Participation
What is the deadline for my unit? All local, council, and district/region deadlines must be set in accordance with established state deadlines. National PTA does not set, alter, or record local or state deadlines for the Reflections Program. Please contact your state PTA.

Who is eligible to participate? Participation in the Reflections Program is open to any student through a local PTA/PTSA in good standing. It is the responsibility of the local unit to determine each student’s eligibility in the Reflections Program.

May students participate through a local PTA not affiliated with their school? State PTAs may adopt their own policies regarding this situation. National PTA requires only that national entries come from local PTAs/PTSAs in good standing.

May students no longer attending a PTA school still enter the Reflections Program through their former school? State PTAs establish their own policies regarding this situation. Since some states restrict this practice, please contact your state PTA about its participation policy.

May home-schooled students participate in the Reflections Program? State PTAs may adopt their own policies regarding this situation. National PTA requires only that national entries come from local PTAs/PTSAs in good standing.

Under what division should developmentally challenged students participate? PTA believes that each child with a disability should be provided a free and appropriate public education. Therefore, the Reflections Program at the national level does not have a special division for students with disabilities. National PTA believes it is the right of parents to place their child in the Reflections Program grade division that best reflects the child’s developmental age. However, guidelines for state and local Reflections Programs may vary. Check with your state PTA for its guidelines.

May developmentally or physically challenged students receive help from a parent or teacher? In literature and musical composition, students who are physically challenged may dictate to another person who may type or write down the original literary work or musical notation. Transcribers should make every attempt to retain the same level of language and accuracy that is reflected in the student’s original work. Any other rules or policies regarding developmentally or physically challenged students are left up to the discretion of each state PTA and may be handled on a case-by-case basis.

Must the Student Entry Form have a parent’s signature if the student is 18 or over? The Student Entry Form must be signed by a parent or legal guardian, as well as the student, if the student is under 18. If the student is 18 or over, the Student Entry Form needs only the student’s signature.

May a piece of artwork be entered in more than one arts area of the Reflections Program? Each entry may be submitted in only one arts area. National PTA does not limit the number of entries a student may submit, nor the number of arts areas in which a student may participate, but each entry may be considered for recognition in only one arts area.

May students use a piece of artwork created for another arts competition? All entries into the Reflections Program must be new pieces of artwork inspired by the current year’s theme and created expressly for the program. Artwork produced before the dissemination of the theme or created and used for another competition or program may not be submitted.

Arts Areas
Use of Copyrighted Material
May students use copyrighted material as a source for their artwork? Use of copyrighted material is not acceptable in any submission, with the following exceptions:

Photographs, visual artworks, and films may include public places, well-known products, trademarks, or certain other copyrighted material as long as that copyrighted material is incidental to the subject matter of the piece and/or is a smaller element of a whole. The resulting work cannot try to establish an association between the student and the trademark/business/material, or influence the purchase/non-purchase of the trademarked good.

Visual arts collages may include portions of existing copyrighted works, such as photographs, magazine clippings, Internet images, and type cut out of a newspaper, as long as those portions of copyrighted works are used to create a completely new and different work of art. A collage should be judged for its whole, not by its parts, and whether the resulting work stands as a creative, original work of art on its own.

Dance choreography and film production entries may use copyrighted music. The title, composer, and performer of any music used must be credited and documented on the Student Entry Form.

What should an arts chair do if it is discovered that a child has plagiarized an entry? Unfortunately, plagiarism is not uncommon. Plagiarized entries should be disqualified and returned to the student. If a plagiarized entry has already received an award, the arts chair needs to determine if the award (including award money, pins, certificates, etc.) should be returned. The arts chair and local unit will need to work with the student and the student’s family to help the student understand the seriousness of copying someone else’s work and claiming it as their own. School counselors or teachers might also be able to provide assistance in helping the student deal with the discovery and the consequences.

Dance Choreography
Does the choreographer (the student submitting the entry) have to be one of the performers? The choreography must be the work of one student and must demonstrate both creativity and interpretation of the theme. There may be up to three dancers. The choreographer need not be one of the dancers.

Can a martial arts, gymnastics, ice skating, or synchronized swimming performance be submitted as a dance choreography entry? A dance choreography entry may employ any number of diverse forms of dance and/or inspiration from many areas, including sports. However, the primary choreography must utilize some of the core principles of dance. The entry submitted should not be a recording of a demonstration or routine used in a meet or competition for any sport.

How is traditional dance judged for originality and/or creativity? The modification of the steps and the interpretation of the dance are considered when judging a traditional dance for creativity and/or originality. An explanation of the origin of the dance and/or the significance of the choreography might be a useful addition to the artist statement when submitting a dance choreography entry that involves traditional cultural or regional dances.

Film Production
Does the student submitting the entry have to appear in the film? The student must be the director, screenwriter, and cameraperson. He or she does not have to appear in the film. If any minors appear in a film, the student submitting the entry should obtain the consent of the minors’ parents/guardians. The names of any persons who appear in the film must be listed on the Student Entry Form.

Literature
May a student use unacceptable language in an entry? The Reflections Program makes no restriction on content or subject in the literature area. Students who are submitting entries created in a school setting should be mindful of school and/or local or state PTA standards for writing. Judges should be reminded that entries are to be reviewed for creativity, artistic merit, mastery of the medium, and interpretation of the theme.

Musical Composition
May students use notation software for creating musical composition scores? A student may use notation software. Imported MIDI files or files from other sources are not acceptable.

Photography and Visual Arts
May students submit computer-manipulated photos or visual arts pieces generated on a computer? The use of digital manipulation in the areas of photography and visual arts should be noted on the Student Entry Form, along with the software used.

Can stained glass or jewelry be submitted as a visual arts entry if it is less than 3/8 inch thick? Stained glass and jewelry may not be submitted to the Reflections Program. There is no way to ensure the safety of such pieces through the various levels of judging within the program.

May a student submit a bound book of photographs as a single photography entry? A collection of photographs, whether in a bound format or not, is not permissible. A student may submit more than one work, but each one must be submitted separately. A student may also submit a collage or photomontage as a single, cohesive, two-dimensional piece. Such a composite of photographs would be judged as one entry.

Display of Artworks
What student information can be displayed with artworks? When artwork is on display, label the piece with only the title of work, artist’s first name and last initial, city and state of school, arts area, and grade division. Do not have the Student Entry Form attached to the back of the artwork in a display setting. No one outside of PTA should have access to student information. Develop a system to easily match and reattach Student Entry Forms to artwork for returning to the student or sending on to the next judging level.

National Awards
How will I know if a child in my unit wins a national award? The announcement of national Reflections Program award winners occurs in May each year. The National PTA office issues a press release and sends an e-mail to all state PTA offices and state arts chairs about the winners. The states are responsible for notifying students and units of national awards, with the exception of the Outstanding Interpretation Awards. The National PTA office notifies the Outstanding Interpretation Award recipients.

When are the national awards mailed? The national Reflections Program awards and certificates are mailed after the National PTA Convention, by the end of July.

Local FAQs (PDF)
Local FAQs (PDF) SPANISH