ACT-SO Competition Categories
Students who wish to compete in the Local and National ACT-SO Competition may compete in up to three (3) of the 33 disciplines within the 6 categories:
S.T.E.M. | Business | Humanities | Performing Arts | Visual Arts | Culinary Arts
Culinary Arts
The creative practice of cooking. One who engages in the culinary arts, or a culinarian, is either called a cook or a chef depending on their level of expertise. REQUIREMENTS: 1. Each participant must be a high school junior or senior and is required to have previous or current formal culinary education, training or [...]
Entrepreneurship
Refers to owning, organizing, and managing your own business by providing a necessary product or service. Requirements: Submit six (6) copies of the contestants’ business plan. Six (6) copies of a typed 8-½-inch by 11-inch double spaced business plan must accompany the project. The business plan, which should be a minimum of ten (10) pages […]
Business
Entrepreneurship Refers to owning, organizing, and managing your own business by providing a necessary product or service.
Sculpture
The art of making three-dimensional forms or designs. REQUIREMENTS: Only one (1) project can be entered. The National Office will provide display table space. Each contestant is required to make an oral presentation explaining the methods or techniques used in developing the project not to exceed three (3) minutes. Craft projects (i.e. ceramics, macramé, etc.) […]
Photography
The process, art and technique of capturing images with an analog or digital camera Examples include but are not limited to: Black and white photographs, color photographs, digital or analog photographs, photograms, other experimental photography, etc. REQUIREMENTS: No more than six (6) photographs can be submitted or one (1) collage of work. The photographs and/or […]
Painting
Art created by applying pigment on a two-dimensional surface with a brush, knife, or hand and/or the manipulation of digital processes with a computer Examples include but are not limited to: Oil, acrylic, watercolor, gouache, tempera, ink, encaustic, fresco, spray paint, etc. applied on canvas, canvas board, paper, mixed media or any flat surface. REQUIREMENTS: […]
Filmmaking
The art and process of making motion pictures. REQUIREMENTS: Only one (1) film is to be entered. The running time of the film must not exceed five (5) minutes. A storyboard or project theme must be associated with the film Please Note: Storyboards are NOT stills taken from the film; rather they are original drawings, […]
Drawing
The art of representing forms and figures on a surface by means of lines executed by hand or computer (digital) generated processes. REQUIREMENTS: Only one (1) project can be submitted. The national office will provide easels. The contestant is required to make an oral presentation, which will not exceed three (3) minutes, explaining the methods […]
Visual Arts
Drawing The art of representing forms and figures on a surface by means of lines. Filmmaking The art and process of making motion pictures. Painting The art of laying on paints with a brush or a knife. Photography The process, art and technique of taking images recorded by a camera and reproducing them on a […]
Poetry (Performance)
An original poem or prose, written by the contestant, performed as a monologue or exchange involving extemporization. REQUIREMENTS: Submit six (6) notarized copies of the original poem. The top of each page must include the contestant’s name, page number and unit name and number. Poems should be typed, using 12 point Times New Roman, Verdana, […]
Oratory
The art of effective written, and oral presentation to persuade or inform. (This is not a dramatic presentation.) REQUIREMENTS: Only one (1) speech is to be presented, and it must not exceed five (5) minutes. The selection of the speech is the decision of the contestant; it should be an original piece written by the […]
Music Vocal / Contemporary
The art of performing with the human voice rhythmic tones or sounds to produce music with the tones of the present. REQUIREMENTS: Only one (1) song is to be performed, and it must not exceed two and a half (2.5) minutes. (Contestants not adhering to the maximum time requirement are subject to point deduction.) Musical […]
Music Vocal / Classical
The art of performing with the human voice rhythmic tones or sounds of the late 18th and 19th centuries characterized by an emphasis on balance, clarity, and moderation. REQUIREMENTS: Only one (1) song is to be performed, and it must not exceed five (5) minutes. (Contestants not adhering to the maximum time requirement are subject […]
Music Instrumental / Contemporary
The art of performing with a device used to produce music with the tones of the present. REQUIREMENTS: The musical selection must be one specifically written for solo performances and may not exceed five (5) minutes. (Contestants not adhering to the maximum time requirement are subject to point deduction.) The selection performed should feature a […]
