MY TREE HOUSE

• In celebration of World Environment Day on 5 June, contestants are required to choose and tell a story relevant to the theme “Say No To Waste!”
• Contestants can adapt their stories from existing book titles or create original storylines.
• At the beginning of the storytelling, contestants are to introduce the book title and author that they are using for storytelling. If the storyline is original, this should be mentioned at the beginning of the story.
• At the end of the storytelling, contestants are required to share a statement, roughly about a minute, on the lessons that they have learned from the story, as well as aspirations to help conserve the planet (e.g. I will use less single-use plastic, I will not support wildlife animal trade, etc.).
• To participate, the contestants will film their storytelling performances and submit their video links on Google Forms.
• The video should not exceed 5 minutes.
• The video should be in landscape format.
• Voice over is not preferred. The video should show the participant narrating.
• Video editing is welcome but not a must.
• Contestants under Preschool category can take part as an individual, or with the support from one immediate family member (e.g. parent, older sibling).
• Top finalists will be invited to present their storytelling in-person at our Singapore Sustainability Academy to a panel of judges on Saturday, 29 July 2023.
• Videos with the most inspiring comments on lessons learned from the stories and aspirations to protect the planet would also be featured in a short video. The video will be shared on social media and on the organisers’ webpages.

Please slide left to view more.

• Ms Esther An, Chief Sustainability Officer, CDL
• Ms Heng Huey Bin, Principal Librarian (Children & Teens), National Library Board
• Ms Joanna Soh, Chief Operating Officer, Stewardship Asia Centre
• Ms Kamini Ramachandra, Director, MoonShadow Stories & The Storytelling Centre
  • Kamini is a master storyteller who has travelled the world performing myths and legends from Asia. She is founding director of The Storytelling Centre Ltd where she spearheads the Young Storytellers Mentorship Programme, and is creative producer of StoryFest Singapore. Through Moonshadow Stories she has directed commissioned storytelling experiences for arts institutions, galleries and museums. She teaches storytelling at LASALLE and developed the module for ‘Narrative & Storytelling’ at SUSS, as part of the Expressive Arts postgraduate diploma.
  • Storytelling has played a vital role in Kamini’s childhood as she heard family narratives and folktales from her late grandfather. She believes in the power of stories to transform, heal and empower listeners. As children and families around the world face challenges related to the pandemic, folktales and fairytales can help us better understand the world around us, and show us how to overcome challenges.
• Ms Rachel Kelly, Senior Producer/Presenter, SPH Radio
  • Once upon a time, there was a young girl that climbed trees, climbed walls, and generally loved to climb and explore places that some said young girls ought not to. Curious about the world, she discovered different animals, insects, flora and fauna. That girl if you haven’t guessed… was Rachel! Hungry to learn more, she devoured book after book, after book. Discovering distant places and unfamiliar faces. She can confidently say that it is through this passion for books that she went on to study literature at university, and now listens to and seeks to understand people’s stories for a living as a journalist. Last year Rachel was shocked and moved by the quality of the entrants into the competition. The passion and personal connections each of the participants showed was exceptional. It provided her with hope and confidence that the future of this planet we call home is in good hands.

1. Contest is open to all Singaporeans, PRs, as well as expatriate families living in Singapore.

2. Contestants should be library members.

3. Contestants will need to submit their myLibrary ID as a means of library membership identification, and it will be used for this purpose only.

a. All individual categories: Provide myLibrary ID of Contestant or Parent/Guardian of Contestant

b. Family category: Provide myLibrary ID of Point of contact or Representative

4. Each contestant can only submit one entry.

5. However, families may submit more than one entry in different categories with different stories.

a. For example: Mr Lee (Father), Mrs Lee (Mother), James (14-year-old son), Angeline (4-year-old daughter), Mabel (1-year-old baby) participate under the Family category and present Story A. Mrs Lee and Angeline can also participate under Preschool category and present Story B.

6. The video must be in landscape format.

7. Voice over is not preferred. The video must show the participant narrating the story.

8. Marks will be deducted for regulations not followed.

9. Deadline for submissions is 9 July 2023, Sunday, 2359 hrs.

10. The organisers will only reach out to the finalists via email.

11. Top finalists will be selected to proceed to the final round, in which they will give an in-person presentation at the Singapore Sustainability Academy on Saturday, 29 July, 2023.

12. Contestants acknowledge that by participating in the contest:

1. The submitted video entries may be used by the organisers for education and publicity purposes.

2. If they are selected to proceed to the finalist round, their physical presentations may be recorded and used by the organisers for education and publicity purposes.

13. Winning entries will also be announced and shared in early August on the organisers’ social media platforms, and CDL Sustainability website.

1. Can I create my own story?

Ans: Yes, you are welcome to create your own story. You can also incorporate parts from an existing story into your own.

2. If I am reading from a book, must I show it throughout the video clip?

Ans: You can show your book at the beginning like a show-and-tell. If it is an original or adapted story, you can state that before telling the story.

3. Must I read aloud the entire story in the book?

Ans: You can read selected extracts from the book, similar to what Sieu Pin did during his storytelling demonstration in Storytime@My Tree House. However, it would be useful to provide a background of the story so that the audience is able to follow your storytelling.

4. Do I have to read from a book, or can I read from an electronic device?

Ans: Yes, you can read from an electronic device if you wish. But remember to engage your audience when reading aloud the story.

5. Can I submit more than one entry?

Ans: Each contestant is allowed to submit one entry per category.

6. Must I present the book title, author and the publisher before reading the story?

Ans: It is a good practice to do that as part of your introduction.

7. What are the copyright considerations when reading from a book?

Ans: It is fine to record one’s storytelling of a book for personal use. However, there may be copyright considerations if the consent of the publisher is not sought and one publicises it on public platforms, such as social media. As the video clip is sent to CDL and the judges for judging, it is not considered as publicising on a public platform.

8. Where can I get ideas for green stories?

Ans: NLB has specially prepared a compilation of e-books for this contest. Click here to access them.

9. Can you provide any examples that we can use as a guide as how the contest wants the storytelling to be presented?

Ans: Since we want you and your family to use your imagination and get as creative as possible with your submission, we’re shying away from providing any sort of “examples” to ensure that people will not fall into the trap of aligning their submission with the provided example. There is no perfect answer to this contest, any and all types of videos will be welcomed with open arms!

10. Does my child have to be speaking the entire time or can I chime in and help? What is a good balance?

Ans: You can definitely participate, but your child should leading the video for the majority of the time. A 90%:10% balance would suffice.

11. If we upload our submission and decide to give it another go, can we re-submit?

Ans: As long as you submit your new video with the name “VERSION 2” at the end, and let us know via email that you’ve submitted twice, you should be good to go!

12. How long should my video be?

Ans: There is no minimum requirement for the video length, but it should not exceed 5 minutes, where possible.

If you have other queries about the contest, please email [email protected]. We will try our best to respond to you as soon as possible.

• WeTransfer
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• Youtube
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