema
Dema Class VII
2. Set “Our Children’s Story Video Submission” as the email subject.
3. Include your (the student participant’s) name, CID, phone number and email
address,school, grade, and most importantly the link to the video that's been uploaded
onto Google Drive.
UPLOADING AND SENDING YOUR VIDEO TO BHUTAN
ECHOES
Step 1. Record your video.

Step 2. Open Google Drive app on your phone and click the + sign to upload your video.
 1. Step 3. After your video is done uploading to google drive you need to click the 3 dots to
the right of the video.

Step 4. Click on manage access so that Bhutan Echoes judges can view your video
Step 5. Click on Restricted as seen below

Step 6. Change access to “Anyone with the link” can access your video. Lastly, click on the link
icon on the top right corner.

Step 7. Now the link is copied! Paste the link in the email to contact@bhutanechoes.org.