General Rules and Guidelines
 

a. Each participant will chant two hymns: the first being their choice and the second by random selection.

b. Participants in groups 1 and 2 will not be required to demonstrate Coptic language reading ability,
however, Groups 3-5 will be required to demonstrate Coptic language reading ability. As they did for
the rendition of the second hymn, participants will be randomly assigned a passage to be read in Coptic.
 

c. Participants will then recite the selected memorization.

d. Group 6 (Chorus) must have a minimum of 5 participants. They will also chant two hymns in the same
manner as the previous groups.

e. Please be aware that each participant MUST abide by the assigned age for each group, otherwise, their
scores will be disqualified. [Group 6 (chorus) has no age requirement.] The assigned ages for 2026 are:

First Group

4 - 8 Years old
 

Second Group
9 - 11 Years old

Third Group
12 - 14 Years old

Fourth Group
15 - 18 Years old
 

Fifth Group
19 - 22 Years old

 

Sixth Group

No age restriction
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f. In order to maintain grading integrity, judges are required to review and judge the hymns from the
sources provided by the competition and to judge solely based on those recordings. This does not mean
that other renditions of the hymns are “incorrect”, however the competition committee has chosen these
sources after establishing criteria and thorough research. Points will be deducted for chants using a
source not provided by the Competition Committee.





g. Please note that the participants will be evaluated in reverence and spirituality. This means that the
participant understands what they are saying in the hymn/memorization and respects it.
(ie. doing the sign of the Cross, bow down in reverence, etc.)