1. Online Test Round – Starship

❖ Objectives

To create an opportunity for the students to learn more about the current trends of technology, to stimulate creativity, and to enhance soft skills and communication skills in English.

❖ Format: Online tests on the website www.starawards.vn

The Online Test Round – Starship is simultaneously taken place at 6 clusters nationwide with the format of online testing on computers or mobile devices. When signing up accounts on the website, contestants are required to provide their factual personal information for the Organization Committee to verify and contact if necessary. After finishing the registration, each contestant will be provided with one account to do the test. There are 3 parts in the Online Test Round:

● Part 1: Multiple-choice test (60% of total score)

Each contestant has 3 attempts to do the test, of which the one with the best result will be used for assessment if the contestant is qualified to enter the next round. The contestant will access the Internet and do the online test with 30 questions in 30 minutes. Weekly, Top 10 contestants with the highest scores in each cluster will win weekly prizes.

● Part 2: Writing test (40% of total score)

The contestant picks one of the two below topics to do the writing test:

○ Topic 1: In the past few decades, the revolution of technology has significantly changed many aspects of our life (e.g. study, work, family activities, sales, marketing, etc.). Choose one aspect and use specific reasons and examples to support this statement.

○ Topic 2: Rice bran oil is well-known as “the world’s premium healthy oil” because of its huge benefits to human health and is considered to be the result of technological innovation in food industry. Share your opinions with specific reasons and examples about this statement.

The essay should be written in English at least 200 words and submitted directly on the website. Each contestant can submit the writing test only once during the contest.

● Part 3: Speaking test

From the total scores of multiple-choice and writing test, the Cluster Panel of Judges will shortlist the contestants of highest scores to enter the Speaking test which examines English communication skills. After the Speaking test, the Panel of Judges will select the Top 30 contestants to the Cluster Final Round.

2. Cluster Final Round – Starlight

❖ Objectives

Each cluster must choose the Top 30 contestants for its final round, who are then divided into 10 groups of 3, of which only one team with the most outstanding idea shall be selected to the National Final Round.

❖ Format

Before the Cluster Final Round takes place, the Top 30 contestants will be randomly divided into 10 groups of 3. Each team will discuss and come up with an idea about technology and innovation (hereinafter referred to as “idea”) in studying, start-up, office working, sales, marketing, family activities or other life aspects. The Cluster Final Round consists of 3 following parts:

● Part 1: Introduction (20% of total score)

All teams introduce themselves in English within the time limit of 2 minutes. All formats are accepted. The evaluation criteria in this part are English presentation skills and creativity in the presentation.

● Part 2: Ideas presentation (50% of total score)

The teams present their ideas to the Panel of Judges within 10 minutes, including but not restricted to the following contents:

○ Brief introduction about the idea: context, situation or practical needs that initiate the idea.

○ Details of the idea: characteristics, format, target audience and the technology and innovation applied in the idea.

○ Application of the idea: clearly explain the innovation in the idea, the adaptability of the idea into real life to meet the practical needs and to solve the socio-economic problems. Highlight the strengths, weaknesses and potentials for the investment.

● Part 3: Defence against the Panel of Judges: (30% of total score)

After the presentation of each group, the Panel of Judges will raise questions. The team has to give their answer and persuade the Panel of Judges into the potentials and the practical needs of the idea. The Panel of Judges will evaluate the feasibility of the idea on the basis of the answers. The time limit for this part is 5 minutes.

English is the official language in the Cluster Final Round. The team with the highest score from all three parts will be the cluster’s representative to compete for the National Final Round taking place in Da Nang. The Panel of Judges will give advice to improve the team’s idea.

3. National Final Round – Star Union

The National Final Round will be held in Da Nang City and hosted by the Da Nang University. This round includes the following activities:

3.1. Online Activities

Each team in the National Final Round make a video lasting less than 6 minutes in English (with Vietnamese subtitles) that satisfies the following requirements:

● Introduce the culture, gracefulness, friendliness and hospitality of the locals in their hometown.

● Introduce the university that they are currently studying at.

● Introduce the Star Awards and its objectives;

● Introduce the personal reason for taking part in the contest;

● Encourage other students to learn and practise English;

● The video must contain the logo of the organisers, sponsor and contest.

