High School Heritage Challenge Frequently Asked Questions

No, it can be about anything relating to Canada. Students are encouraged to choose a topic that they enjoy and want to learn more about. (Teachers do have the option to assign specific topics - see next question.)

Teachers can choose to assign specific topics if that works best for them or their class. In order to be eligible for the contest, the topics need to be related to Canada, so teachers are discouraged from assigning topics that would prevent students from participating.

Living Heritage is about the past, present, and future. It does not matter how old something is for it to be considered heritage.

Absolutely. Science is a big part of our heritage.

Any of these could be potential topics, as long as they relate to Canada in some way. It does not matter how famous someone is or was. Someone who is very famous to a student might be someone that the judges have never heard about!

For the High School Heritage Challenge, judges will be looking for more than just facts about a person's life or career. Judges will be looking for their impact on Canada (or a part of Canada) and/or globally; what makes them stand out; how they are portrayed in the popular imagination; and the personal reason(s) why the student chose to do their project on them.

Yes, as long as that character or story is connected to Canada and has had an impact on the Canadian identity. (Simply being portrayed by a Canadian actor in a movie would not count, for example.)

Students can create a fictional character of their own in order to present their topic, but the project cannot be about that character.

Many events that happened in other countries have a Canadian connection (such as a war that Canadians participated in). Some people move away from Canada for their careers, such as actors, but they still have a connection to Canada. Non-Canadians who have lived in or partially live in Canada can also be acceptable topics.

If a student is interested in a topic that is predominantly not Canadian, a suggestion would be to find Canadian connections to that topic and use that as the basis for their project. 

If there is still a connection to Canada, yes. An example would be any topic relating to Indigenous peoples whose traditional territories are now crossed by international borders.

Yes. The student and their family are themselves a connection to Canada.

Yes, but they need to make a connection to Canada in some way. For example, a student might want to do a project about a country that their ancestors used to live in. A good choice of topic would be to compare Canada to another country, discuss the trading relationships between Canada and another country, the ongoing influence of another country on Canada, or reasons why people immigrated to Canada from that country.

They can always check with their teacher. If their teacher is not sure either, the teacher, the student or the parent can check with Heritage Saskatchewan.

If a student submits a project that is not readily connected to Canada, their project will still be included and judged.

If a teacher or student is uneasy about a topic being controversial, they should check with Heritage Saskatchewan. If a student does good research and is respectful in preparing their project, almost any topic relating to Canada is acceptable.

Some topics may contain offensive material regardless. For example, doing a project about the history of hate groups in Saskatchewan would likely mean having photographs of said hate groups in the project. These topics should be done very carefully, but they are still acceptable. Because this is an online contest, Heritage Saskatchewan reserves the right to hide photographs (so that they will not appear without warning or context) and to disable direct links if they do not conform to our organisation’s values. Students must use extreme caution when linking to third-party videos (even if used as a source) and must avoid using shock value as part of their presentation.

Yes, this would be acceptable. Because there is no limit to how many projects a class or school can submit, the separate projects could all be submitted and viewed in their entirety. However, they would all be judged separately.

There is no such thing as a “bad” topic, but a topic can be poorly handled. Also, a “bad” (rather, "not good") topic would be one which has no connection to Canada or wherein the connection to Canada cannot be readily inferred.

All projects are judged on their own merits. Students are judged on their presentation, research, and critical thinking.

No, but the student needs to do good research and be respectful in presenting their project, especially if they want to include a costume*. They must be mindful that members of whichever cultural group they are depicting may be among the other students, judges, online viewers, etc..

*If the student participates in an aspect of a cultural group (such as dance), wearing a uniform, costume, or regalia that they have earned in this capacity is entirely acceptable. 

Please do not include any of the following:

• Black-/yellow-/red-face makeup; [painting one’s face to look dirty to portray a miner, a railroad worker, a disaster victim, etc. is acceptable]
• Sexualised costumes;
• Gratuitous sexual content;
• Raunchy or deliberately nasty humour;
• Racist/sexist phrases, cartoons, videos, or models (without historical context);
• Content expressing overt, non-historical racism, sexism, anti-LGBTQ+ views, etc.
• Links to content (i.e. websites) expressing overt, non-historical racism, sexism, anti-LGBTQ+ views, etc.

Yes, as long as it is an original creation by the student. If students want to create a game, they need to make the file playable on a web-browser or within a larger file (like a PowerPoint presentation).

Educational projects fall under “fair dealing” for copyright purposes. Therefore, as long as students document their sources and give credit for photos, video clips, etc., their projects are not infringing on copyright.

For further information about Copyright, check out our Plagiarism & Copyright page!

As long as credit is given, music falls under “fair dealing” if it is part of a video or audio clip in a project about the performers or writers of that music. It also falls under “fair dealing” if the student sings the song or a portion thereof, or if the student parodies the song.
However, music does not fall under “fair dealing” if it is being featured in a project on a topic unrelated to the performers or writers, especially if it is just as background music. For example, a clip of “My Heart Will Go On” is fair dealing in a project about Celine Dion (the song’s singer), but not in a project about the Titanic disaster. Students can obtain written permission from the copyright holder of any piece of music, but they are encouraged to use royalty-free music.

NOTE: Online algorithms often cannot distinguish between "fair dealing" and copyright violations. When it comes to music and video content, students should err on the side of caution and avoid including copyrighted material in the project itself. A better idea would be to link to the video or music directly.

As long as credit is given (especially if the clip is linked from the project directly to the copyright holder’s website or social media channel), students can include videos or video clips that they did not produce themselves. They can also include these clips directly into their own videos as long as credit is given.

NOTE: Online algorithms often cannot distinguish between "fair dealing" and copyright violations. When it comes to music and video content, students should err on the side of caution and avoid including copyrighted material in the project itself. A better idea would be to link to the video or music directly.

If a student explicitly received written permission in a situation where it is warranted, a copy of that email would be sufficient. (The email would remain in the project file and not be part of the project online.) Otherwise, no documentation is required.

Yes. These are still educational resources and the primary purpose of this contest is education. Neither the student nor Heritage Saskatchewan is profiting financially from the projects.

For the High School Heritage Challenge, students need to include a list of References for their project. This is a minimum requirement. The list of sources can be included in the project or as a separate file. Projects without a list of sources will not be judged.

For further information about References, check out our Plagiarism & Copyright page!

Projects will be accepted in any language. Projects can also be bilingual or multi-lingual. For projects that are not in English, the student should submit an English version of the title and a short (one-sentence) description of the topic. This will help Heritage Saskatchewan promote the project.  

Please note that English-language projects should use Canadian English spellings, as specified in the Saskatchewan curriculum. Students should adjust any spellchecking programs accordingly. 

The exception is for proper names that are written with an alternative spelling (i.e. Pearl Harbor, [American] Center for Disease Control). This can include locations or groups in Canada as well, especially historically. If a word is not part of a proper name, it should be spelled in Canadian English.

No.

No. However, a still photo (even of a screenshot or a title page) is helpful in promoting the project.

No. A student can create a project without including their image. If they want to create a video, they do not have to appear on camera.