Application Dates:
March 23 – April 6, 2026
Description:
Translated from French Tableaux Vivant means “living pictures” and is a creative way to represent a pivotal moment or scene in a story. Used in drama, actors freeze in position to represent a scene, using props, body language and facial expressions to convey meaning.
For this Creative Challenge, groups of students will create a representation of a key moment from either the ELA Honor Society Big Read Text, Samira Ahmed’s Internment or any other text of their choice.
Participants will need to represent a scene or key moment using a still arrangement of people, props, and possibly scenery. An impactful scene that is visually striking, emotionally charged, or crucial to the plot or character development will successfully engage and capture the power of story.
Awards:
Three winning ELA Honor Society student groups (everyone involved in the tableau) will receive official certificates and exclusive ELA Competition Winner pins to display for all to see!
Eligibility:
Applicants must be registered student members of the ELA Honor Society and enrolled at a school with an active ELA Honor Society chapter. Individual students cannot participate in more than one tableau.
Submission Requirements:
- One student from each participating group must upload a landscape (horizontal) high-quality/high-resolution color JPG or PNG photo file, taking into consideration the evaluation criteria outlined below.
- The same student must also submit a written explanation of the Tableau Vivant (crafted by the group participating in the tableau) including a description of the scene and why it is a pivotal moment in the story. This text must be no more than 200 words and must be uploaded in Microsoft Word format. When writing, we highly recommend students consider the evaluation criteria below.
Submission Process:
- One student from each participating group must submit the work (approved by an ELA Honor Society Chapter Advisor) through the ELA AwardSpring platform. Learn more about submitting work in our Technology Guide.
- That student must fill out a short survey, which will define their group’s eligibility to participate.
- The submitting student must respond to all the application questions and upload all materials in the format specified on behalf of their group.
Evaluation Criteria:
Each submission will be evaluated by members of the ELA Honor Society Advisory Council using the following criteria:
IMAGE:
- Quality of composition and visual Impact
- Accuracy and faithfulness to chosen text
- Level of creativity and interpretation
- Quality of participants’ expression and engagement
- Costume and prop effectiveness
TEXT EXPLANATION/JUSTIFICATION:
- Text explains why the Tableau Vivant is pivotal in relation the plot, characters, and/or themes of the text
- Text must be clearly written with no spelling or grammatical errors
- Text must be analytical and not descriptive
- Text must be neatly presented
Resources:
Read about the history of Tableaux Vivant.