The video should demonstrate the team’s creativity and originality in giving a presentation and delivering the contents. The images and contents should be brief and clear with appropriate animation and graphic design.

All videos will be posted on the official fanpage of the contest. The video with the highest shares will win the award of “The most favourite video”. The deadline for the video submission is 7 days before the day of the Nation Final Round.

3.2. Project Consultancy and Training Activities

Before the day of the National Final Round, the teams will get advice from the Panel of Judges to finalize their projects and attend training courses on presentation and debate in English as well as other skills such as creativity and start-up.

3.3. The National Final Round

❖ Objectives:

To provide the student with an opportunity to present their ideas and the application in reality in English before the audience. The National Final Round will be the contest among 6 teams with their best ideas about technology and innovation from 6 clusters.

❖ Format:

Top 6 teams representing 6 clusters to join the National Final Round will go through these following parts:

● Part 1: Warming up (Technology)

The teams take turns to choose one of the warming-up question packs. Within 2 minutes, one member represents the team to answer a maximum of 10 questions in English, related to many life aspects: society, technology, start-up and so forth. For each correct answer, the team gets 20 points. For the incorrect answer, there’s no minus point.

The maximum score for this part is 200 points.

● Part 2: Acceleration (Innovation)

All teams together will answer 5 questions on the computer. The question formats are video about data, logical thinking and arrangement. The time for the teams to think and answer is 30 seconds. For the correct answer, the team with the shortest time gets 40 points, the second gets 30 and the others get 20 points. For the incorrect answer, there is no minus point.

These questions also provide data to find out the keyword in this round. For each question answered correctly, one piece of the picture, which is related to the keyword will be revealed. The teams can ring the bell to answer the keyword anytime. Within the 2 first questions, the right keyword brings 80 points, in the next 2 questions, the right keyword brings 60 points, and if solved in the rest questions, the keyword creates 40 points. If the team answers the keyword incorrectly, they will have to end the second part.

The maximum score for this round is 200 points.

● Part 3: Finishing: Presentation and Debate (Technovation)

This is the most important part. Each team takes turns to present their ideas on the stage and then have a debate with the Panel of Judges and the other teams.

○ Presenting the idea: Each team takes the stage to introduce their team, presents ideas in English within 10 minutes. In the presentation, each team has to meet the following requirements:

– Introduce the team, members and their idea

– Point out the characteristics and the features the idea

– Explain in details the idea’s application into real life or solve the practical problems

– Show the idea’s potentials when applied to the business.

– Show the specific requirements about the investment capital to bring the idea to the real market. Conduct the research, project the cost and revenue in 5 years if the idea is invested in (the team is encouraged to learn about the laws, regulations and preferential policies of the government, utilize the management tools in economy and finance, and do the market research for the projection).

The teams use PowerPoint in the greeting and idea presentation part and are encouraged to theatricalize their performance and design a creative PowerPoint with images, illustrations and Vietnamese subtitles to visualize their presentation for the audience.

○ Debate with the Panel of Judges:

After the presentation, the Panel of Judges plays the role of the investors to give the teams several challenging situations or problems to the team’s idea. The mission of each team is to solve the problems, answer the questions to defend their idea and to persuade the Panel of Judges about the potentials of and the practicability for their idea. The time limit for this debate part (both Questions and Answers) is 5 minutes.

○ Debate with the opponent teams:

Apart from the questions from the Panel of Judges, each team has to answer the questions raised by the opposing teams. The other teams take the chance to ask their questions by ringing the bell. To ensure time limits and fairness, each team can raise questions once only during the whole part. The time limit for this section is 2 minutes. The Panel of Judges will give bonus points for the good questions and persuasive answers.

The maximum score for this part is 600 points.

The official language in the National Final Round is English. From the total score of the three parts, the Panel of Judges will choose 1 first prize, 1 second prize, 1 third prize and 3 consolation prizes.

3.4. Experiencing the market tour

After the contest, all teams will have practical experience with a market tour, paying a visit to the distribution channels of Wilmar CLV and raising the proposals to improve the product’s quality and boost up the activities in the distribution channels.

The team with the best proposal will receive a special present from Wilmar CLV. The result will be announced on the fanpage and website of the contest.

3.5. Experiencing the local tourism

Apart from the market tour, the teams will pay a visit to many tourist attractions in Da Nang and innovative – technological places in Da Nang City.