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Article 1 – The Berthe Mouchette Competition (referred to as BMC hereafter) of the Alliance Française of Melbourne (referred to as AFM hereafter) is open to all students in Victoria from Year 3 to Year 12.
Article 2 – The enrolment fees, examination period dates, winners, and Awards Ceremony details are published on the AFM website. The AFM will endeavour to adhere to these details where reasonably possible and will communicate any changes promptly.
Article 3 – During the examinations, participants must not possess mobile phones or electronic devices, except when required for participating in the oral exam with a BMC examiner via a video-conferencing platform.
Article 4 – Students must not allow, induce, communicate with, or assist any other person to sit the exam on their behalf. They must not present for the examination in another participant’s place.
Article 5 – Participants may seek assistance from the teacher or the examiner in case of any technical issue.
Article 6 – All participants will receive a digital certificate. Prizes are awarded to 1st, 2nd, 3rd place and Hors Catégorie winners of each year level. Recipients of a Mention Spéciale du Jury also receive an award. Prizes are determined solely by the AFM and are non-negotiable.
Article 7 – HORS-CATEGORIE, FRENCH SPEAKING STUDENTS
7.1 Candidates are considered Hors Catégorie if they meet any of the following:
7.2 Hors Catégorie students are marked according to the same standards as others but are competing against other Hors Catégorie candidates only.
7.3 Teachers/enrollers must identify Hors Catégorie candidates next to their names on the Student List at registration. Teachers must also explain this category to students.
7.4 Students enrolled in a bilingual program at Camberwell Primary School, Caulfield Junior College, Auburn High School, and Glen Eira College are not considered Hors Catégorie. They compete in a separate entitled category (see Section 5).
Article 8 – Students enrolled in VCE Units 1 & 2 must be enrolled in and participate as a Year 11 candidate. Students enrolled in VCE Units 3 & 4 must be enrolled in and participate as a Year 12 candidate.
Article 9 – By submitting an entry, the participant accepts all competition conditions. No appeal on the method of the organisation or on the results of the competition will be accepted. No detailed feedback on individual performance will be communicated. The jury's decisions are final.
Article 10 – Participants grant AFM the right to use, reproduce, and publish pictures or videos taken of them during the competition in AFM publications, including its website, social media, and Award Ceremony presentations.
Article 11 – Payment must be made prior to participation through our website and/or upon receipt of an invoice via EFT or over the phone to our reception. Please note the fees are inclusive of GST.
Article 12 – Schools will receive confirmation of the enrolled students and assessment dates via email. Any changes must be communicated at least two weeks prior to the commencement date of the oral assessment period AND/OR written exams being distributed. There will be no refund for students enrolled in the examination and not showing up on the day. No changes can be made once invoice issued. An administration fee of $50 will apply for any invoice adjustments made after the following cut-off dates:
Article 13 – All BMC examiners have valid Working with Children Checks; have completed the State Government required Training - Protecting Children - Mandatory Reporting and other obligations; and are bound to the AFM Child Safety Policy.
Article 14 – Parental/guardian permission is required for each student to participate. A permission form is available through the competition coordinator.
Article 15 – The competition's Terms & Conditions are available to all participants. The person who enrols in the BMC accepts these Terms & Conditions.
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Article 1 – The oral exam is optional for Year 3 to Year 12 students. It may be taken independently of the written exam.
Article 2 – For Years 3 to 10, the oral test consists of reciting a poem chosen from the AFM selection.
Article 3 – For Years 11 to 12, the oral test comprises two sections:
Article 4 – Examiners are formally selected and trained by AFM. Their decisions are final. No detailed feedback will be provided.
Article 5 – Participants must not possess mobile or electronic devices during the oral exam unless required for participation via video conferencing.
Article 6 – Only the examiner, the teacher (or another responsible adult), and the participant may be present during the poetry recital or oral assessment.
Article 7 – RECITAL OF THE POEM
7.1 Students must recite one poem from a choice of two for their year level.
7.2 The poems must be learnt off by heart.
7.3 The title of the poem and the name of the poet must be cited.
7.4 The poem
recited must be exactly as cited on the AFM website.
7.5 Students may bring a hard copy of the poems to the exam room, but they will be marked accordingly. If the exam is
conducted online, the hard copy must remain visible on screen throughout the recital.
Article 8 – YEARS 3-10 OPTIONS to participate:
OPTION A
OPTION B
OPTION C
Article 9 – YEARS 11-12 OPTIONS to participate:
OPTION A
OPTION B
OPTION C
Small groups of students (24 or less) can be assessed in person at our new campus in the CBD. To discuss more please contact the co-ordinator: competition@afmelbourne.com.au
Article 1 – The written exam is one option given to Y9 to Y12 students participating in the Berthe Mouchette Competition. It is not compulsory. It can be taken whether or not the student is taking the oral test.
