How does the Tejas competition work?
DETAILS OF THE COMPETITION ROUNDS
Teams compete in 3 rounds over 3 weekends in Spring 2024. The rounds are Qualifiers, Semis and Finals. Each round can run weekend-long. Depending on the challenges the organizing team chooses for that round, you may need to submit your work ahead of time or participate online for a few hours. For example, for a challenge like ‘YouTube short’, you will simply upload that by a given time before the weekend. On the other hand, for a challenge like ‘Just-a-Minute’, you will be required to attend online.
There will be up to four challenges per round to demonstrate your knowledge of the books and show your creative expression. Prompts for the challenges will be provided in advance or on the spot as appropriate. For example, prompt for ‘YouTube short’ will be provided sufficiently in advance to give you time to create the short. As against that, prompt for ‘Just-a-Minute’ will be given on the spot, with no more than 5 minutes to prepare.
All teams participate in the first round – the qualifiers. This round will be online. A certain number of top teams will make it to the 2nd round – the semis. For examples of challenges, please check out the ‘Types of Challenges’ section below.
The semis will take place 2-5 weekends after the first round. There will be up to four events to demonstrate your deeper knowledge of the books. These events will be longer, with greater engagement from participants. The top 10 teams in each division will go to the 3rd and final round – the finals. This round will also be online.
The final round will take place in person in a weekend in June. This round will also have up to four events. The top winners of this round will take home huge prizes as detailed below.
For the pre-round entry and the first two rounds, you can use your laptop throughout the duration of the round. Feel free to use any resources online or offline. However, for round 3, which is an in-person round, you will not be able to use any online resources.
You cannot outsource the production of any information/ content to anyone other than your teammate. If found to do so, you will be immediately disqualified.
BOOK, PREPARATION & TIME COMMITMENT
The final list of 4 books that will be required reading for this competition will be announced after registration closes. There will be 4 different books for each division.
All books are thoughtfully curated to be age appropriate, non-religious, non-political and thoroughly vetted by our organizing committee. Books will be on topics such as Sciences, Architecture, Math, Medicine, Astrophysics, Music, Sculpture, Craft, Art, Language, Philosophy, History, Culture – all from Indic lens.
As with any competition, the amount of time you spend really depends on you. However, here are some guidelines to keep in mind.
Books will be under 400 pages, easy reads, requiring no more than 10 hours for average reading speed. You might want to read the books multiple times.
Prep time – For reading and mastering the content, we recommend that each teammate read every book, but split up the task of mastering the books amongst themselves. Initial reading of each book should take no more than 10 hours per book.
Expect to spend 4-5 hours producing a high quality deliverable.
Competition time – The team should expect to be booked up for 1-2 weekends over 4 months, depending on how far you get into the competition.
Through the competition season, teammates get together, delight in exchanging narratives they’ve explored, and prepare to demonstrate their unrivaled expertise on these literary works in the upcoming challenge
REGISTRATION
Registration for the competition opens on November 12, 2023 and closes on February 12th, 2024
In order to sign-up, you need the following:
- Your user information
- A team name that you come up with
- A detailed read through of FAQs and Terms of the Competition
- If you are a minor, you need permission from your parents to sign-up
- $99 registration fee payment
To register, go to https://dcfusa.org/tejas/ and click on Sign Up Now or Register button. If you have any questions while registering, email us at [email protected]
During the registration window, participants register their team with a team name. If you want to participate as a team, all team members can register at the same time or a single member can register and add other members later on but before the registration window closes.
Your registration is complete and counted towards the 1,000 sign-ups only after your registration fee of $99 per team is paid.
Registration fee is per team. You can pay the fee and secure your spot even if you have not identified all your teammates. You can add the remaining teammates before the competition launches.
PARTICIPATE SOLO OR IN A TEAM
You can participate solo. You can also participate in a team of up to 3 people.
You can form your own team. If you are unable to do so yet would like to participate as a team, email us at [email protected]. We can find a teammate for you.
If you want to form your own team, get the word out to friends you know might make good teammates. You need readers but you also need creative minds. Figure out who you want on this journey, who can be counted on to share the workload – whether it is reading and mastering the books, brainstorming ideas for events and most importantly who you enjoy working with.
Come up with a team name. That is what you will be addressed throughout the competition.
(Pro Tip – Brainstorm a fun team name. You will get an opportunity to come up with a logo and energize your fan base during the course of the competition. Think of it the way you would when creating a social media handle. A creative fun name will go a long way)
Please ensure that every member of your team meets the eligibility requirements.
To participate in Tejas 2024, you must be a resident in the United States of America as defined by the IRS (US citizens, permanent residents, on work visa, dependent visa, student visa). [https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/determining-an-individuals-tax-residency-status]
Divisions are based on the age of the participant on January 1, 2024.
To participate in Division 1 (14 – 18 years), the participant must be born between Jan 2, 2005 – Jan 1, 2010.
To participate in Division 2 (19 – 23 years), the participant must be born between Jan 2, 2000 – Jan 1, 2005. To participate in Division 3 (24 – 35 years), the participant must be born between Jan 2, 1988 – Jan 1, 2000.
If you want to team up with someone from another age bracket, please ensure you sign up in the division of the oldest teammate.
Each team must have a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 3 members.
Tejas Awards
The journey of the competition is an award in itself. In addition to that, here are some of the awards at Tejas 2024.
The winning team will earn an award of $11,000
Finalists will have an opportunity to collaborate with bestselling authors in a variety of ways. Based on the fit between the authors and the participants, the following type of opportunities can be offered: doing research for an upcoming book, creating abridged versions of their books, re-writing their books for a different audience group or age group, creating an illustrated book using their content.
Opportunities to intern with DCF, partner organizations, next season of Tejas, other DCF initiatives like podcasting, conferences.
Every participant who completes the first round will get to post a linked-in badge on their profile.
Every participant will receive a certificate of participation
The monetary and opportunity rewards are huge. However, the biggest reward for participation might well be that you find your tribe. You will get a chance to build connections and network with like minded people. You will get to strengthen your bonds with your teammates and your roots while expanding your horizons.
What opportunities exist for collaboration with bestselling authors?
Curious about which books will feature? What will be the Challenge events in each round?
Tejas is organized by Dharma Civilization Foundation. Check us out at dcfuse.org.
DCF is a US based non-profit with the mission to bring you an Indic perspective on all aspects of life. We believe that ancient Indian wisdom has answers to many of our contemporary problems and making them accessible and relatable to you is our mission.
Who is organizing Tejas?
Tejas is organized by Dharma Civilization Foundation. Check us out at dcfuse.org.
DCF is a US based non-profit with the mission to bring you an Indic perspective on all aspects of life. We believe that ancient Indian wisdom has answers to many of our contemporary problems and making them accessible and relatable to you is our mission.
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