I invite your school to participate in our wide range of Competitions held throughout Scotland. Competitions 1-7 (with red headings) should be organised within school and winners selected to whom our handsome certificates can be presented. Competitions 8-10 (with blue headings) require selected entries to be sent to us for judging. Remember – You have to be in it to win it!



I look forward to receiving your application for Certificates for the various In-School Competitions and ask that you please print out anf fill in the Application Form (which can be accessed at the foot of this page) as fully and as accurately as possible. Note: Column one should show the exact number of pupils learning the poem, etc and not just your finalists. Please show numbers and not just ‘whole school’ as we have no way of knowing your school roll. These
figures are essential for our records and do play a part in helping to attract sponsorship. 130,000 Scottish pupils competed last year.

In each class, three Burns Federation Certificates of Merit to be awarded for meritorious performance of a piece selected by the teacher from the following:-
Primary Schools ~	Poems and songs of Robert Burns – any standard edition. The Federation suggests the Complete Works, edited by J.A. Mackay. Bairnsangs: Nursery Rhymes in Scots by Sandy Thomas Ross (available from the Burns Federation) The Kist by Scottish Consultative Council on the Curriculum
Pupils in Primary 1 to 5 may offer a Scots poem from another source Pupils in P6 and P7 should offer a Burns poem
Secondary Schools ~	Poems and songs of Robert Burns

In each class, three Burns Federation Certificates of Merit to be awarded for meritorious performance in the written test papers. The test papers will be confined to the poems listed below.
Sources	1. The Works of Robert Burns 2. The Kist
Primary 7	To a Mouse Willie Wastle The Bogle
In the written competition pupils should know the meanings of Scots words which occur in the set poems and may also be asked to write from memory 8-12 lines from one of the poems. Only one copy of the test paper will be sent which may be photocopied by the school.

Burns Federation Certificates of Merit will be awarded to the three best pupils in each class.
	Pupils in Primary 4 and 5 may offer a Burns or other Scots song. Pupils in all other classes must offer a Burns song.
The songs may be chosen from the Burns Federation Song Book, available from the Federation Office.

Burns Federation Certificates of Merit will be awarded to the three best pupils in each class judged the best in playing a Burns song or other Scottish melody. Different instruments should be considered as being in separate categories.

Primary ~ Secondary ~	The theme of the project is ‘Robert Burns’ and the aim is to encourage individual research by pupils. The theme is ‘Robert Burns – his life and/or works’.
Burns Federation Certificates of Merit to be awarded to the three best entries in each class.

Primary ~ Secondary ~	The subject is an incident from Scottish history or from a Burns poem or song, or with the title “My favourite animal from a Burns poem or song”. No larger than A4. The subject is a scene, incident or character from a Burns poem or song. No larger than A3.

Pupils should compose an 8-12 line poem or an appropriate amount of prose on any subject of their choice. Burns Federation Certificates of Merit will be awarded to three best entries in each class.

Each school is invited to send for adjudication the three best individual works on the chosen theme. Prizes will be awarded as follows:-
Primary Art & Project	1st - £50, 2nd - £30, 3rd - £20 Winning School - £25 to school funds.
SEN Art	1st - £75, 2nd - £50, 3rd - £25 Winning School - £25 to school funds.
Secondary Art	1st - £100, 2nd - £75, 3rd - £50 Winning School - £25 to school funds.
Identification: Entries for these Competitions should have the following details on the reverse of each piece of work:- A) Pupil’s name; B) Class; C) School Name, Address, Tel. No.; D) Title. Art entries for the Provost Coffey Quaich should be clearly identified. Closing date - Entries should be sent to Mrs. Anne Gaw, 7 Highfield Place, Girdle Toll, Irvine KA11 1BW to arrive no later than Saturday 17th March 2008.

Primary ~	The theme of the project is ‘Robert Burns’ and the aim is to encourage individual research by pupils.
Burns Federation Certificates of Merit will be awarded to the best individual works. The ‘Alex B McIver Rosebowl’ will be awarded annually to the Primary School judged to have submitted the best set of entries.

Primary Schools ~	The subject is an incident from Scottish history or from a Burns poem or song, or with the title “My favourite animal from a Burns poem or song”.
SEN Pupils ~	The subject is an incident from Scottish history or from a Burns poem or song, or with the title “My favourite animal from a Burns poem or song”.
Secondary ~	The subject is a scene, incident or character from Burns poem or song.
Artwork should be no larger than A4 for Primary and A3 for Secondary. It may be a painting, pencil or charcoal drawing. The only stipulation is that the work can be easily packaged for submission and for returning to the school. Burns Federation Certificates of Merit will be awarded to the best individual entries in each class. The ‘Toshio Namba Trophy’ will be awarded annually to the Primary School whose pupil takes first prize in this competition. The ‘Provost Coffey Quaich’ will be awarded annually to the Special Needs School whose pupil takes first place in this competition. The ‘Yorkshire District Trophy’ will be awarded annually to the Secondary School whose pupil takes first place in this competition.

This competition is run in partnership with the Association for Scottish Literary Studies Pupils should submit a short story of up to 600 words on any topic of the pupil’s choice. This may be written in any of the languages of Scotland. A maximum of six entries per school may be submitted and each entry should have a title and be signed as the author’s own work. Please ensure that the school is identified. A certificate will be awarded for each entry received with prizes being awarded as follows: 1st - £100; 2nd - £75; 3rd - £50. If you require further information please contact Anne Gaw in writing at the address shown above or by telephone on 01294 217481. Entries should be sent to The Robert Burns World Federation Ltd., The Dower House, Dean Castle, Kilmarnock. KA3 1XB to arrive no later than 31st May 2008. To Download the Application Form Click here (pdf format)