Article 2 – A teacher must be present in the examination room of the school to supervise the exam.
Article 3 – Students who arrive more than 5 minutes after the start of the exam will not be able to sit the exam. Students are not allowed to leave the classroom during the exam.
Article 4 – Examiners are allowed to clarify, in English, the exam instructions, if they are asked to do so by the students. Examiners must not translate any of the sentences or words from the exam paper.
Article 5 – The students are strictly forbidden to copy or share their answers. If the examiner, or the corrector, have any reason to believe that participants have been copying each other during the exam, they reserve the right to disqualify them from the competition.
Article 6 – Students are not allowed to bring their own copybooks and papers to the exam room. They must use the paper provided.
Article 7 – Students are allowed to have their own pencil case on the table. They are allowed to use an English-French dictionary (hard copy only).
Article 8 – The written exam remains the property of the AFM and will not be returned. The school/student may make a copy of the completed exam paper for their own feedback purposes before sending it back to the AFM.
Article 9 – A minimum of 4 participants per year level per school must be enrolled in order to receive the written exam for that year level.
Article 1 – This competition is only open to students from Y3 to Y6 who are participating in the Berthe Mouchette
poetry recitation for Victorian schools.
Article 2 – The participants are invited to illustrate the poem chosen with a drawing expressing their vision of it.
Article 3 – The drawing has to be produced in A4 format and on only one side of the sheet with coloured pencils, textas, crayons or pens only. (No paint or collage). Drawings that use other materials will not be accepted. Please note that drawings should not be laminated.
Article 4 – Title of the poem has to be on the same side as the drawing. (a caption is also allowed but should not exceed 5 lines).
Article 5 – The participant’s full name should be written on the back of the drawing, together with the year level and the name of the school. Student details noted on the front of the drawing will be disqualified.
Article 6 – The postage is the school’s responsibility. (Teachers may organise a selection of the best drawings but please note we welcome all drawings).
Article 7 – The deadline for receipt of drawings is Friday 1st August 2025. We take no responsibility for entries that are lost, delayed, misdirected or incomplete or cannot be delivered or entered for any technical or other reason.
Article 8 – The jury will be presided over by the director of the AFM assisted whenever possible by a guest Artist. AFM staff and/or board members are invited to compose the judging panel. The decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
Article 9 – The best drawings will receive a prize.
Article 10 – The winners of the competition grants the AFM the right to use, reproduce and communicate the winning
drawing in AFM publications including the AFM Magazine, website, social media, and slideshow presentation of the prize giving ceremony. A
selection of drawings will be exhibited during the prize giving ceremony.
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Article 1 – Students currently enrolled in one of the following Bilingual school programs, Camberwell Primary School,
Caulfield Junior College, Auburn High School and Glen Eira College, enter the competition in a separate category and are entitled to a
different prize, the Prix des Ecoles Françaises.
Article 2 – Only a 1st place winner prize will be awarded to each year level.
Article 3 – The Y7 to Y10 students from bilingual schools are required to write a poem based on a topic provided by the AFM. They do not recite the poem. The Y3 to Y6 students from bilingual schools recite a poem from a selection specifically for the Prix des Ecoles Françaises chosen by the AFM.
Article 4 – The written poems are anonymous, must not be signed, or present any distinctive mark.
Article 5 – Students participating in this category cannot participate in any other sections of the competition.
They cannot recite a poem as an hors-categorie student; nor can they participate in the written exam section as an hors-categorie student.
Article 1 – A participant’s ‘personal information’ (as that term is defined in the Privacy
Act 1988 (Cth))
will only be used by AFM for the sole purpose of the Berthe Mouchette Competition under the Terms & Conditions of such. This includes
publishing the winners’ names and school on the AFM website, social media and slideshow presentation of the prize giving ceremony.
Article 2 – The AFM will make reasonable efforts to keep any such information secure and to ensure that our employees or agents with access to participants’ personal information do not make any unauthorised use, modification, reproduction or disclosure of that information.
Article 3 – For all digital (audio & video) content submitted by participating schools and participants AFM will ensure it is stored in an appropriately secure format and held by the website service provider of the AFM for the duration of the competition after which they will be destroyed.
Article 4 – All digital (audio & video) content submitted by participating schools and
participants will remain the property of the AFM and will not be divulged to any third party, nor will it be sold.
Article 1 – By entering the competition, the participant agrees that content submitted may be used by the AFM for
non-sale promotional purposes. This may include placing samples of the winning entries on the AFM website, social media and slideshow
presentation of the prize giving ceremony.
Article 2 – Where an image of the participant is used, the participant’s name will not be revealed unless express
authorisation from the parent/guardian is given to the AFM.
Article 3 – By entering the competition, winners of the Berthe Mouchette Competition automatically agree, where possible, to publicly perform their poem at the request of the AFM for a 12-month period from the close of the competition.
To view our Child Safe Policy, please click here.