Music Instrumental / Classical
The art of performing with a device used to produce music with tones of the late 18th and 19th centuries characterized by an emphasis on balance, clarity, and moderation. REQUIREMENTS: The musical selection must be one specifically written for solo performances. The performance may be an excerpt and may not exceed five (5) minutes. (Contestants […]
Dramatics
The art of staging or acting plays. DRAMATIC ARTS: ACTING REQUIREMENTS: The performance must be a minimum of three (3) minutes and maximum of five (5) minutes. (Contestants not adhering to the minimum and maximum time requirements are subject to point deduction and/or disqualification.) All material must be from a published play. Students should not […]
Dance (Traditional)
To perform a series of rhythmic and patterned bodily movements usually performed to music to reflect the life of the people of a certain region or country. REQUIREMENTS: The solo performance must not exceed five (5) minutes. (Contestants not adhering to the maximum time requirement are subject to point deduction and/or disqualification.) Costumes are optional, […]
Dance (Modern)
To perform a series of rhythmic and patterned bodily movements usually performed to music that focuses on the dancer’s interpretations using their emotions and moods to develop choreography. REQUIREMENTS: The solo performance must not exceed five (5) minutes. (Contestants not adhering to the maximum time requirement are subject to point deduction and/or disqualification.) Costumes are […]
Dance (Contemporary)
To perform a series of rhythmic and technical patterned bodily movements usually performed to music. REQUIREMENTS: The solo performance must not exceed five (5) minutes. (Contestants not adhering to the maximum time requirement are subject to point deduction and/or disqualification.) Costumes are optional, but should be appropriate to the choreography […]
Dance (Ballet)
To perform a series of rhythmic and highly technical patterned bodily movements usually performed to music using grace and precision. REQUIREMENTS: The solo performance must not exceed five (5) minutes. (Contestants not adhering to the maximum time requirement are subject to point deduction and/or disqualification.) Costumes are optional, but should be appropriate to the choreography […]
Performing Arts
Dance (Ballet) To perform a series of rhythmic and highly technical patterned bodily movements usually performed to music using grace and precision. Dance (Contemporary) To perform a series of rhythmic and technical patterned bodily movements usually performed to music. Dance (Modern) To perform a series of rhythmic and patterned bodily movements usually performed to music […]
Poetry (Written)
A composition, marked by language chosen for its sound, beauty and evocative power. REQUIREMENTS: Submit six (6) notarized copies of the original poem. The top of each page must include the contestant’s name, page number and unit name and number. Poems should be typed, using 12 point Times New Roman, Verdana, Georgia, or Comic […]
Playwriting
A literary composition developed for the stage. REQUIREMENTS: Submit six (6) original, notarized copies of a one-act play. The play must be an original (written only by the contestant). The play must be typed and double spaced, not to exceed twenty (20) pages. A one-page synopsis must be included. The top of each page […]
Short Story
A brief examination of a subject in prose usually expressing a personal view or interpretation of a subject or topic. REQUIREMENTS: Only one (1) notarized Short Story written only by the contestant, with six (6) copies of the notarized original should be submitted on or before the specified deadline. The top of each page […]
Original Essay
A brief examination of a subject in prose usually expressing a personal view or interpretation of a subject or topic. REQUIREMENTS: 1. Six (6) notarized copies of the original essay written only by the contestant should be submitted on or before the specified deadline. The top of each page must include the contestant’s name, page […]
Music Composition
The science or art of arranging music by ordering tones or sounds in succession, in combination or in temporal relationships to produce a composition having unity and continuity. REQUIREMENTS: 1. Mail six (6) original notarized compositions. 2. The top of each page must include the contestant’s name, page number and unit name and number. 3. […]
humanities
The Humanities Music Composition The science or art of arranging music by ordering tones or sounds in succession, in combination or in temporal relationships to produce a composition having unity and continuity. Short Story A brief examination of a subject in prose usually expressing a personal view or interpretation of a subject or topic.. Playwriting […]
Are You Thinking About Entering the ACT-SO Science Competition?
