Reflections Program Instructions

Reflections Submission Instructions
(For Councils and Local PTAs without Active Councils)

All Reflections Entries must be submitted online.

View presentation on Submitting Reflections Entries to the NCPTA.

Please Note: If you have problems submitting entries on the Reflections Website, please try an alternate web browser such as Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer or Google Chrome. Some users have experienced difficulties in the past with Google Chrome.

Step 1: Start Early…

Do not wait until the last minute to submit entries.

Step 2: Check Good Standing

Verify your PTA/Council is in good standing. You will not be allowed to register or submit Reflections Entries if your Council or Local PTA is not in good standing. Also, Councils may only submit Reflections Entries for PTAs in Good Standing.

Step 3: Preparation of Reflections Art Files and Forms

Start early and organize files ahead of time!

Fill out Council Participation Form or Local Participation Form prior to submission.
Verify all Student Entry Forms are complete. You will need to enter a complete Student Entry Form for each Reflection Entry.
Convert all Reflections Art files to the proper format and save them to your computer.

Dance: AVI or MP4 file smaller than 200 MB. Video must not exceed 5 minutes in length.
Film: AVI or MP4 file smaller than 200 MB. Video must not exceed 5 minutes in length.
Literature: PDF file smaller than 3MB. Entries must be a PDF file or a Word file saved as a PDF file. Do not take a photograph of the literature entry.
Music: MP3 and file size smaller than 200 MB. Piece must not exceed 5 minutes in length. Scores are required for middle and high school divisions. Score must be a PDF file. Do not take a photograph of the score.
Photography: JPG, JPEG, or PNG file smaller than 3 MB.
Visual Arts: JPG, JPEG, or PNG files smaller than 3 MB.
- 3D entries must submit 3 files from varying angles

Double-check the file names of the student entries. Refer to Required Naming Convention for Reflections Entries.

Step 4: Register and Enter Reflections Chair Information

Click here to access the NCPTA Reflections Submission Website. If you have problems with the Reflections Website, please try an alternate web browser such as Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer or Google Chrome.

The Reflections Chair responsible for submitting the Student Entry Forms and Reflections Entries into the NCPTA Reflections Submission Website must register.

*The system will only allow for one registered Reflections Chair user per Council/PTA.

To register, you will need to provide your Council/PTA, name, email address, and phone number. You will then be asked to create a password.

Once you register, you will use your email address and password to log into the NCPTA Reflections Submission Website.

Step 5: Enter the Participation Form

Councils: Enter the information from the Council Participation Form into the NCPTA Reflections Submission Website. The form must be entered in its entirety in order to submit your Reflections Entries.

Local PTA Units: Enter information from the Local Participation Form into the NCPTA Reflections Submission Website. The form must be entered in its entirety in order to submit your Reflections Entries.

Step 6: Enter Student Entry Forms and Upload Reflections Art Files

Submitting Reflections Entries is a two part process. First you must enter the Student Entry Form. Then you must upload the Reflections Art Entry.

You can enter all the Student Entry Forms at one time and then upload all the art files. Or, you may enter one complete submission (Student Entry and Art File) at a time.

Part 1: Enter the Student Entry Form

Click on “Add New Entry” to enter the Student Entry Form for a new Reflections Entry.

DO NOT USE QUOTATIONS MARKS OR ANY PUNCTUATION in the student’s name on the Student Entry Form.

The Student Entry Form MUST be manually entered (not scanned) using the online Reflection submission. The Student Entry Form must be completed in its entirety in order for the system to accept the entry. This procedure will eliminate the many disqualifications of entries due to an incomplete Student Entry Form.
Note: If parent email address or phone is not provided, the chair will need to use their own.

Once the Student Entry Form is complete, you will see it in the “Incomplete Reflections Entries” section. It is incomplete because you need to upload the Reflections Art File.

Note: The system will only allow one reflections entry for a student and category combination. If you have multiple entries for the same student (i.e. Sally Jones has two Music entries), enter the second name as “First Last2” (i.e. Sally Jones2) in the student entry form.

Part 2: Upload Reflections Art File

Under the “Incomplete Reflections Entry” section, find the student name and click “Upload Reflections Entry”.

Browse and select the appropriate Reflections Art File from your computer and click the “Upload Entry” button.

Please remember, the acceptable electronic formats for submission are:

Dance: AVI or MP4 file smaller than 200 MB. Video must not exceed 5 minutes in length.
Film: AVI or MP4 file smaller than 200 MB. Video must not exceed 5 minutes in length.
Literature: PDF file smaller than 3MB. Entries must be scanned PDF files or a Word file saved as a PDF file. Do not take a photograph of the literature entry.
Music: MP3 and file size smaller than 200 MB. Piece must not exceed 5 minutes in length. Scores are required for middle and high school divisions. Score must be scanned PDF file. Do not take a photograph of the score.
Photography: JPG, JPEG, or PNG file smaller than 3 MB.
Visual Arts: JPG, JPEG, or PNG files smaller than 3 MB.
- 3D entries must submit 3 files from varying angles

Once you have successfully entered the Student Entry Form and uploaded the student’s art file(s), it will be listed under “Completed Reflections Entries”. The entries in this list have been submitted to NCPTA and no further action is needed.

* The Reflections Entry is not complete until both the Student Entry Form is entered and Reflections Art File is uploaded.

Option to Delete a Submission: Once the Student Entry Form is entered and Student Art File is uploaded, modifications/edits can not be made. But, the user can delete the entry and start over.

Deadline to submit entries into the NCPTA Reflections Submission Website is Wednesday, January 6. No changes or modifications after January 6. If an entry is not complete by January 6, the submission will be disqualified.

Helpful File Preparation Resources

Combine multiple PDF files into one PDF file: http://www.pdfmerge.com/
Reduce the size of a PDF file that is too large: http://createpdf.neevia.com/pdfcompress/
File conversion: http://www.zamzar.com/

If you have any questions, contact the NCPTA Office.

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