ACT-SO national science judges were very impressed with the students who competed in the science categories and with the projects they presented. As a result, the science judges would like to see even more students compete in the science categories. The information provided in the document below is meant to assist students in planning, executing, […]
Medicine & Health
The study of diseases and health of humans and animals. Projects in this category could involve dentistry, pharmacology, pathology, ophthalmology, nutrition, sanitation, dermatology, allergies, speech and hearing, etc.
Physics
Theories, principles and laws governing energy and the effect of energy on matter. Projects in this category could involve solid state physics, optics, acoustics, particle physics, nuclear physics, atomic energy, superconductivity, fluid and gas dynamics, thermodynamics, semiconductors, magnetism, quantum mechanics, biophysics, etc. The following requirements apply to Biology/Microbiology; Chemistry/Biochemistry; Computer Science; Earth and […]
Mathematics
The science of numbers and their operations, interrelations, combinations, generalizations, and abstractions of spaced configurations and their structure. Development of formal logical systems or various numerical and algebraic computations, and the application of these principles. Projects in this category could involve calculus, geometry, number theory, statistics, complex analysis, probability, etc.
Engineering
Technology. Projects that directly apply scientific principles to manufacturing and practical uses. Projects in this category could involve civil, mechanical, aeronautical, chemical, electrical, photographic, sound, automotive, marine, heating, refrigerating, transportation, and environmental engineering; electronics; etc.
Earth & Space Sciences
The body of sciences that include geology, mineralogy, physiographic, oceanography, meteorology, climatology, astronomy, speleology, seismology, geography, etc. Projects in this category could also be concerned with environmental science such as the study of pollution (air, water, and land) sources and their control as well as ecology
Architecture
Plans for and models of structures and outdoor spaces. Examples may include but are not limited to: Building designs, landscape designs, interior designs, urban plans. Can include 2D work such as hand-drawn sketches, computer-aided designs, blueprints, and floor plans, OR 3D work such as scale models made from foam core, balsa wood, cardboard, wooden blocks, […]
S.T.E.M.
Architecture The science, art or profession of designing buildings or outdoor spaces. Biology / Microbiology The science of life or of the origin, structure, reproduction, growth and development of living organisms collectively. Chemistry / Biochemistry The science that deals with the composition, structure and properties of chemical processes and phenomena of substances and the transformation [...]
Computer Science
The science that deals with the theoretical aspects of computers including storage and the transformation of data using computers. This category pertains to the study and development of computer hardware, software engineering, Internet networking and communications, graphics (including human interface), simulations/virtual reality or computational science (including data structures, encryption, coding and information theory).
Chemistry / Biochemistry
The science that deals with the composition, structure and properties of chemical processes and phenomena of substances and the transformation that they undergo. Projects in this category could involve physical chemistry, organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, materials, plastics, fuels, pesticides, metallurgy, soil chemistry, etc. This category also includes the chemistry of life processes such as molecular […]
Biology / Microbiology
The science of life or of the origin, structure, reproduction, growth and development of living organisms collectively. Projects in this category could involve the biology of organisms from the macroscopic scale to the microscopic scale (e.g., bacteria, viruses, protozoa, fungi, yeast, genes, etc.)
Science
S.T.E.M. Architecture The science, art or profession of designing buildings or outdoor spaces. Biology / Microbiology The science of life or of the origin, structure, reproduction, growth and development of living organisms collectively. Chemistry / Biochemistry The science that deals with the composition, structure and properties of chemical processes and phenomena of substances and the […]